AJACCIO, Corsica — Jan Bakelants pulled away close to the finish line to win Sunday’s second stage of the Tour de France and take the race leader’s yellow jersey for the first time in his injury-plagued career.
The 27-year-old Belgian made his move with a few hundred meters remaining and did enough to withstand a late charge from Slovak sprinter Peter Sagan for the biggest achievement of a frustrating career.
‘‘It’s difficult to believe what happened today, it’s fantastic,’’ said Bakelants, who had a knee operation earlier this year. ‘‘Today it may be the first and last time I ever wear the yellow jersey.’’
He won in 3 hours, 43 minutes, 11 seconds, with Sagan and third-place finisher Michal Kwiatkowski one second behind him. Full story for BostonGlobe.com subscribers.
