DISCUSSION: Tour de France Stage 6 - Vingegaard under pressure? Is Red Bull a powder keg? The Tour is already over?
CyclingThursday, 09 July 2026 at 21:30
Tadej Pogacar stamped his authority on the 2026 Tour de France with a commanding victory in Stage 6, producing a devastating attack on the Col du Tourmalet before riding solo to Gavarnie-Gèdre. The Slovenian not only claimed his second stage win of this year's race but also reclaimed the yellow jersey after distancing all of his main rivals.
Jonas Vingegaard crossed the line mote than two minutes later in second place after a long solo chase, while Isaac Del Toro sprinted to third ahead of Remco Evenepoel in the group of pursuers.
The 186.2-kilometre stage from Pau featured the Tour's only major Pyrenean showdown, with the Col d'Aspin and the legendary Tourmalet setting the scene before a final uphill drag to the finish.
Early break never allowed much freedom
The day's first move came almost immediately as Victor Campenaerts of Team Visma | Lease a Bike attacked from the start. Huub Artz (Lotto-Intermarché) and Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) soon bridged across, with Pedersen clearly targeting the intermediate sprint.
The trio established a lead of around one minute, but UAE Emirates - XRG kept the situation firmly under control, unwilling to give Campenaerts too much room because of his Team Visma | Lease a Bike colours.
Artz briefly found himself in trouble with the race jury after being warned for an irregular riding position. The Dutch national time trial champion then voluntarily dropped back into the peloton.
On the first uncategorised climb, Matteo Jorgenson accelerated at the front of the bunch, reducing the advantage of the escapees. Pedersen still reached the intermediate sprint first to collect maximum points before easing up. Campenaerts was eventually caught soon afterwards.
UAE tightens the grip before the Tourmalet
The race came alive again on the Côte de Mauvezin, where Ben O'Connor (Team Jayco AlUla) launched a solo attack and opened a gap of nearly a minute before the Col d'Aspin.
His move was short-lived as Nils Politt and Tim Wellens gradually reeled him back in for UAE Emirates - XRG. Once O'Connor had been caught, Valentin Paret-Peintre attacked in pursuit of mountain points and was later joined by fellow Frenchman Lenny Martinez (Bahrain - Victorious). Martinez narrowly won the sprint over the summit of the Aspin.
Behind them, UAE continued to dictate an unforgiving pace. One rider after another slipped away from the favourites' group as the road climbed higher into the Pyrenees.
Yellow jersey holder Torstein Traeaen eventually cracked with around ten kilometres remaining on the Tourmalet, unable to match the relentless tempo being set by Pogacar's teammates.
Pogacar and Del Toro blow the race apart
With five kilometres remaining on the Tourmalet, UAE Emirates - XRG launched the decisive move. Isaac Del Toro accelerated first, with only Pogacar immediately able to follow. Jonas Vingegaard, Paul Seixas and Florian Lipowitz initially managed to stay within touching distance, while Remco Evenepoel quickly began losing ground.
Del Toro's explosive effort eventually took its toll and the Mexican was forced to let Pogacar ride away. Vingegaard moved past Del Toro and briefly limited the damage, sitting around ten seconds behind the Slovenian.
That gap, however, rapidly increased over the final kilometres of the climb. Pogacar reached the summit with roughly a 31-second advantage over Vingegaard. Seixas, Del Toro and Lipowitz were already around a minute and a half behind, while Evenepoel's group, containing Juan Ayuso, Mattias Skjelmose, Sepp Kuss and Martinez, trailed by approximately 1:45.
Pogacar extends his lead on the descent
Far from taking risks unnecessarily, Pogacar produced another exceptional descent off the Tourmalet. Speeds regularly exceeded 100 km/h, yet the world champion continued to increase his advantage over Vingegaard.
Behind, the groups containing Seixas and Evenepoel merged with around 25 kilometres remaining. Further back, Torstein Traeaen's hopes of retaining the yellow jersey ended after a heavy crash during the descent.
At the foot of the final climb to Gavarnie-Gèdre, Pogacar held a lead of 1:10 over Vingegaard, while the Evenepoel group sat another 40 seconds further back.
Torstein Traeen crashed heavily on the descent of the Tourmalet. After being assessed by the race doctors, he was able to continue.
No answer to Pogacar's strength
The final ascent lacked the steep gradients of the Tourmalet, but it made little difference. Pogacar continued to ride away from everyone, extending his advantage with every kilometre.
Vingegaard fought alone throughout the climb, while cooperation behind him proved inconsistent. Evenepoel repeatedly showed his frustration as the chase lost momentum and eventually took on much of the workload himself.
Despite closing slightly on Vingegaard late in the stage, the chasing group never threatened the Dane, let alone Pogacar.
Double reward for the World Champion
Pogacar crossed the finish line alone after another dominant mountain performance, sealing both the stage victory and the overall race lead.
Vingegaard limited his losses by finishing second, although he still conceded almost three minutes on the day.
Behind them, Del Toro won the sprint for third place ahead of Evenepoel, collecting the final bonus seconds and completing a superb day for UAE Emirates - XRG.
After six stages, Pogacar once again sits at the top of the general classification, having delivered a statement performance on the Tour's biggest climb in the Pyrenees.
Huub Artz was warned for his riding position on the bike.
Pogacar blew the race apart
Carlos Silva from CyclingUpToDate shared his thoughts on what unfolded in the Pyrenees this afternoon.
Tadej Pogacar was simply himself. No masks and no filters. The team rode to blow the race apart on the Tourmalet. Tim Wellens, Felix Grobschartner, Brandon McNulty and Adam Yates lit the fuse, Isaac del Toro set it on fire, and Pogacar blew everyone away.
No other rider would dare to tell his team, in the meeting on the bus before the start in Pau, "We're going to blow this race apart." Whether it works or not. Only Pogacar can say it and do it. Everyone else should be thinking about how to stop the Slovenian, but it's becoming clear that nobody has found the formula.
Visma, UAE's biggest rival in the fight for the title in Paris, would never dare to do something like this, despite having Jonas Vingegaard. And the Dutch team paid the price for that defeat today in the worst possible way. They were completely crushed on just the sixth day of racing.
I already said during the Tour de Romandie that Matteo Jorgenson would not be at his best in the Tour. Today, that was confirmed, as he was the first rider from Vingegaard's mountain train to crack. Piganzoli, and especially Sepp Kuss, are not enough. The team is simply too short in the high mountains, and today that became obvious.
And they cannot complain about the absence of key riders, because UAE also had to rethink its plans after losing riders to injury and illness. Apart from that, I think UAE will now try to take second place on the podium away from Vingegaard. As I always say... I have a feeling.
As for the situation involving Remco Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz... this isn't going to end well. Evenepoel changed teams to become the undisputed leader, yet he's already having to share leadership with Lipowitz. Red Bull is a powder keg waiting to explode. The only question is how long the Belgian rider will be willing to put up with it.
A final note on what happened in the opening part of the stage. The race commissaires decided to warn Huub Artz because of his position on the bike. He had his forearm resting on the handlebars and his hands on the inside of the brake hoods.
They chose to become the protagonists during the stage, when they could simply have noted the infringement and decided on the appropriate sanction after the finish. Warning the rider in the middle of the stage... I did not agree with that decision.
Especially because, later on, we saw Ben O'Connor in exactly the same position as Huub Artz. Yet in O'Connor's case, nobody warned him while the race was in progress. Are there two different standards being applied by the race commissaires?
Ben O'Connor in the same riding position as Huub Artz. Did the race commissaires see it?
Pogacar takes control
Rúben Silva of CyclingUpToDate analysed the day's racing, sharing his perspective on how the stage unfolded.
An important day for the Tour de France and maybe a decisive one. But not a surprising one, I must say. Tadej Pogacar began this race as the man to beat and the man with the strongest team. What happened was logical. He does not need to improve on his level of previous years, only maintain it, and today we've seen him deliver what we know he can do.
The problem for all his rivals isn't just that he is the strongest climber in the race, but that he is also the most complete of the GC men. The gap at the top of the Tourmalet to Jonas Vingegaard was not dramatic, but his descending skills are better and his endurance is also above that of anyone, meaning he could put in another two minutes until he got to the finish line.
If Visma or any other team make the race harder, it falls into their rival's hands, unfortunately for them. Pogacar's victory is convincing and although it is very early, of course, it does provide him with the provisional overall lead because 2:42 to the Dane is already a huge gap, and no one else can be expected to begin taking time either.
But you can't really blame the competition. I read 6.39W/kg for 43 minutes. These are not crazy wattages, but in the context of a very hard stage, with the heat and altitude, it makes sense. Jonas Vingegaard was actually quite close in the key moment of the race. In the high mountains, their difference here was not very big.
Paul Seixas? 10/10. Florian Lipowitz? 10/10. Remco Evenepoel? Yes, he has shown that his body weight and long climbing efforts have paid off, and he is truly in the fight for the podium.
Juan Ayuso, Mattias Skjelmose and Lenny Martínez were all at a very good level, while Isaac del Toro also delivered as expected. He is not a yellow jersey favourite yet, but a podium finish is quite possible, and UAE might not really sacrifice him for Pogacar's success.
UAE now have firm control of the race and, if they do not want to, they do not need to attack anymore. They can simply follow Visma's tactics from here on.
Pogacar and Vingegaard greet each other at the finish. A great display of sportsmanship.
The Tour is already over
Javier Rampe of CiclismoAlDia reflected on the day's action and assessed Movistar Team's performance in his post-stage analysis.
There is no Tour. That is still my opinion after Tadej Pogacar's massacre on the Col du Tourmalet. Whenever the Slovenian decides to, he changes the pace and destroys every rival in his path. This time, they couldn't even get onto the world champion's wheel.
Thanks to Isaac del Toro and his outstanding work, UAE Team's undisputed leader attacked well before the summit of the legendary Pyrenean climb. With more than 42 kilometres remaining, he quickly opened a gap, but it wasn't until the top of the climb and then by pushing even harder on the descent that he finally broke Jonas Vingegaard.
The Dane is not there. It looks worrying after becoming Giro d'Italia champion, with all the fatigue that comes with it, and with half of the team also tired because they were there with him in the Italian Grand Tour.
Visma leave the second mountain battle in a very weakened position. Vingegaard now sits 2:42 behind Pogačar, a gap that should only increase given the lack of acceleration he has shown since arriving at the Tour de France.
From a Spanish perspective, Juan Ayuso is holding on, but he does not convince as a leader over three weeks. He does not look comfortable when the race turns into long, agonising climbing efforts. Despite what he says, he is an explosive rider who should focus on mountainous one-day races and one-week stage races.
Movistar Team also saw their leader, Cian Uijtdebroeks, abandon the race today with more than 25 kilometres remaining. The Belgian had been heavily affected by physical problems. The Tour de France is not even a week old, and it already has a winner.
Isaac del Toro looks over his shoulder. After dramatically increasing the pace, the Mexican rider paved the way for Pogacar to ride away solo to the finish.
Lipowitz announces himself
Pascal Michiels of RadsportAktuell was thrilled by what he witnessed in the Pyrenees and was all smiles at the end of the stage.
This was not just the day Tadej Pogacar crushed the Tour de France. It was also the day Lipowitz showed that he is no longer merely a promising climber watching the giants from a distance.
UAE Team Emirates had already strangled the other general classification contenders before the steepest part of the Tourmalet had even begun. When Pogacar finally decided that even Isaac Del Toro had done enough and left his own teammate behind, the race split into brutal layers of reality.
At the very top of that reality was Pogacar, alone and untouchable. Behind him, Jonas Vingegaard was the only rider still close enough to keep the illusion of a duel alive for a few more minutes.
Just behind that, Lipowitz was climbing better than almost anyone else in the race. He moved closer to Vingegaard, fought his way through the damage, and briefly made it feel as though the gap could still be bridged. It was not to be. Lipowitz could not quite make the junction.
Yet it would be wrong to judge his day only by what he did not manage. On the Tourmalet, while so many established names were being suffocated by UAE's relentless pace, Lipowitz was still riding forward. That is the real German story of the stage.
Pogacar rode as if the rest of the race belonged to another category. Vingegaard bent but did not immediately break. Lipowitz, however, did something just as important for his own development: he climbed like a rider who belongs in the conversation.
Remco Evenepoel's day was different, but no less fascinating. On the climb, Pogacar's acceleration exposed him. The Belgian lost ground and, for a moment, it looked as though the Tourmalet might turn into a deeply damaging day. Then came the descent.
Evenepoel produced one of those astonishing efforts that only he seems capable of making look logical. He threw himself downhill with incredible speed and commitment, reducing the gap with a descent that was almost as important as any attack on the climb.
Where Lipowitz impressed through his climbing strength, Evenepoel rescued his day through nerve, technique and sheer determination. By the time the race regrouped behind Vingegaard, he had forced himself back into the battle for the podium places.
But Pogacar was the executioner. UAE were the team that had softened everyone up long before the decisive blow had even been delivered. That is why the Tourmalet told us more than the result sheet alone. Pogacar may have won the stage and taken control of the Tour, but Lipowitz left the mountain with something equally valuable: credibility.
You do not come close to Vingegaard on the Tourmalet by accident. You do not survive UAE's suffocating pace and still ride forward unless you truly have the legs.
Pogacar may have put the Tour in a chokehold, but behind him, Lipowitz announced himself as a genuine force in the mountains, while Evenepoel showed once again that even when he bends, he rarely disappears.
Of course, Pogacar now looks destined to win this Tour, but as German cycling fans, we can only be thrilled by what we witnessed from Lipowitz today.
Verdict
Tadej Pogacar did far more than win a mountain stage. He reminded everyone why he arrived at the Tour de France as the overwhelming favourite and why, at this moment, nobody seems capable of matching him.
UAE Team Emirates executed their plan to perfection, turning the Tourmalet into a battlefield before Pogacar delivered the decisive blow himself. Once he accelerated, the race immediately became one of survival rather than confrontation, and a lead of 2:42 over Jonas Vingegaard already feels enormous this early in the race.
Just as significant was what happened behind the yellow jersey. Team Visma | Lease a Bike looked vulnerable, with Matteo Jorgenson unable to support Vingegaard and the rest of the mountain train unable to contain UAE's relentless pace.
In contrast, Florian Lipowitz confirmed he belongs among the elite climbers, Remco Evenepoel limited the damage with a fearless descent, and young riders such as Paul Seixas and Isaac del Toro continued to underline their enormous potential. Juan Ayuso also remains firmly in the fight, although questions persist over whether he is built for three weeks at the very highest level.
The Tour is far from over on paper, but psychologically it already feels as though Pogacar has tightened his grip on the race. His rivals now face the impossible task of attacking the strongest climber, one of the best descenders and the rider backed by the most dominant team in the peloton.
Unless something extraordinary happens in the coming two weeks, the biggest battle may no longer be for the yellow jersey, but for the two remaining places on the final podium.
And you? What did you make of the stage 6 of the Tour de France 2026? Tell us your thoughts, share your opinion on all the key moments and incidents from the race, and join the discussion.
Carlos Silva is a writer for CiclismoAtual.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he contributes race reports, interviews, analysis pieces, and live coverage of the international cycling calendar. Holding a degree in Sports from the Jean Piaget Institute, he combines academic knowledge of performance, training, and competition with hands-on journalism experience in professional cycling.
Throughout his career, Carlos has conducted interviews with leading figures in the sport, including Alberto Contador, Joaquim Rodríguez, Óscar Pereiro, João Almeida, Isaac del Toro, Derek Gee, John Degenkolb and Geraint Thomas. These conversations reflect direct engagement with Grand Tour winners, Classics specialists, and emerging talents.
He has provided on-site coverage at major events ranging from the Vuelta a España to the Tour de France, alongside stage races such as Vuelta a Andalucía, Volta ao Algarve, Volta a Portugal and O Gran Camiño. Covering the mythical climbs of the Giro d'Italia remains one of his professional ambitions.
Carlos is responsible for liveblog coverage of all major WorldTour races and beyond, including the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España. His reporting integrates verified data from ProCyclingStats to ensure statistical accuracy, contextual depth, and analytical precision.
A lifelong cycling enthusiast, he approaches storytelling across written, photographic, and video formats with a focus on credibility, tactical insight, and informed race interpretation.
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- indicates he doesn't have the mental strength to win le tour - possibly any other GT. ITs a long race, and Lipo knows that Remco will never hang in the high mountains in week 3 - why burn all the matches now?Crashjames09-07-2026
- A concussion and broken ribs! Well done road side doctor.Pedalmasher09-07-2026
- Without a doubt..awp09-07-2026
- 'i was RIGHTLY angry' ... the dumbass remco thinks that he can judge himself. what a jerk. if he would be professional, he would blow out his anger in the team bus, but not to the media. and if his team leaders would be professional, they would tell him to shut the f**k up because little remco did not understand what lipo understood, that is makes little sense to chase in the first place. however, who said that he is professional?Ketterechts09-07-2026
- Jonas is in the same situation as 2025. If misfortune befalls Pogi he can win. Otherwise he is a strong second behind the world's greatest road cyclistmobk09-07-2026
- Maybe Vingegaard will declare again in 2027 that he is back to his best level, just like before Hautacam 2025 and Tourmalet 2026. I'm really curious which legendary mountain ASO will design for 2027 where Jonas will be only 2 minutes behind. Today Vingegaard learned what that legendary phrase means when someone "gets too close to the sun,"... they usually get burned. He imagined that he is the☀️ but Giro knows how to trick a person's psyche. Vini,Vini, today you learned the hard way.mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales09-07-2026
- Settling into a familiar pattern. Pogi in a class of his own. Jonas solidly the best of the rest, and then a bunch of podium contenders. The podium contenders though look stronger than ever this year - Seixas, IDT, Remco, Florian, Ayusomobk09-07-2026
- Toro is Bull...mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales09-07-2026
- Bull is del Toro...mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales09-07-2026
- What is Toro? ;)MajorPayne09-07-2026
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