"This is tougher than a mountain stage" - Adrie van der Poel highlights how brutal can be days like stage 6
Cycling
Mathieu van der Poel gave up the yellow jersey after stage 5 time trial, but the Dutchman didn't have to wait long to return to race lead. On stage 6, the Alpecin-Deceuninck leader joined daily breakaway and as peloton wasn't keen on chasing the leading group, Van der Poel was able to narrowly jump over Tadej Pogacar by one second in the GC.
"We already said it, ten kilometers from the finish: Mathieu will still need at least a minute at the beginning of that final kilometer," Adrie van der Poel told In de Leiderstrui about the stage. "A second... it's not much, but it's enough for the yellow jersey. He would have preferred half a minute, of course, because that gives you a bit more leeway. But you have to be satisfied."
"It was already a super tough day, of course, with the pace going incredibly fast the whole time. Mathieu had been fighting for a long time to break away. This was probably one of the toughest days of this Tour," noted the father of Mathieu van der Poel.
Mathieu van der Poel gave it his all to secure yellow jersey
"After that intermediate sprint, they really went all out, and it took a while to break away, on a difficult course."
It's taken nearly two hours of full throttle racing for the daily breakaway to be finally let go. "I think they were averaging 45, 46... and the other guys up front were probably riding a bit more in reserve, while Mathieu was trying to give it his all. Not so much with the idea of winning the stage, but definitely to reclaim the yellow jersey."
Tougher than a mountain stage
"This is tougher than a mountain stage," Adrie explains. "In a mountain stage, you ride towards a mountain, you ride at your own pace, and then that's it. Here, it's constantly rushing and stopping, you know? And in a breakaway, there are always riders with other interests. And make no mistake: they're very good riders," he points out.
The victory on the day went to Ben Healy who left the rest of the breakaway far behind with a 40-kilometer solo. Adrie van der Poel was not surprised by such outcome:
"Ben Healy breaking away wasn't so bad. He was by far the strongest. We know his numbers, there's nothing wrong with that," analyzes Adrie. "Then you hope they'll still be around behind him. And at the end of the day, it also matters that Mathieu is a bit heavier than those guys. But it's always a combination of all those factors. It was a day with 3,500 meters of elevation gain, which is tough."
Mur de Bretagne, climb where Mathieu took yellow jersey for the first time in his career will be on the course again on Friday, but there won't be much time to reminiscent with Tadej Pogacar on his tail.
"I think we need to put that aside for now," Adrie agrees. "We're just going to start and see how it goes. Are we just going to control, are there any other teams? For Mathieu, it's crucial to be at the front, but a stage like this demands a lot of recovery."
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- guess what Valgren, you're 34, and no you're not good enough. sorry to say.mij14-11-2026
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- enough time? he's 24 years old. He's won 10 races over the last 2 years and some are significant. I won't argue about his attitude being good - it needs to improve. But with some coaching and mentorship he has a lot of winning ahead of him and has plenty of time to win a GT. I don't think he will ever beat Tadej, but everyone else is fair game Look at Mas and Valverde - they were 31 and 29, respectively, when they won the Vuelta.mij14-11-2026
- Pogacar has a fine head on his shoulders.Careful investments and a couple of coffee shops sounds like a wonderful way to chill after an intense career.Stay healthy GOAT.
Brucegel14-11-2026 - I live in Maribor.PogiSloFans14-11-2026
- I live in Ljubljana and often go on trips in the surrounding area, where I frequently see young cyclists in 'Pogi Team' jerseys training, either alone or in groups. By simply motivating so many young people to take up cycling, Tadej has already achieved something truly significant.Velijo14-11-2026
- That's an excellent point. It's interesting that Vader came to that realization only after he learned that his contract wasn't going to be renewed.
santiagobenites14-11-2026 - Indeed! A reluctant gift maybe. Even more reluctant gift from Roglic! Tho I can’t see that Rog would have beaten Ving anyway.Lozza14-11-2026
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