Tour de France stage 6 preview: Pogacar and Vingegaard face an early Tourmalet showdown

Stage 6 starts in Pau and finishes in Gavarnie-Gèdre after 186.02 kilometres, with 4,080 metres of elevation gain. This is a proper mountain stage, and one that can already create gaps in the fight for yellow.

Key information:

• Start: 12:40 (CET)
• Estimated Finish: 17:29-18:05 (CET)
• Stage type: mountain
• Stage length: 186.02km
• Elevation gain: 4080m

Follow stage 6 live at Domestique with our live reporting.

The first half of the stage should be relatively calm in general classification terms. There are two categorised climbs, the Côte de Loucroup and the Côte de Mauvezin, but neither should have a decisive impact on the outcome of the stage. They may help shape the early breakaway, but the real race is expected to begin much later.

The tone changes dramatically in the second half of the stage. The Col d’Aspin is the first major obstacle, with 9.8 kilometres at 7.0 percent. It is hard enough to reduce the peloton, force domestiques into difficulty and put the first real strain on the GC teams.

Yet the Aspin is only the beginning. The Col du Tourmalet follows soon after, and it is the climb that should define the stage. At 12.4 kilometres and 8.7 percent, the Tourmalet is a brutal test this early in the race. 

The gradients are severe, the climb is long, and the timing of the ascent means there will be very little room to hide.

The summit comes with 38.5 kilometres still to race, which makes the finale especially interesting. A long descent follows, but the stage does not immediately settle down. The riders then face almost 20 kilometres of false flat and rolling terrain towards Gavarnie-Gèdre.

That final section may not look decisive on the profile, but after the Tourmalet it could become one of the most important parts of the stage. Isolated riders can lose significant time there. 

A well placed teammate, either from the group ahead or still alongside a leader, could be hugely valuable.

Key points

• Côte de Loucroup | 4th category climb - 1.9km at 7.3% - 135.4km to go
• Intermediate sprint - 127.2km to go
• Côte de Mauvezin | 3rd category climb - 3km at 6.6% - 109km to go
• Col d'Aspin | 1st category climb - 9.8km at 7.0% - 68km to go
• Col du Tourmalet | hors catégorie - 12.4km at 8.7% - 38.5km to go

This looks like a general classification stage. The first half of the route is controllable, and the second half gives the strongest climbers enough terrain to make a difference. UAE Team Emirates-XRG have already shown their willingness to control the race, so there is little reason to think they will hold back on a day that suits Pogačar this well.

The key question is not whether the GC riders will move, but when. The Col d’Aspin may be used to soften the race, but the Tourmalet is the obvious launchpad. A hard pace there would quickly reduce the group of favourites and could leave several leaders without teammates before the final 35 kilometres.

Satellite riders could play an important role. Teams that manage to place riders in the breakaway may be able to use them after the Tourmalet, either to support an attacking leader or to limit losses if someone is dropped. That could be especially important on the long run towards Gavarnie-Gèdre, where cooperation, team strength and tactical clarity may matter almost as much as climbing legs.

A breakaway is not impossible, but it will need the right composition and a significant advantage before the Aspin. With such a demanding finale and such obvious GC implications, the stage is more likely to come back to the strongest overall contenders.

It is difficult to look beyond Tadej Pogačar. The stage suits him almost perfectly. The Tourmalet gives him a platform to test Jonas Vingegaard, while the final section after the descent also plays to his strengths. If the two arrive together near the finish, Pogačar would be the clear favourite in a sprint.

UAE Team Emirates-XRG also have the option of using Isaac Del Toro deep into the stage. He could be the final support rider before a Pogačar attack, but he could also become part of a tactical move if the race opens up earlier than expected. If Pogačar cannot immediately distance Vingegaard, UAE may still have ways to create numerical pressure in the final kilometres.

For Jonas Vingegaard, the plan is simple in theory and extremely difficult in practice. He has to follow Pogačar on the Tourmalet, survive the accelerations and avoid being isolated in the run in to the finish. This is the first mountain stage of the race, but it could already reveal the balance of power between the two main favourites.

Visma | Lease a Bike may look to use satellite riders. Matteo Jorgenson, Davide Piganzoli and Sepp Kuss could all be valuable if they are placed ahead of the GC group. The problem is that UAE will know this too, and they are unlikely to allow Visma to build a tactical advantage without a fight.

Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe also enter the stage with two important cards. 

Remco Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz may not be expected to match Pogačar and Vingegaard when the race explodes, but both have the engine to limit damage after the Tourmalet. If they climb at a similar level, they could become useful allies for each other on the final run to Gavarnie-Gèdre.

For Decathlon CMA CGM, the focus will be on Paul Seixas. His first Grand Tour is already a major test, and after crashing hard at the Dauphiné, there are still questions about how he will respond to the load of a Tour de France opening week. 

This stage should offer a clearer indication of where he stands. With Matthew Riccitello having crashed on stage 3, Tiesj Benoot and Nans Peters may become important support options if the race fractures.

Lidl-Trek also have several ways to approach the stage. Juan Ayuso came into the race with questions after illness interrupted his preparation, and this stage could be the final major hurdle before he hopes to find his full rhythm in the second week. Mattias Skjelmose gives the team another strong option, while Carlos Verona and Derek Gee-West could be valuable if Lidl-Trek look to use riders up the road.

Tobias Halland Johannessen is another rider to watch closely. The Uno-X Mobility leader appears to be in excellent condition, and a hard stage like this could give him an opportunity to take time on other podium contenders if the race becomes selective behind the very best.

EF Education-EasyPost will look to Richard Carapaz. Before the race, he suggested that the general classification was not his main target, but a strong start could change the calculation. The Tourmalet will show whether he is willing, and able, to stay in the GC fight.

Other riders to watch include Antonio Tiberi and Lenny Martinez of Bahrain Victorious, as well as Tom Pidcock of Pinarello-Q36. All three have the climbing ability to survive deep into the stage, especially if the favourites hesitate or if a strong breakaway earns enough freedom before the major climbs.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  Pogacar 

⭐⭐⭐⭐  Vingegaard

⭐⭐⭐  Evenepoel, Del Toro, Lipowitz

⭐⭐  Seixas, Ayuso, Johannessen, Carapaz

⭐  Skjelmose, Tiberi, Pidcock, Martinez, Gee-West