Pogacar Storms to Dominant Tourmalet Victory as Rivals Falter in Tour de France Stage Six

Tadej Pogacar took a commanding step toward a record-equalling fifth Tour de France title with a dominant victory on stage six, reclaiming the overall leader's yellow jersey in the process.

The defending champion launched his attack five kilometres from the summit of the iconic Col du Tourmalet during the first 186.2-kilometre mountain stage of this year's race, running from Pau to Gavarnie-Gedre.

Pogacar's Explosive Attack on the Tourmalet

Between the moment Pogacar surged forward and the crest of the Tourmalet, the 27-year-old Slovenian gained 30 seconds over his principal rival, Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard. The gap over Belgium's Remco Evenepoel and French prospect Paul Seixas was even more punishing — one minute and 45 seconds in that same stretch.

Pogacar eventually crossed the finish line two minutes and 38 seconds ahead of Vingegaard, with his UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammate Isaac del Toro of Mexico a further 19 seconds back alongside Evenepoel and Seixas.

"It is one of my top five wins," Pogacar said after the stage. "I had flashbacks to the Tourmalet in 2022 when I had broken my hand. It's a really incredible victory — one of the sweetest."

He added that he woke at seven o'clock with his mind "already going crazy" and praised his team's effort, describing the atmosphere as hyped and the teamwork as "crazy."

Vingegaard Unable to Match the Pace

Vingegaard, 29, had no response to Pogacar's trademark explosive acceleration and metronomic pace management. The Danish rider had returned to top form following a serious crash in 2024 that injured his lungs, winning both the Vuelta a Espana and the Giro d'Italia during his recovery — the latter by more than five minutes overall.

However, Thursday's showdown on the Tourmalet underlined how far apart the two rivals have drifted since Vingegaard last beat Pogacar at the Tour in 2023.

The result gives Pogacar a general classification lead of two minutes and 42 seconds over Vingegaard, with Del Toro sitting third, three minutes and 27 seconds adrift of his teammate.

Heartbreak for Yellow Jersey Wearer Traeen

The day carried a cruel narrative for Norway's Torstein Traeen, who had claimed the yellow jersey on stage four after finishing well clear in a breakaway group. It was only the second time his relatively new Norwegian team had held the lead in cycling's World Tour, and a milestone for an athlete diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2022 following a routine anti-doping blood test.

Descending the Tourmalet while being guided by teammate Anders Halland Johannessen, the 30-year-old outbraked his companion before hesitating on a steep left-hand hairpin. He appeared to make contact with Johannessen and then braked so sharply that he was thrown onto the tarmac, landing on his right shoulder.

Visibly shaken, Traeen attempted to stand before putting his head in his hands in the middle of the road. He continued racing after undergoing concussion protocols from the race organisers, eventually finishing 51st on the stage and dropping more than 22 minutes behind in the general classification.

"I didn't think about taking yellow today, but I heard he crashed really bad — it's really dangerous if you miss a corner, so I hope he's OK and recovers and can continue," Pogacar said of the incident.

General Classification Takes Shape

Britain's Tom Pidcock dropped to 15th in the overall standings, nine minutes and 50 seconds off the pace after being distanced on the Tourmalet. The 26-year-old cited illness during his preparation, including missing the Tour de Suisse, but remained optimistic about targeting individual stage wins.

"Getting sick and missing Suisse doesn't help, but our performances are not that bad — the level is just super high," Pidcock said. He also acknowledged Pogacar's dominance, remarking that the Slovenian "can win Tour — and well."

Colombia's Egan Bernal, the 2019 Tour winner, is now the highest-placed rider for the British Netcompany Ineos squad, sitting 11th at nine minutes and 15 seconds behind.

After six stages, Pogacar leads the general classification with a total time of 21 hours, 11 minutes and 57 seconds. Vingegaard trails by two minutes and 42 seconds, followed by Del Toro at three minutes 27 seconds, Evenepoel at three minutes 30 seconds, and Juan Ayuso of Lidl-Trek at three minutes 34 seconds. The top ten is rounded out by Seixas, Florian Lipowitz, Lenny Martinez, Mattias Skjelmose, and Mathias Vacek.

With Pogacar already holding a commanding advantage and demonstrating the form that has made him the sport's most feared rider, the question now shifts to whether anyone can mount a credible challenge over the remaining stages. Share this article with fellow cycling fans and let us know — can Vingegaard find a way back, or is Pogacar's march to a fifth Tour title already unstoppable?

Source: BBC Sport