Tadej Pogačar turned a Pogačar Tourmalet attack into a decisive stage 6 victory at the Tour de France.
The UAE Emirates-XRG leader broke clear 5km from the summit of the Col du Tourmalet on Thursday. He then rode more than 40km alone to win in Gavarnie-Gèdre and take the yellow jersey.
Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) fought to contain the damage but finished second, more than 2:38 behind. Isaac del Toro led the next small group home 19 seconds later, completing a dominant day for UAE.
Overnight leader Torstein Træen (Uno-X Mobility) lost contact under UAE’s pace on the Tourmalet. He later crashed on the descent and finished 30 minutes down. His eight-minute advantage at the start of the day disappeared completely.
Pogačar Tourmalet attack reshapes the GC
Pogačar began the stage eight minutes behind Træen. He ended it in yellow, with a commanding buffer over his main rivals.
Vingegaard now sits second overall, 2:42 behind Pogačar. Del Toro moved into third, 45 seconds behind the Dane.
Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe), Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek), Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM), and Florian Lipowitz remain close behind Del Toro. Their losses still marked a difficult first mountain test.
Pogačar called the victory one of the best of his career after the finish. He said his plan was simple: ride “full gas” to the line.
He also said he had not expected to take yellow because of Træen’s overnight lead. Pogačar added that he hoped Træen would recover quickly after the crash.
The result gave UAE Emirates-XRG a major early advantage in the mountains. Pogačar is chasing a fifth Tour de France title, and his team controlled the stage from distance.
UAE set the race alight on the Aspin and Tourmalet
Stage 6 covered 185km and included more than 4,000 meters of climbing. The route paired the Col d’Aspin with the Col du Tourmalet before a long run toward Gavarnie-Gèdre.
The Tourmalet came around 40km from the finish. After its summit, riders faced a long descent and then the 19km valley-road climb to Gavarnie-Gèdre. That road, averaging 3.7 percent, appeared in the Tour for the first time.
UAE made its intentions clear before the final half of the stage. The team chased down a lone attack from Ben O’Connor (Jayco AlUla) on the Aspin. It then drove the pace onto the 17km Tourmalet.
Træen was among the first major casualties. He lost contact around 10km from the summit and quickly began losing time.
Other strong climbers also struggled in the heat. Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike), Matthew Riccitello (Decathlon CMA CGM), and Jai Hindley (Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe) all dropped under the pressure.
Adam Yates finished his pull near the front before Del Toro and Pogačar accelerated. Vingegaard initially lost ground when UAE launched the move, but he steadied his effort.
Pogačar pressed on near the summit and opened more than 30 seconds over his rivals. His climb of the Tourmalet’s eastern side was described as record-breaking.
He then descended cleanly and reached the final climb with a one-minute gap over Vingegaard. The remaining podium contenders followed around another minute behind in an eight-rider group.
Evenepoel tried to lift the chase behind, with Del Toro, Seixas, Lipowitz, Ayuso, and Sepp Kuss also present. The group never found enough cooperation to bring back Vingegaard or Pogačar.
Vingegaard held second from no-man’s land, while Pogačar continued alone to the line. The Slovenian’s ride left the rest of the contenders scattered across the road.
Tour turns flatter after mountain shock
The race eases on Friday with stage 7 from Hagetmau to Bordeaux. The 175km route includes only 800 meters of climbing.
That profile should offer sprinters another chance and give the GC field time to regroup. After Thursday’s display, Pogačar’s rivals need both recovery and answers.