Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Friday, July 11, 2025

Back to news and opinion index page for links to archived stories | Commentary | Our YouTube page
2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia

Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get. - Dale Carnegie

---

Plato's dialogue Crito is available both in audiobook and Kindle eBook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Current racing:

• July 5 - 27: Tour de France
• July 9 - 13: Tour of Austria

Upcoming racing:

• August 2: San Sebastian Classic

Latest completed racing:

• June 21 - 29: Most national road championships
• June 24: Giro dell'Appennino
• June 15 - 22: Tour de Suisse
• June 18 - 22: Baloise Belgium Tour
• June 8 - 15: Critérium du Dauphiné
• June 13: GP Kanton Aargau
• June 8: Brussels Cycling Classic
• May 9 - June 1: Giro d'Italia

---

Tour de France stage six reports

We posted the race organizer's report with the results.

Here's the report from stage winner Ben Healy's Team EF Education-EasyPost:

Ben Healy put in a sensational winning ride on stage 6 of the Tour de France to take the biggest victory of his career so far and put EF Education-EasyPost firmly on the map in this year’s race.

The Irish star won in typical Ben Healy fashion, with an unstoppable solo attack 42km from the finish in Vire Normandie.

Ben Healy wins stage six. Sirotti photo

Ben’s incredible win was based on more than just one brilliant attack. He was the first rider to go clear from the peloton at the start of the day, and although his early efforts were thwarted by a very aggressive day of racing, the Irish rider wasn’t going to throw in the towel, and he was again on the move when the day’s key breakaway formed after 130km of pulsating racing.

Ben collaborated with his breakaway companions for much of the undulating stage, swapping turns and keeping the yellow jersey peloton at bay as the break crested several small climbs.

Then, with 42km to go, Ben struck for home with one of his traditional power play attacks, and when he put the hammer down, he quickly showed the rest of the break a clean pair of heels.

His initial gap of 20 seconds grew to almost a minute on the Côte de Saint-Michel de-Montjoie and on the final categorized climb of the Côte de Vaudry, Ben firmly established his winning margin, despite a desperate chase from those behind.

With each pedal stroke, Ben drew more time, and on the final rise to the line, he had the chance to savor his first-ever Tour de France stage win as he crossed the line solo with his arms aloft and an almost three-minute gap to the next rider on the road.

Read what Ben and Neilson had to say about today's win.

Ben Healy:
"It’s unbelievable. It’s really really incredible and hours and hours from so many people, and to pay them back today it’s just really really amazing.

"Last year was a real eye opener and it really made me believe that I could do it, and just knuckle down and do all the hard work, try to redefine my racing style. [I watched] lots of race footage watched and and it really paid off today I think.

"I switched it on from the start. Maybe I spent too much energy trying to get into the break, but it’s just the way I do it and once I was in there we really had to work hard for that gap. We were on the pedals the whole day and I knew I needed to be away from that group, pick my moment and I think I timed it well. I think I caught them by surprise a bit as well.

"Then I knew what I had to do, just head's down and do my best ride to the finish.

"It suited me down to the ground. It’s a stage I circled in the book since the start and to do it on the first one it feels really really amazing.

"I grew up watching the Tour and one day wishing I could maybe one day be there, so to even be there is an achievement, so to win a stage is just so, so amazing."

Neilson Powless
"It was a little bit of disbelief at the beginning because we heard he had a two-and-a-half minute gap and we just could not believe that because even in the peloton we were all suffering a bit from how hard the day was but Ben was off the front, pushing wind, taking chunks of time out, so it was just incredible to hear the performance he was putting on out there. This why our team came to this race – to win stages – and goal achieved. Motivation and confidence are super high and we’re going to enjoy the celebration tonight.

"It was pretty insane. I think everyone that jumped, it took ten minutes at least to recover from it. He was just in front the entire time. Loads of guys were trying to go after him but everyone was just exploding behind, trying to close the gap and it was only a 10 second gap. You could see him, you could almost touch him in front. He was just going so quick that nobody could make a dent. It’s just a testament to the athlete that he is and the motivation he had was really incredible. He just backed himself 100 percent and he seemed like he was just the strongest rider in the race today. He won, so of course he was."

Here's the Tour report from Tadej Pogacar's UAE Team Emirates-XRG:

Over at the Tour de France, UAE Team Emirates-XRG enjoyed a controlled day across Normandy, with Tim Wellens reclaiming his polka-dot jersey from teammate Tadej Pogačar.

Beginning the day in control of the general, points, and KOM classifications, Pogačar ceded all three on stage 6, allowing himself an evening off from podium duties ahead of stage 7’s uphill finish in Mûr-de-Bretagne. With the breakaway developing a sufficient gap over the peloton, Pogačar hands the Yellow Jersey over to Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), leaving the world champion just one second off the lead of the race.

Tadej Pogacar finishes stage six. Sirotti photo

As for Wellens, the Belgian national champion led the front of the peloton over the Côte de la Rançonnière, taking two points in the King of the Mountains classification and returning him to the polka-dot jersey come the end of the stage. It marks a job well done for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, who maintained a steady hand over proceedings on Thursday afternoon.

After the battle for the intermediate sprint, a lengthy battle to enter the day’s breakaway ensued, with Marc Soler, Nils Politt, Jhonatan Narváez and Pavel Sivakov all on duty to ensure that no dangerous riders clipped off the front. Once the Emirati squad was satisfied with the arrangement of the day’s breakaway, Pogačar and his teammates were able to take their foot off the gas until it came to the final couple of kilometres.

With Ben Healy of EF Education-EasyPost having won the stage, Visma-Lease a Bike tried to put pressure on Pogačar through the closing moments. However, Pogačar more than stood up to the task, leading the peloton over the finish line after a late burst of speed. Speaking to the media after the stage, the three-time Tour de France champion relayed his contentment with the race situation heading into stage 7.

Pogačar: “In the end, Visma went hard, so we just followed. At the start, the first two hours were super hard, super fast – incredibly fast – and we survived good. Then we decided whether we would go for the stage or not.

“We decided not to spend our bullets, and then we rode our pace. Nils did his job, so did Marc and the rest of the team. Visma came to the front, riding all out, on the final two kickers. Maybe they had information that Van der Poel was suffering and losing time in the front. [Maybe] Visma wanted to give me the Yellow Jersey today.

“But in the end, I think Mathieu has it for one second, so chapeau to him. Super ride from him today, and the breakaway did a really amazing job in the front, so all credit to the guys in the breakaway.

“I don’t mind having the Yellow Jersey but the goal was to spend as little [energy] as possible today. Tomorrow is another good finish for me, and we still need some legs for the second and third weeks. What we did today was really good from us.”

Here's the Tour de France report from Jonas Vingegaard's Team Visma | Lease a Bike:

Stage six of the Tour de France turned out to be one for the breakaway riders. Simon Yates joined the move on behalf of Team Visma | Lease a Bike and finished fifth. Leader Jonas Vingegaard had no issues in the peloton behind.

Right from the start in Bayeux, the race ignited. Attacks followed in quick succession. Victor Campenaerts opened the action for Team Visma | Lease a Bike, and shortly after, Wout van Aert also made an attempt. The third try was the one that succeeded - this time by Yates. The Brit got away with seven other riders and built up a lead of several minutes.

With around forty kilometers to go, fellow escapee Ben Healy made a move and went solo. The Irishman’s attack proved successful, as he arrived alone in Vire Normandie and claimed the stage win. Yates crossed the line in fifth place. Mathieu van der Poel was also part of the breakaway and is now the new leader of the general classification. That means Jonas Vingegaard and Matteo Jorgenson move up to fifth and sixth overall.

Jonas Vingegaard heads to the start of stage six. Sirotti photo

“We wanted to be part of the day’s breakaway, and I managed to get in”, Yates says after the stage. “I’m starting to feel better and better, which I hope is a good sign for the rest of the Tour. It was a tough day out there.” Teammate Tiesj Benoot adds: “Especially the first two hours were extremely fast. Eventually, the GC teams eased up a bit. Overall, it was a good day for us.”

On a positive day for Team Visma | Lease a Bike, Vingegaard staying out of trouble throughout. “I was obviously disappointed yesterday, but today I felt much better. I’m happy about that. There hasn’t been an easy stage so far in this Tour de France. Tomorrow will be another tough one”, the Dane predicts.

Head of Racing Grischa Niermann is pleased with the team's performance. “We are showing good form as a team. It was a hard race and we definitely wanted to be part of the break. It’s a pity that Wout’s attempt didn’t work out. Today wasn’t a day for Jonas to try anything, but he felt good and was able to follow Pogacar on the final climb.” Tomorrow’s stage is another long one, finishing atop the Mûr-de-Bretagne.

And here's the Tour report from Remco Evenepoel's Team Soudal Quick-Step:

Remco Evenepoel enjoyed his first day in the white jersey at this edition – which he took following his dominant ITT victory – as the peloton embarked on 201.5km stage between Bayeux and Vire Normandie featuring many small climbs and a total of 3500 vertical meters. The heat and the multiple attacks coming in the first 50 kilometers only made things more difficult, but the pace eventually relented after an intense hour of racing, once eight men snapped the elastic and formed a breakaway.

Remco Evenepoel in his white jersey signing autographs before the start of stage six. Sirotti photo

The escapees quickly opened a seven-minute gap, which despite being reduced in the final part of the stage, was enough for the move to hold off the chasers. Ben Healy (EF Education-Easy Post) attacked to take a solo victory, while Remco Evenepoel and the rest of the general classification men concluded around five minutes later, Soudal Quick-Step’s Belgian retaining the lead in the white jersey rankings.

Friday brings another important test at the Tour de France, on the hilly roads to Mûr-de-Bretagne, a climb that returns after four years and where the GC favourites could very well come to the fore, especially as it will be tackled twice.

Back to news and opinion index page for links to archived stories | Commentary