Read Jeremy Whittle's stage six report
Geraint Thomas took precious seconds out of several fellow GC contenders, as Belgium’s Dylan Teuns won his maiden Tour de France stage and Julian Alaphilippe lost the yellow jersey.
Apologies to Dylan Teuns: In a previous post I may have renationalised him and referred to him as a German. The 27-year-old Bahrain-Merida man is, of course, as Belgian as Hercule Poirot, Abbaye D’Auine Blond 6% beer and getting lost in Liege.
What a stage: Belgian rider Dylan Teuns won his first stage in the Tour de France at the end of a brutal climb, prevailing by about seven or eight bike lengths from Giulio Ciccone, who was practically at a standstill. He managed to keep going and looked gutted as he crossed the line, but he got rewarded for his effort with the not inconsiderable consolation prize of a yellow jersey.
Xander Meurisse promptly finished third, whereupon Geraint Thomas put in a fine come from behind effort to pass Julian Alaphilippe on the final ramp. He finished fourth, just in front of Alaphilippe and Thibaut Pinot.
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Alaphilippe has lost the yellow jersey!!! Once the bonus won by Ciccone on the penultimate climb has been factored in, he takes the yellow (and white) jersey and leads this year’s Tour by six seconds.
Correction: Xander Meurisse finished third.
Aliphilippe attacks! Warren Barguil crosses the line in third. Desperate not to lose his yellow jersey, Julian Aliphilippe gets out of the sadde, with Geraint Thomas on his wheel. Thomas passes him and crosses the line a couple of lengths clear of Julian Aliphilippe and Thibaut Pinot, who are almost at a standstill. Has Alaphilippe done enough to keep yellow? I think so.
Dylan Teuns wins the stage!
500km to go: There’s a camera bike getting in the way throwing up a cloud of dust as Teuns leads Ciccone up the ridiculously steep climb. Teuns wins it.
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1.5km to go: Dylan Teuns and Giulio Ciccone enter the agonisingly difficult knockings of the stage, with Movistar’s Mikel Landa in hot pursuit. Ciccone looks the strongest as they enter a final kilometre of uphill, gravel strewn hell.
2.4km to go: Warren Barguil attacks the yellow jersey group and is followed by Mikel Landa, who overtakes him.
3.3km to go: Ciccone could take the yellow jersey today, but only if he finishes 1min 44sec or more clear of Julian Alaphilippe, who is four from the front of the group of favourites, with three riders from Team Ineos in front of him.
3.5km to go: Dylan Teuns and Giulio Ciccone have pulled clear and are pedalling along wearing their best poker faces. Back in the pack, Thibaut Pinot stands up in his pedals, tries to launch an attack and immediately thinks better of it. Sit down, Thibaut.
4.4km to go: Tim Wellens is struggling and there’s a noticeable gap between him and his three fellow leaders. Teuns and Ciccone are also pulling away from Meurisse.
4.7km to go: The four leaders stop playing silly buggers, presumably on the orders of their Directeurs Sportifs, who will be watching from the team cars and barking orders accordingly. The gap is 3min 07sec - it should be enough as long as they don’t start cat-and-mousing again.
5.5km to go: Movistar’s Marc Soler hammers out the rhythm as the yellow jersey group continue to try to hunt down the four leaders. I think they’re going to get caught, as they’ve stopped working together and are already playing cat-and-mouse with a long way to go. The gap is 3min 20sec.
6km to go: Movistar continue to lead the chase, with the gap down to 3min 50sec.
6km to go: The road ramps up significantly for our four leaders. Giulio Ciccone of Trek-Segafredo is leading the way, with Wellens on his wheel.
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7km to go: Teuns, Ciccone, Wellens and Meurisse lead the stage. Ciccone is probably the pick of the bunch in terms of climbing but he is having angry words with Wellens, in the polka dot jersey, for not doing his share of the work.
10km to go: With a lead of four minutes, the four leaders pass under the kite telling them have 10 kilometres left to travel, seven up them which will cause them no end of pain and anguish Have they a big enough lead? “If I was a betting man, I wouldn’t put too much on the breakaway group staying clear,” says Sean Kelly on Eurosport.
12km to go: Our four leaders are descending, as is the yellow jersey group behind them. Thibaut Pinot is prominent towards the front of the chasing pack and apparently did as many as 10 training climbs at today’s finish during the spring.
15km to go: In his world Champion’s jersey, Movistar’s Alejandro Valverde leads the yellow jersey group along. It’s about 30 strong now as they go over the top of the penultimate climb and begin their own descent. The gap is 4min 10sec.
19km to go: Wellens, Teuns, Ciccone and Meurisse continue to lead the stage with a gap of 4min 02sec separating them from the yellow jersey group. The leaders have just gone over the top of the Col Des Chevreres and are on the descent. They have one climb left and just look at how difficult it is. FYI: that ramp with the 24% gradient right at the top is covered in gravel.
20km to go: Thomas De Gendt can barely stay upright, so steep is the climb he’s currently tackling. He’s almost at a standstill as he hits the wall and is caught and passed by Wellens, Teuns, Ciccone and Meurisse. Back in the yellow jersey group, which Movistar continue to tow along, Team Ineos rider Wout Poels has been dropped.
21km to go: De Gendt continues to lead, while the original breakaway has shed several members. Back in the yellow jersey group, Peter Sagan is talking to his team-mate Marcus Burghardt, who is wearing race number No13. As is customary, in the name of superstition, it is upside down to avoid incurring bad luck. Here’s Burghardt enduring some bad luck 12 years ago ...
21km to go: Thomas De Gendt pedals onwards, ready to tackle the penultimate climb of the day, the catefgory two Col des Chevreres. It’s 3.5km in length, 914km to the top at a gradient of 9.5%.
25km to go: Nils Politt is dropped from what was the breakaway group before Thomas De Gendt decided to try to make today all about him. The gap from De Gendt to the the “breakaway” he was once part of is 31 seconds. He’s 5min 14sec clear of the yellow jersey group.
28km to go: Thomas De Gendt has attacked off the front of the breakaway and has opened a lead on his former travelling companions.
31km to go: Andre Greipel is caught by the big boys as they climb Col Des Croix, led by Nairo Quintana’s Movistar, with Vincenzo Nibali’s Bahrain-Merida and Geraint Thomas/Egan Bernal’s Ineos tucked in behind them.
37km to go: “It’s still very much in the balance at the minute, for the breakaway,” says Eurosport pundit and Irish cycling legend Sean Kelly, upon being asked to assess their chances of producing the winner of the stage.
37km to go: Bora Hansgrohe and Movistar are leading the peloton, which has split in two, at a ferocious lick. The gap is 6min 42sec as the breakaway group head up the short category three Col Des Croix.
An email: “My question is: Does it look like Team Ineos will attack and how does GT look today?” asks Ryan. My answer is: no and a vision in burgundy. See for yourself.
42km to go: The gap is 7min 07sec as the breakaway and peloton continue their respective descents. Tim Wellens has guaranteed himself another day in the polka dot jersey, as long as he finishes today’s stage.
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50km to go: The peloton is about to crest the Ballon D’Alsace and begin their descent.
55km to go: There’s a closely fought sprint to the top of the Ballon D’Alsace, which is won by Tim Wellens, ahead of an eight kilometre descent. Back in the bunch, Movistar have taken over at the front.
Edet abandons! Ah, this just in – Nicolas has stepped off his bike and quite the race. He looked exceptionally green around the gills when an unsympathetic cameraman pulled up beside him earlier this afternoon. Get well soon, Nic. Hopefully it’s just a 24-hour bug.
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60km to go: I am becoming obsessed with the plight of Nicolas Edet, who is suffering from an intestinal complaint and has now gone from 30th on GC today to virtual Lanterne Rouge on the road. He’s lost 25 minutes on the field today.
60km to go: The breakaway are five kilometres from the top of the climb with a gap of 8min 10sec to the bunch, which is still being led by three of Julian Alaphilippe’s team-mates. Team Ineos are lined up behind them, dpoing none of the work. Assorted members of Movistar are tucked in behind them.
Edet watch: By my reckoning, the 31-year-old Cofidis rider has already lost over 20 minutes so far today and still has a world of hurt to endure.
The men in front: Shorn of Herr Greipel, these are the 13 in the breakaway: Benoît Cosnefroy (AG2R-La Mondiale), Dylan Teuns (Bahrain-Merida), Serge Pauwels (CCC), Julien Bernard and Giulio Ciccone (Trek-Segafredo), Nikias Arndt (Sunweb), Natnael Berhane (Cofidis), Thomas De Gendt and Tim Wellens (Lotto-Soudal), Fabien Grellier (Total Direct Energie), Nils Politt (Katusha-Alpecin), Xandro Meurisse and Andrea Pasqualon (Wanty-Groupe Gobert).
63km to go: Andre Greipel has been dropped from the breakaway group, which is now making its way up the hill to the Ballon D’Alsace. The gap is 8min 24sec. It’s looking increasingly likely that one of the 13 members of the escape party will win this stage. Increasingly likely but by no means certain, yet.
Feed zone: The riders in the main bunch having some lunch and your reporter is going to grab an energy bar, ahead of the business end of the stage. Back in five. Watch this, from the Global Cycling Network, while I’m away. The gap is now out to 8min 11sec, incidentally.
An email: “Greipel quite regularly gets involved at the front on non-sprint stages, it’s one of the reasons why he is such a likeable racer,” writes Simon Thomas. “It may be that he’s just acting as a bridge in the event of an attack by one of his team mates or that he was trying to pick up intermediate sprint points (or stop someone else getting them). Or maybe he just fancied a crack at something different.”
72km to go: The gap between the breakaway and the bunch is two seconds shy of eight minutes. The riders are on the descent at the moment and their next climb is up the Ballon D’Alsace. It’s a category one, 11 kilometres in length to a point 1,173m above sea level. The gradient is 5.8%.
Edet watch: The stricken Nicolas is currently 18min 06sec behind the stage leaders and travelling at 15km/h. Hats off to him for carrying on but I suspect he will miss the time cut.
82km to go: The gap from the breakaway to the bunch is 7min 21sec. Julian Alaphilippe’s teammate Kasper Asgreen is at the front of the peloton and is getting no help from any other team. If they don’t get any help to close this gap, Trek-Segafredo rider Giulio Ciccone could finish the day in yellow.
He’s 1min 43sec behind Alaphilippe on GC. A lot will hinge on whether or not Team Ineos try to win today’s stage or decide to keep their powder dry for another day. They have no reason to try to go for the stage win today but might fancy doing so anyway.
An email: “Do you have any insights into why Andre Greipel is hanging with the breakaway?” asks Zach DeBruine. “It seems like he’s hanging on for dear life. Is he worried about missing the time cut-off at the end of the stage?” Anyone? My guess is he didn’t want to be at the back of the field, downwind of Nicolas Edet.
85km to go: Natnael Berhane is first over Col Du Hundsruck, followed by Tim Wellens.
86km to go: Cracking maths there on my part. That’s six different groups.
87km to go: Going by the official Tour tracker, the field appears to be split into seven different groups: the breakaway, the group of GC contenders, three different groups of stragglers and Nicolas Edet.
88km to go: Spare a thought for Nicolas Edet, who is visibly ill and already 14min 30sec and 10 kilometres off the pace being set by the breakaway.
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89km to go: The 14 men of the breakaway are on their way uphill again. The category two Col Du Hundsruck is next on the itinerary. It’s 748m above sea level, 5.3km in length and has a gradient of just shy of 7%. The gap to the peloton is 7min 31sec.
96km to go: Total Direct Energie rider Anthony Turgis goes wide on a turn and almost goes off the road, but manages to stay upright.
Now traditional crash as soon as I abandon my post: Warren Barguil hit the deck near the summit of Grand Ballon, but has got a bike change and is away rolling again. There’s a bit of damp on the road and this descent is technical and difficult. Not a time for risks.
109km to go: The breakaway group head over the short but steep second climb of the day, the category three Grand Ballon. De Gendt is first over, followed by Giulio Ciccone, who was King of the Mountains at the Giro. There’s a serious descent to come, so your reporter is going to hope nobody falls and take this opportunity to attend to collect a couple of bidons from the Guardian team car. Back in five!
113km to go: The peloton is about to crest the summit of Le Markstein having been led all the way up by Deceuninck-Quick Step rider Kasper Asgreen. A couple of wheels back, the riders of Team Ineos are enjoying an impromptu spot of lunch after Gianni Moscon went back to the team car to fetch a musette of energy bars and gels.
116km to go: Already in the polka dot jersey, Tim Wellens is first over Le Markstein.
Today’s favourites: Egan Bernal is the favourite to win today’s stage and is followed in the betting by Giulio Ciccone, Thibaut Pinot, Adam Yates, Alejandro Valverde, Geraint Thomas, Dylan Teuns, Dan Martin, Jakob Fugslang, Michael Woods, and Warren Barguil.
118km to go: There are two kilometres to go to the summit of Le Markstein and then it’s onwards and upwards to the Grand Ballon, another category one climb. The gap between the breakaway and the bunch is 6min 49sec.
120km to go: A motorcycle cameraman pulls up alongside a very forlorn looking Nicolas Edet. The Cofidis rider has been dropped from the main bunch and has just been receiving treatment from the medical car. He is unwell today and is apparently suffering from a stomach complaint. It’s going to be a long, long day for the poor sod.
123km to go: The gap from the breakaway to the peloton is now 7min 09sec. Deuceuninck-Quick Step rider Kasper Asgreen is leading the peloton along, as he has been since the breakaway formed.
125km to go: It’s uphill for the foreseeable future as the race tackles Le Markstein, the first category one climb of this Tour. It’s summit is 1,183m above sea level, the climb is 10.8km in length and the gradient is 5.4%.
Intermediate sprint result
1. Andrea Pasqualon: 20 points
2. Nils Politt: 17
3. André Greipel: 15
4. Nikias Arndt: 13
5. Thomas De Gendt: 11
6. Dylan Teuns: 10
7. Fabien Grellier: 9
8. Giulio Ciccone: 8
9. Natnael Berhane: 7
10. Xandro Meurisse: 6
11. Serge Pauwels: 5
12. Benoît Cosnefroy: 4
13. Tim Wellens: 3
14. Julien Bernard: 2
And at 6min 55sec:
15. Michael Matthews: 1
127km to go: Deep in conversation with Elia Viviani, Peter Sagan gets caught napping by Michael Matthews in the race for the final intermediate sprint point. He gives chase to the Australian, but is unable to catch him. The pair roll over the line, with Matthews turning to share a laugh with his rival.
128km to go: The gap is out to 6min 35sec, while Team Deceuninck-Quick Step continue to lead what passes for the charge behind them. At some point, one would expect the Skybots from Team Ineos to grab today’s stage by the scruff of the neck and squeeze tightly. Egan Bernal is many people’s idea of today’s winner.
Intermediate sprint: Andrea Pasqualon wins the intermediate sprint and is followed over the line by Nils Politt and Andre Greipel in second and third. The 11 other riders in the breakaway follow them, meaning there’s just one point left up for grabs for a peloton that is now over six minutes behind them.
133km to go: The gap between the 14-man breakaway and the peloton is out to 5min 46sec and the weather has become inclement. It’s raining, but not heavily.
Mitchelton Scott’s stage five diary: Matteo Trentin could not have asked for a better leadout from his teammates yesterday, but ultimately the Italian was unable to get his nose in front of Peter Sagan and had to settle for second place. There’s no shame in that.
139km to go: The riders of Team Ineos are lined up behind their colleagues from Quick Step at the front of the bunch.
140km to go: Giulio Ciccone (Trek-Segafredo) is ther highest placed GC contender in the breakaway in 42nd at 1min 43sec. He’s currently the virtual leader of this Tour and on Eurosport, the commentary team have said he’s capable of winning today’s stage.
142km to go: The gap goes out to 4min 23sec with Deceuninck-Quick Step at the front of the main peloton.
Your breakaway: Benoît Cosnefroy (AG2R-La Mondiale), Dylan Teuns (Bahrain-Merida), Serge Pauwels (CCC), Julien Bernard and Giulio Ciccone (Trek-Segafredo), Nikias Arndt (Sunweb), Natnael Berhane (Cofidis), Thomas De Gendt and Tim Wellens (Lotto-Soudal), Fabien Grellier (Total Direct Energie), Nils Politt (Katusha-Alpecin), Xandro Meurisse and Andrea Pasqualon (Wanty-Groupe Gobert) and André Greipel (Arkéa-Samsic) have 1’45’’ lead after 10km. The gap to the bunch is already 2min 44sec and rising.
152km to go: One rider after another is being spat out the front of the bunch, trying to bridge the gap to the escape party of 14. Ciccone, Meurisse, Teuns, Politt, Bernard, De Gendt, Pasqualon, Berhane, Wellens, Cosnefroy, Arndt, Pauwels, Grellier and Greipel are the men in the getaway car and the bunch seem content to let them go.
155km to go: Tim Wellens, currently in the polka dot jersey, is also in the breakaway attempt. Will they get away?
They’re racing! The start of today’s race has been semaphored and a group of six riders have attacked off the front of the bunch. They’re joined by another five or six who bridge the gap. Thomas De Gendt, it should go without saying, is among the early pace-setters. Serge Pauwels and Andre Greipel are there too.
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Happy birthday! Lotto Soudal sprinter Caleb Ewan is celebrating his 25th birthday.
Out! We have our first abandonment of this year’s Tour. Team CCC’s Kiwi rider Paddy Bevan has quit the race, having felt unable to continue because of two fractured ribs he suffered in a crash on stage four. The field is down to 175 riders.
Today’s roll-out: The neutralised zone is a 10 kilometres long today and the field is over halfway through it, bunched behind the red Skoda carrying race director Christian Prudhomme. They’re going at a fair old lick, a state of affairs that would suggest there’ll be a number of riders anxious to attack from the gun. Today’s intermediate sprint is at Linthal, around 30 kilometres into today’s stage, 15 kilometres from the first classified climb of the day, the category one Le Markstein.
La Planche des Belles Filles: Legend has it that during the Thirty Years War (1618 to 1648), young women from Plancer-les-Mines fled into these mountains to escape Swedish mercenaries, who they feared might rape and murder them. Trapped on the mountain top where today’s stage concludes, they opted to take their own lives by jumping from the summit into the lake below, rather than surrender. One of the soldiers promptly engraved an epitaph for “the beautiful girls” into a wooden board and left it as a memorial. Hence the name of today’s brutal final climb: La Planche des Belles Filles (The Board of the Beautiful Girls).
The Move: Lance Armstrong is not a Eurosport presenter, but he is also hosting a daily pod in which he, his former teammate George Hincapie and their pal JD give their own piping hot takes on the latest action. GO straight to the six-minute mark to skip past the adverts.
The Breakaway: Eurosport presenter Orla Chennaoui is hosting a daily podcast in which she and assorted guests pick over the bones of the day’s action and looks ahead to the following day’s stage. You can catch yesterday’s offering below.
Stage five report: Jeremy Whittle was in Colmar to see Peter Sagan secure the 12th Tour de France stage win of his career, while Julian Alaphilippe stayed in the yellow jersey.
Stage six: Mulhouse to La Planche des Belles Filles (160.5km)
From William Fotheringham’s stage-by-stage guide: Short and intense over four brutal climbs culminating with the ascent where Chris Froome won in 2012. The main action will come in the final 20km over the very narrow and steep Col des Chevrères, which hits 18%, and the finish climb which goes to 20%. It’s a typical first key day at the Tour: the time gaps should be a bit less than in other years as we are still in the opening week but the chances are only 10 or a dozen riders will be in with a shout after this one. Local boy Thibaut Pinot might be the best bet to win the stage and steal an early march.
