A fascinating stage 6 of the Tour de France ultimately ended with a show of dominance from Tadej Pogacar on the uphill finish at Longwy. His blistering jump put him bike lengths away from second-on-the-day Michael Matthews (BikeExchange-Jayco) in a couple of pedal strokes and straight into the yellow jersey. As undoubtedly impressive as this display was, the other story of the day belonged to Wout van Aert. The Jumbo-Visma tyro was in no mood to give up and only ceded his maillot jaune after a day-long fight in the break and, when his breakaway partners could no longer keep pace, by flying solo until his capture with 11km to go.
Facing a day out of 220km -the longest stage at this year’s Tour – and with La Super Planches des Belles Filles to scale tomorrow. You would think the riders would have been happy to let a break go and just play for a breakaway win with a little GC manoeuvring on the side. To be fair, I think that’s what a lot of teams might have done if wasn’t for the searingly fast start, the cross headwinds, and the fact Wout was determined to be in the break.
La course est partie sur les chapeaux de roue ! 💨💨💨 #TDF2022
📸 A.S.O./Charly Lopez pic.twitter.com/B4nk1nx059
— Team TotalEnergies (@TeamTotalEnrg) July 7, 2022
Riders were shelled out of the back as fast as others were trying to escape off the front. The average speed for the first hour hit 53km/h and didn’t slow much for the second!
😱 53km/h de moyenne et des attaques à tout-va… Le peloton n'a pas envie de profiter du paysage belge.
📸 A.S.O./Pauline Ballet#MenInGlaz I #TDF2022 pic.twitter.com/gF2gR6U22D
— B&B HOTELS – KTM (@BBHOTELS_KTM) July 7, 2022
or indeed for the whole stage
Today's stage was the 4th in @LeTour history to be covered at an average speed higher than 49km/h
At 219.9km, it is also the longest of these flying days of racing (the previous 3 ranged from 147km to 203.5km)
💛@TamauPogi's historic ride ⤵️#TDFdata #TDF2022 pic.twitter.com/OiICKF8jLJ
— letourdata (@letourdata) July 7, 2022
It was pure chaos with the peloton in full flow and flux
Everyone trying to bike murder each other at the Tour right now.
— nyvelocity (@nyvelocity) July 7, 2022
At one point we had a Danish flavoured break, because is it really a breakaway at the Tour if the polka dots of Magnus Cort (EF Education-EasyPost) are missing?
Un nouveau groupe de tête se forme avec la présence notamment de Christophe Laporte, Stan Dewulf, Mads Pedersen, Kasper Asgreen et du maillot à pois Magnus Cort Nielsen. #TDF2022 pic.twitter.com/ALjCJZXELq
— Le Gruppetto (@LeGruppetto) July 7, 2022
When Wout, wouts
Wout was determined to be in the break today, he attacked relentlessly and would not be deterred.
Loving the comments by @AdamBlythe89 “Anyone that goes with Wout is half witted”
— mavis Evans (@MaveEvans) July 7, 2022
Eventually, after 77km of frantic racing, and with 143km to go, teammate Steven Kruijswijk led him out just fast enough to snap the elastic and he was away with Quinn Simmons (Trek-Segafredo) and Israel Premier Tech’s Jakob Fuglsang.
This guy in yellow basically decides how the race unfolds.
What a boss. 👌#TDF2022 pic.twitter.com/plN5agjeto
— Domestique (@Domestique___) July 7, 2022
The trio nursed their advantage well. However, with the EF Pinkies chasing hard to get Neilson Powless into the yellow jersey and BORA-hansgrohe wanting to move Aleksandr Vlasov up the GC, they were slowly but surely reeled in. The odds swung more into the chasers favour when Fuglsang dropped out of the break with 65km to go. Not that Wout appeared perturbed. Not even a badly behaved bike chain a change of bike put him off mission. He would not be stopped. When Simmons could no longer pull with him he simply rode away solo in yellow-clad show of defiance.
💛 @WoutvanAert has dropped @QuinnSimmons9.
It's now van Aert 🆚 the peloton💛 @WoutvanAert a distancé @QuinnSimmons9.
Nous avons à présent un duel van Aert 🆚 le peloton.#TDF2022 pic.twitter.com/KQ0eLozHAO— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 7, 2022
I feel like a solo yellow jersey riding ahead of a destroyed peloton ON THE FLATS is the kind of thing cyclists did 100 years ago with tubulars wrapped over their shoulders hydrating with cabernet.
— Ted King (@iamtedking) July 7, 2022
I said on Tuesday that I had run out of superlatives for Wout, and although today was not a storming ride to victory, it was equally as enthralling. He gave every last watt of power to stay out front, eeked his advantage over the first of the four climbs in the final 15kms, determined to somehow hold onto yellow. When he was finally caught with 11km to go he sailed back through the peloton like he’d thrown out an anchor.
💛 @WoutvanAert is caught and dropped. He will lose the Yellow Jersey today.
💛 @WoutvanAert est repris et distancé. Il va perdre le @MaillotjauneLCL ce soir.#TDF2022 pic.twitter.com/meg4pbtbIb
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 7, 2022
You can only applaud that stubbornness and sheer will to honour the yellow jersey.
🎙💚 @WoutvanAert
"The plan was slightly different to the execution. We were expecting a bigger breakaway. When I saw that we were only 3, I knew it would be very hard. I had put so much energy into it, so I decided to continue to honor the jersey 💛"#TDF2022 pic.twitter.com/DTuLfrtLWy
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 7, 2022
… even if you question what the Jumbo Bees were up to
Given that Jumbo-Visma is trying to win this Tour with Vingegaard (and possibly still Roglic), and that Van Aert has already won a stage and worn yellow, what is the most logical theory as to why he has expended so much energy to get into the breakaway today? #TDF2022
— Neal Rogers 🇺🇦 (@nealrogers) July 7, 2022
WVA is caught with 11 km to go!
Attack with 140 km to go & lose Yellow Jersey>>>wait for the sprint and win in Yellow Jersey. 🤷🏻♂️
I still don't understand what he and Jumbo-Visma did today (so much energy spent for almost nothing) but thank you for the show, Wout! 👏#TDF2022 pic.twitter.com/OdgVx17hqR— Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) July 7, 2022
Don’t worry though, we’ll still see him in the maillot vert tomorrow – his stated goal for the Tour. He’ll also be wearing the red numbers for most combative ride of today’s stage.
🔴👍 À l’origine de l’échappée du jour, 🇧🇪@WoutvanAert a insisté en solitaire. Il remporte logiquement le #PrixAntargaz du combatif du jour. 💐🔴#TDF2022 pic.twitter.com/d8uw2hwkD3
— Prix Antargaz (@PrixAntargaz) July 7, 2022
When Pog, pogs
If I can create a verb for Wout, I sure as hell can create one for Pogacar! With Wout ceding yellow, the climb heavy final got spicier still. Total Energies’ Alexis Vuillermoz took a flyer on the penultimate ascent, the Côte de Pulventeux. Pog responded with one of his own that split the already small peloton into small pieces still.
Alexis Vuillermoz is off the front in search of the stage win!#TDF2022 pic.twitter.com/j9ochFuaJF
— ITV Cycling (@itvcycling) July 7, 2022
Pog’s UAE team set about hunting down the man out front and they had him at the base of the final ascent at Longwy.
We're gonna have one heck of a Slovenian sprint. #TDF2022
— Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) July 7, 2022
Jumbo Bees Primoz Roglic attacked first, and then the inevitable happened…
I'm expecting it https://t.co/wtRGTNpJ0Z
— midge (@pariswheels) July 7, 2022
… Pog, pogged.
Watch the final kilometer and be spellbound. The sheer acceleration he gets to reel in Primoz and hold the likes of Bling Matthews at bay.
Tadej Pogacar takes the stage AND the yellow jersey!
What a sprint!#TDF2022 #ITVCycling pic.twitter.com/HCoAopgwl2
— ITV Cycling (@itvcycling) July 7, 2022
His post race interview was joyous and cheeky – and look out for that tuft. Just the one today, but what a tuft of power it was.
the hair lock… omh … that hair lock
— Me Love much WOUT. why god no likey? (@Goreckiportuga1) July 7, 2022
This one was special😍
Amazing feeling, and really amazing work from the team🙏It will be a privilege to ride to Le Planche in yellow tomorrow 💛#WeAreUAE pic.twitter.com/WMzNO1gtHC
— Tadej Pogačar (@TamauPogi) July 7, 2022
So far we’ve learned that Pogacar can time trial, slay cobbles, climb, and sprint. He’s probably going back to the team bus to cook dinner for the team now. I mean, he’s gotta be a chef too, right? #TDF2022
— Chris Carlson (@Kiss_my_Panache) July 7, 2022
Is it all over bar the singing?
We have seen this scenario before. Pog gets into the lead and that’s it, the yellow jersey is wrapped up tight and out of sight.
After the cobbles yesterday…
Everyone : the Tour is not over. There is still plenty of time to expose Pogačar's weaknesses.
Pogačar today : pic.twitter.com/6M8ffpO3Sh
— JB Lagnie (@jblagnie) July 7, 2022
Well, let’s leave all the teeth gnashing and wailing until at least tomorrow, and better still the high mountains.
Everyone giving it “the tour is over” but we don’t know what Tadej can do in the mountains – sure he does well at the classics but does he have a climbing pedigree?
— Journal Velo (@JournalVelo) July 6, 2022
Even if Tadej holds onto yellow, you know full well it’ll be exciting. He won’t be happy to sit and defend, he’ll be out there riding with FULL TUFTED POG-NESS
people saying that the tour is over now that tadej is in yellow. i say finally, the tour is starting
— tour de sly 🥖 (@veromussillon) July 7, 2022
Besides which, Le Tour will never be boring when we have stage victories and polka dots to play for. Plus WOUT in his quest for green
Lots of breakaway stages and the fight for Polka Dots to come. GC is done.
— Colin Lynch PLY (@FormerTTchamp) July 7, 2022
And if that doesn’t cheer you up, look at INEOS massing their four pronged attack at the front!
Moving on up the GC at #TDF2022
4⃣ @AdamYates7
5⃣ @tompidcock
6⃣ @GeraintThomas86
8⃣ @danifmartinez96— INEOS Grenadiers (@INEOSGrenadiers) July 7, 2022
Midge pic of the day
⚡️Riders on the storm#TDF2022 pic.twitter.com/siNI9xPPmx
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 7, 2022
The last words
This is everyone who watched the stage.
I don’t get anyone’s tactics today.
— Chris Carlson (@Kiss_my_Panache) July 7, 2022
This made me snort with laughter.
'Riding very attractively!' The opposite of 'riding immodestly' https://t.co/3xtlCTW5tQ
— VeloVoices (@VeloVoices) July 7, 2022
Final results
Stage 5 results
1 Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) 4:27:13
2 Michael Matthews (BikeExchange-Jayco) same time
3 David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) s.t
4 Tom Pidcock (INEOS Grenadiers) s.t
5 Nairo Quintana (Arkea-Samsic) s.t
GC top 10
1 Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) 20:44:44
2 Neilson Powless (EF Education-Easy Post) +0:04
3 Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo Visma) +0:31
4 TAdam Yates (Ineos Grenadiers ) +0:39
5 Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) +0:40
6 Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) +0:46
7 Aleksander Vlasov (BORA-hansgrohe) +0:52
8 Daniel Martinez (INEOS Grenadiers) +1:00
9 Romain Bardet (Team DSM) +1:01
10 David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) +1:02
All the jerseys
Leader’s jersey Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates)
Points jersey : Wout van Aert (Jumbo Visma)
King of the Mountains: Magnus Cort (EF Education-Easy Post)
Best young rider: Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates)
Team : INEOS Grenadiers
For full stage reviews, go to cyclingnews
Official Tour de France website is here