The 2025 Tour de France continued Thursday with stage 6 – a 201.5-kilometer ride in hilly and alternating terrain on a route from Bayeux, near the coast, to Vire Normandie. The stage would feature six category 3 and 4 climbs and the hilly terrain and many climbing meters led many cycling analysts to compare the stage to the Ardennes Classics of the spring months.

Tadej Pogacar was leading the general classification following yesterday’s individual time trial in flat terrain. The UAE Team Emirates rider, however, had not won the stage. The time trial had been won by world time trial champion Remco Evenepoel and the Soudal-QuickStep rider had advanced to second in the GC following his impressive performance on the route around Caen.

Frenchman Kevin Vauquelin had also delivered a surprising time trial performance for his Arkea B & B Hotels team and the rider had climbed to the final podium spot in the GC. Jonas Vingegaard had faltered in the time trial and lost more than a minute to Pogacar – the Visma-Lease a Bike rider was now ranked fourth in the GC and the Dane now had close to zero chance of winning this year’s Tour.

Following yesterday’s time trial – in which several riders had used the opportunity to somewhat relax and recover - today’s stage 6 got off to a very fast start and attacks were launched from kilometer zero. While the route type of today’s stage 6 of Tour de France would mimic the famous Ardennes classics, the weather conditions were completely different as a heat wave had struck the Tour peloton, and temperatures had reached 28 degrees Celsius.

Riders from Intermarche-Wanty surprisingly took control of the peloton in the starting kilometers of stage 6 and closed all breakaway attempts. It appeared the sprinters in the peloton were prioritizing the intermediate sprint, which was scheduled early in the stage. Several breakaway attempts were then expected to be launched when sprint aces such as Biniam Girmay (Intermarche-Wanty), Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek), and Tim Merlier (Soudal-QuickStep) had completed their own battle.

The peloton approached the intermediate sprint with 180 kilometers remaining. Intermarche-Wanty, Lidl-Trek, and Alpecin-Deceuninck sprint trains were spotted, but part of the lead-up was in uphill terrain. Jonathan Milan started his sprint and Biniam Girmay countered. Mathieu van der Poel also responded.

Jonathan Milan won the intermediate sprint ahead of Mathieu van der Poel, Biniam Girmay, and Anthony Turgis (Team TotalEnergies). Breakaway attempts were launched immediately following the sprint and Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek) and Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) were the first riders to show their attacking courage.

Healy and Simmons had formed a narrow lead of fourteen seconds when 175 kilometers remained to the finish line. The duo appeared unable to break free of the peloton and establish a viable lead. Perhaps other riders would jump to the front duo.

Harold Tejada and Victor Campenaerts (Team Visma-Lease a Bike) made the leap to the front duo and the quintet pressed on with a narrow advantage of sixteen seconds. 168 kilometers remained. Attacks were still being launched from the peloton.

The breakaway quartet had been reeled in when 166 kilometers of the stage remained. Meanwhile, several of the sprinters had been dropped from the back of the main peloton along with other riders. The fast speed and the hilly terrain were obviously taking its toll already.

Wout van Aert (Team Visma-Lease a Bike) and Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor Pro Cycling Team) tried their luck as did Pablo Castrillo (Movistar) and Quinn Simmons, but all riders were finding it difficult to leave the peloton behind on the hilly and narrow streets of northwestern France.

Wout van Aert and Pablo Castrillo then managed to form a small gap and remained in front for several kilometers. They were caught and Gregor Mühlberger tried his luck for Movistar Team. He also got reeled in.

Alex Baudin launched Neilson Powless in a breakaway attempt, but the American rider was finding it difficult to establish a gap on the climb as several riders were still eager to escape and join a breakaway effort. Ben Healy tried again. Meanwhile, riders were still dropping from the back of the main peloton.

Ben Healy, Quinn Simmons, Mathieu van der Poel, Will Barta, and Harold Tejada formed a slightly larger gap. Perhaps there was still hope for the breakaway artists in today’s stage. Guillaume Martin (Groupama-FDJ) launched a solo attack from the main peloton to make the leap to the front quintet.

Matteo Jorgenson tried his luck for Team Visma-Lease a Bike, but GC leader Tadej Pogacar immediately shut down the attempt.

The front quintet had formed a lead of 35 seconds when 137 kilometers remained. Martin got reeled in as his courageous solo attempt had failed.

Multiple teams in the main peloton were displeased with not being represented in the front quintet, so they pressed on at top pace. The lead got reduced to just 12 seconds. Eddie Dunbar jumped solo to the front group for his Jayco-Alula team. Simon Yates was now leading the main peloton for his Visma-Lease a Bike team and reduced the advantage of the front sextet to five seconds. Michael Storer also jumped to the front group and Yates joined the Australian rider. Seven riders were now in front.

The hilly, hot and intense racing conditions had caused the peloton to fragment into atoms as multiple groups had formed with some riders now struggling to reduce the gap to the front and reach the finish line inside the time limit to avoid getting expelled from the Tour. This could turn into a very decisive day for some teams and their ambitions in this year’s Tour de France.

The riders passed through the hometown of Guillaume Martin, who received cheers from the roadside while wearing his blue Groupama-FDJ outfit. 

UAE Team Emirates had taken control at the front of the main peloton when approximately 100 kilometers remained. The remaining breakaway hopefuls in the main peloton were apparently running out of steam and the speed of the group slowed down as the riders entered a feed zone.

Meanwhile, further up the road a front group featuring Simon Yates, Healy, Simmons, van der Poel, Storer, Dunbar, Barta, and Tejada had been established, and the eight riders had spent an incredible amount of energy on forming a lead of 01:10 minutes over the peloton. Additional peloton groups were further back, not least a group more than nine minutes behind, which featured green jersey wearer Jonathan Milan.

The advantage of the eight-man front group over the main peloton had increased to 02:20 minutes with 75 kilometers of the stage remaining. The green jersey group was now almost eleven minutes after the front group.

Fifty-five kilometers remained and the eight riders in the front group had increased their advantage to 03:20 minutes.

Ben Healy catapulted himself forward in a solo attack from the front group when 42 kilometers remained. What a powerful blast by the Irish rider from Team EF Education-EasyPost.

Healy showed great courage and delivered a strong performance. The Irishman had fought his way to a lead of 34 seconds over the seven-man chase group with thirty-five kilometers remaining. Meanwhile, the main peloton was now almost five minutes behind.

Healy was now on the penultimate categorized climb of the day. While Healy was increasing his lead to fifty seconds, Quinn Simmons, Simon Yates and van der Poel launched attempts from the chase group while hoping to bridge the gap to the EF Education-EasyPost cyclist. Quinn and Storer formed a chase group.

Healy reached the summit of Cote de Saint-Michel de Montjoie with a lead of 52 seconds over Quinn and Storer. Simon Yates, van der Poel, Dunbar, Barta, and Tejada were 01:20 minutes back. The riders were passing though Department du Calvados, where the Calvados apple brandy was invented. Perhaps Healy would deserve a glass of Calvados tonight to celebrate a stage victory.

Ben Healy pressed on in his well-known fashion and continued to amaze and impress spectators along the route of today’s stage 6 of Tour de France 2025. With just twelve kilometers to the finish line in Vire Normandie the Irishman had a lead of 01:40 minutes.

Meanwhile further back, Quinn Simmons tried to drop Michael Storer from the chase duo with 7.7-kilometers left. However, Healy had increased his lead to more than two minutes, so there was likely no chance of catching him before the finish line.

Healy continued to increase his time advantage as he approached the finish line. With four kilometers to go, his lead was more than 02:30 minutes. Meanwhile, GC outsider Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) suffered a mechanical in the main peloton and had to switch bikes shortly before the stage finale.

Ben Healy crossed the finish line in Vire Normandie solo as winner of stage 6 for his EF Education-EasyPost. The smiling Irishman was looking fabulous and pretty in pink after taking his first Tour de France stage victory. A very impressive result and performance from Healy.

Quinn Simmons and Michael Storer reached the final kilometer together. It would be a sprint-a-deux for the next podium positions. Simmons proved the strongest man and crossed the finish line ahead of Storer who completed the stage podium.

Eddie Dunbar reached the finish line with Simon Yates and Will Barta. Mathieu van der Poel reached the finish line solo 03:58 minutes after the stage winner.

“It’s incredible. It required hard work from so many people to achieve this today,” stage winner Healy told Roadcycling.com shortly after the stage finish.

“Last year’s race really made me believe that I could do it. I just switched on from the start of the stage and probably spent too much energy to get in the break, but that’s just how I do it. I knew I needed to get away from the group and I knew I had to take them by surprise. I grew up watching the Tour de France with my father and to now win a stage here is incredible,” Healy explained.

Mathieu van der Poel reclaimed the lead in the general classification after his brave attack in today’s stage 6 and with the time losses incurred by Tadej Pogacar and the other general classification favorites.

Friday’s stage 7 of Tour de France 2025 will invite the riders in the Tour peloton to a 197-kilometer battle in hilly and demanding terrain of northern France on a route from Saint-Malo to Mur-de-Bretagne. The stage will feature three categorized climbs and not least conclude on the steep and much-feared Mur-de-Bretagne.

Stay tuned to Roadcycling.com for complete coverage from the 2025 Tour de France.