The 2025 Criterium du Dauphine continued Friday with stage 6 – a 126.7-kilometer stage on a route from Valserhone to Combloux, near Mont Blanc. Race organizer A.S.O. had designed the stage so it would culminate with a category 2 climb to the finish line in Combloux. In addition to this, the riders would have to contest one Category 1, one Category 2, one Category 3, and one Category 4 climb beforehand. 

General classification favorites such as Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike), Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos-Grenadiers), and Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) were expected to test their legs and challenge each other on the climbs of stage 6, while breakaway optimists would try to trick them and claim the opportunity to fight for the stage victory.

Remco Evenepoel was leading the general classification of the 2025 Criterium du Dauphine before stage 6, but the Soudal-QuickStep had crashed in the final part of yesterday’s stage and had possibly sustained injuries, which could cause problems for the Belgian rider in today’s stage. Florian Lipowitz was second for Team Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe before the stage, while Ivan Romeo was third. Team Visma-Lease a Bike captain Jonas Vingegaard was fifth, and Tadej Pogacar seventh.

The relatively short stage 6 got off to a fast start under sunny skies in Valserhone, near Geneva in the Jura Mountains. With temperatures around thirty degrees Celsius and lots of climbing, the riders in the peloton would need to hydrate well during the stage again today.

Mathieu van der Poel launched a brave attack for Alpecin-Deceuninck and was joined by Toms Skujins (Lidl-Trek), Anders Foldager (Jayco-Alula), Fabien Doubey (Total Energies), and Victor Guernalec (Arkea B & B Hotels), who was likely chasing points for the best climber classification. 

Other riders were also showing great initiative in the front part of the main peloton and more riders bridged to the front group. The pace, however, was incredibly fast and the attackers were caught.

Additional attacks were launched and with the proper mixture of breakaway optimists up the road, seven riders established a lead of more than two minutes over the chasing peloton. The seven-man group featured Alex Baudin (EF Education-EasyPost), Bruno Armirail (Decathlon-AG2R), Michael Leonard (Ineos-Grenadiers), Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X Mobility), Romain Bardet (Picnic-PostNL), and Anthony Turgis (TotalEnergies).

With the seven-man breakaway group up the road, riders from UAE Team Emirates were controlling the pace in the main peloton. The riders were approaching Col des Fleuries, which was a category 3 climb. 

Armirail reached the summit of Col des Fleuries ahead of Bardet and banked the most points for the best climber classification.

The front group reached the Category 1 Cote de Mont-Saxonnex climb with a lead of 01:15 minutes. Riders from Visma-Lease a Bike were setting a very fast pace from the beginning of the climb and the GC favorites were visible near the front of the peloton. Tadej Pogacar was on the wheel of Jonas Vingegaard, while Remco Evenepoel was on the wheel of Pogacar.

Several riders were caught from the front breakaway group. Baudin, Armirail, and Leonard remained in front.

Florian Lipowitz attacked from the main peloton with 3.8 kilometers of the climb remaining. 

Leonard and Baudin dropped Armirail at the front of the race, while Lipowitz remained ahead of the GC favorites group, which included Vingegaard, Pogacar, Evenepoel, Enric Mas, Eddie Dunbar, Matteo Jorgeson and other riders. UAE Team Emirates was leading the group.

The front duo maintained a time advantage of approximately one minute as they approached the summit of the Category 1 climb. Forty kilometers of stage 6 remained, and the duo entered the fast and dangerous descent. A false-flat valley stretch would follow, before the stage finale on two Category 2 climbs, which would follow immediately after each other.

Enric Mas moved ahead of the other GC favorites on the descent, perhaps hoping to escape and open a larger gap. Great courage from the Movistar rider.

Mas did not manage to escape from his fellow GC favorites and a reduced peloton group of approximately forty riders joined forces in the valley stretch, while Michael Leonard and Alex Baudin remained front duo with a lead of 01:22 minutes. Twenty kilometers remained.

UAE Team Emirates were leading the chase from the front of the GC favorites group as the riders approached Cote de Domancy, which was a Category 2 climb, but with steep incline percentages. GC favorites, such as Evenepoel, Vingegaard and Pogacar, were possibly plotting attacks on the climb.

The front group entered Cote de Domancy and the advantage of the front group was still more than a minute when less than two kilometers of the climb remained. The stage finish was 7.5 kilometers away.

Alex Baudin left Michael Leonard behind on the climb when he launched a serious acceleration effort.

Remco Evenepoel and other riders got dropped from the GC favorites peloton. Only three UAE Team Emirates riders were left, while joined by Jonas Vingegaard.

Tadej Pogacar accelerated and left his teammates and Jonas Vingegaard behind. Jonas Vingegaard was suffering, while other GC favorites such as Evenepoel were further behind. Pogacar had clearly reloaded his batteries and appeared stronger than all other riders in his world champion rainbow jersey.

Pogacar caught Michael Leonard and then Alex Baudin on the climb. When six kilometers remained, Pogacar was 21 seconds ahead of Vingegaard, while Evenepoel and other favorites were 43 seconds back.

Pogacar continued to increase his advantage and was 41 seconds ahead of Vingegaard and 01:08 minutes ahead of Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz when 3.7 kilometers remained. Pogacar appeared to have endless energy and was not suffering on the climb where all other riders were struggling. The average speed of the stage had been more than 43 km/h up to this point.

Pogacar entered the final kilometer with a lead of 55 seconds over Jonas Vingegaard. Remco Evenepoel was 01:39 minutes behind at this point.

Tadej Pogacar crossed the finish line in solo manner as winner stage 6 of Criterium du Dauphine 2025. What a brilliant performance from the Slovenian rider from UAE Team Emirates. Jonas Vingegaard reached the finish line 01:01 minutes later, while Florian Lipowitz completed the stage podium when he reached the finish 01:22 minutes behind the stage winner. Matteo Jorgenson finished fourth, while Remco Evenepoel took fifth, but with a time loss of 01:50 minutes.

“We had our own plan, but then Visma started to go full gas. The climb brought back some good memories inside and my team was strong and incredible,” stage winner Tadej Pogacar told Roadcycling.com shortly after the stage finish. 

“I felt good, so I instructed my teammates to go from the bottom of the climb where it was steepest. I wanted to finish fast, so I could watch my girlfriend in the women’s Tour de Suisse. I was feeling good when I attacked and I had to pace myself all the way to the finish line. A one-minute advantage is ok,” Pogacar explained.

Tadej Pogacar is the new leader of the general classification. Jonas Vingegaard advanced to second place, while Florian Lipowitz dropped to third. Remco Evenepoel is fourth on the GC, while Matteo Jorgenson is fifth.

Saturday’s stage 7 of Criterium du Dauphine will expose the remaining riders in the peloton to a monumental mountain battle on a condensed 131.6-kilometer route from Grand-Algueblanche to Valmeinier 1800. The stage will test the riders on no less than three mountains beyond category and the surviving riders will certainly be drained of all energy when they reach the finish line.

General classification favorites such as Jonas Vingegaard, Tadej Pogacar, Carlos Rodriguez, and Remco Evenepoel are expected to battle for a stage victory in stage 7 and to advance in the general classification before the race concludes on Sunday.

Stay tuned to Roadcycling.com for complete coverage from the 2025 Criterium du Dauphine.