Stage 6 of the Tour de France 2026 between Pau and Gavarnie-Gèdre is the first major mountain stage of this year's race and the only true high-mountain stage in the Pyrenees this year. UAE Team Emirates-XRG don't have yellow, but appear to have the upper hand with Tadej Pogačar looking in unstoppable form.
After stage 5 on Wednesday, there was chaos thanks to a crash just outside of the 5km to go sprint zone, which saw all of the GC names caught up in splits. A frantic chase followed and, fortunately for the GC contenders, they all finished together at 14 seconds from the sprint group that fought for the stage.
Pogačar actually led a group just ahead of the group with Vingegaard, yellow jersey Torstein Træen (Uno-X Mobility), Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Paul Seixas (Decathlon-CMA CGM), Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek) and the rest. But, thanks to the three-second rule applied in sprint stages, no gaps were given in the world champion’s favour.
Pogačar may well be on the same time as Vingegaard in the GC, 7:53 behind Træen, but the defending champion looks so in control of his bike and himself that it doesn't matter. Vingegaard did have the advantage on his great rival after the TTT in Barcelona. It took two days to close that to nothing and to actually go ahead thanks to his stage win. And Pogačar did that while looking serene and very comfortable in comparison to Vingegaard, while the rest of the field seemed to be turning themselves inside out to be close to him. The gaps are small but the statement is huge and the writing is on the wall before the big mountains even begin.
On the topic of Pogačar’s control and ease, stage 2 is a prime example. He rode so within himself and when he sat up to allow his teammate Isaac Del Toro to take the win he just looked like he was riding to the shops to pick up a fresh baguette, pondering whether he wants an almond croissant or a pain au chocolat. Behind him, Vingegaard, Evenepoel, Seixas et al were swinging and gritting their teeth to try and remain just on the same time.
A day later and the control of the race was still in Visma's hands on paper and on Vingegaard's shoulders. However, the real control was UAE's. And that showed on the day. Visma struggled to juggle confused tactics as they tried to let a break go to seemingly give away the jersey while simultaneously getting Matteo Jorgenson to go in moves and push the envelope to try and get away and maybe take a long-awaited Tour stage win. This meant that a break never really got enough gap and UAE then took over and ripped the race apart, serving the stage and yellow to Pogačar on a silver, or rather yellow, platter.
Stage 4 looked like it screamed a breakaway day, but so did stage 3. However, UAE had their tactics in order and quickly let a large group of strong riders get away without anyone from their team or any of the other big GC teams. They kept the gap reachable for a long time with Nils Politt doing the lion's share of the pacing before he just pulled the parachute strings and completely sat up, allowing the break its day and giving yellow away to Træen.
Stripping out suspense
The contrast in how both UAE and Visma dealt with the same situation gives a real view of the race as a whole. In the end, the form between Pogačar and Vingegaard, plus the other contenders, will decide this race. But Pogačar on his own looks unstoppable and with the control that a full strength UAE bring, Visma and the rest don't have a chance.
It is unfortunate in a sense, though. Pogačar's dominance is impressive but it does rip the suspense and excitement out of the race. You look at a stage and see that it is entirely up to Pogačar whether he wins or not. He could go for the win or he can let the break go for it. There is no in-between. This is the same for every race he rides aside from Paris-Roubaix and Milan-Sanremo, which require more tactical nous.
It is a relief that Pogačar comes across as such a good person and a very likeable guy because his dominance is so large that it isn't too extreme to say that it is actually draining the life out of races that were once exciting. Don't get me wrong, the Tour de France has had one standout star who is head and shoulders above the rest for years with the Froome and Sky years as well as the Contador vs the Schlecks and beyond with only maybe 2018 and 2019, and maybe 2011 and 2010, as the last real open and exciting races. I mean the cycling calendar as a whole. Pogačar races, Pogačar wins has been the formula that has been in place all season aside from some Wout Van Aert magic in Roubaix.
The Tourmalet as checkpoint
Stage 6 at a glance: Pau > Gavarnie-Gèdre
- Distance: 186.2km, with five classified climbs and 4,100m of elevation gain
- Key climbs: Col d'Aspin (12km at 6.5%), Col du Tourmalet (HC, 17.1km at 7.3%), finish at Gavarnie-Gèdre (18.7km at 3.7%)
- Timings: Neutral start 12:25, official départ 12:40, estimated finish 17:46 local time
- Jersey points: 38 on offer for the polka-dot jersey, 45 for the green jersey, plus 10 bonus seconds
- Weather: Sunny morning giving way to a cloudy afternoon, 34°C and feeling like 40°C on the road, with a light 15km/h wind
- Broadcast: Free-to-air options across Europe and the UK detailed in our viewing guide to the Tour de France
Stage 6 includes the Col d'Aspin, the Col du Tourmalet and a final climb to Gavarnie-Gèdre, and with temperatures set to feel like 40°C in the afternoon, heat management could be as decisive as the gradients.
The Tourmalet will test climbing strength over 17 sustained kilometres, and the descent and valley road to the finish can turn a small gap in team support into a decisive one. If Pogačar rides the Tourmalet with the same authority he showed at Les Angles, and UAE still has multiple riders around him at the summit, the Tour's GC battle risks becoming an exercise in damage limitation before the race leaves the Pyrenees.
For Vingegaard, the priority is to stay with Pogačar over the Tourmalet and prove that stages 2 and 3 did not reveal his upper limit. If he cannot, the GC contest could narrow early.
There is even a chance that Pogačar decides to go on the Tourmalet. If he does, the gaps could be scary by the end of the day.
Cover image credit: Zac Williams/SWpix.com
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