Tadej Pogacar delivered a crushing performance on stage six of the Tour de France 2026, attacking on the Col du Tourmalet and winning solo in Gavarnie-Gèdre to reclaim the yellow jersey. The UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider finished 2 minutes 38 seconds ahead of Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) and 2 minutes 57 seconds ahead of teammate Isaac del Toro, who took third.
Pogacar's solo attack on the Tourmalet
With 42 kilometres to go on the hors-catégorie Col du Tourmalet, Pogacar launched a devastating attack from a reduced peloton. He dropped all rivals, including race leader Torstein Træen (Uno-X Mobility), who had crashed on the descent and lost over 30 minutes. Pogacar's ascent of the Tourmalet was the fastest in race history, and he extended his lead on the descent to over two minutes on Vingegaard.
"I got flashbacks to the stage with the Tourmalet in 2023 after I broke my hand, it was a similar finish. A really incredible victory, one of the sweetest for sure," Pogacar said after the stage. "Yesterday on the bus, when we were coming from the stage, it was very big hype, already talking about today's stage. I woke up seven in the morning, my mind was going crazy, I was really excited for today."
General classification shake-up
Pogacar now leads the general classification by 2 minutes 42 seconds over Vingegaard, with Del Toro third at 3 minutes 27 seconds. Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) sits fourth at 3 minutes 30 seconds, while Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek) is fifth at 3 minutes 34 seconds. Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM Team), the best-placed Frenchman, is sixth at 3 minutes 55 seconds.
Vingegaard, who finished second, admitted disappointment but remained optimistic: "It was a very tough day. Not the day I wanted obviously, but that's how it is sometimes. They put in a big attack on the Tourmalet and I couldn't follow, I had to settle in my own pace. I still believe in myself, my legs will get better throughout the race, the fight is not over."
Stage six results and standings
Stage six results: 1. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) 2. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) at 2:38 3. Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) at 2:57 4. Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) 5. Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) 6. Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) 7. Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek) 8. Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) 9. Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious) 10. Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a Bike).
General classification after stage six: 1. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) 2. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) at 2:42 3. Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) at 3:27 4. Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) at 3:30 5. Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek) at 3:34 6. Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) at 3:55 7. Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) at 4:00 8. Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious) at 4:21 9. Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) at 4:57 10. Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek) at 7:10.
King of the Mountains and points classifications
Pogacar leads the King of the Mountains classification with 28 points, ahead of Vingegaard (19) and Lenny Martinez (16). However, Vingegaard will wear the polka-dot jersey on stage seven. The points classification is led by Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) with 168 points, followed by Max Kanter (XDS Astana) with 93 and Biniam Girmay (NSN) with 91. Pogacar is fifth with 75 points.
Impact on the race
Pogacar's dominant performance has already drawn comparisons to his previous Tour victories, with many observers suggesting the race may be decided. However, with four monstrous high-altitude finishes in the Alps in week three, Vingegaard and others may still have opportunities to fight back. The most exciting battle could be for third place on the podium among Evenepoel, Del Toro, Ayuso, and Seixas.
