A big split in the bunch emerged after an uncategorised ascent during Tour de France Stage 6, with the front group holding a 16-second advantage with 118km remaining. This followed earlier action where Matteo Jorgenson gave it a dig on the fourth-category Côte de Loucroup, briefly splitting the bunch. Another Visma rider also gave it a dig post-climb as the pace intensified.
Early Breakaway and Intermediate Sprint
Fortune favoured the brave as Mads Pedersen led Campenaerts across the intermediate sprint line at Pouzac with 127km to go. Pedersen added twenty-five more points to his green jersey collection during this effort. Campenaerts then struck out alone at the front, though his lead was down to 10 seconds and action was developing behind him.
Pedersen had made a token attempt to stay out front with Campanaerts after the intermediate sprint, which was described as only polite. However, Pedersen later popped on an uphill section, and Campenaerts was soon expected to be caught by the bunch. Attacks came from riders like Ben Healy (EF Education–EasyPost) as they passed Pedersen.
Evenepoel’s Unscheduled Stop
At the back of the race, Remco Evenepoel stopped for a nature break with 127km remaining. Following this, the commissaires created a barrage, meaning returning riders could not use the wake of team cars. This left Evenepoel 30 seconds behind the bunch, an expenditure of energy considered avoidable. Commentary from Robbie McEwen suggested Evenepoel should have gone for a pee on the bike to avoid the risk of a stop.
‘Artzgate’ Controversy Emerges
A dash of controversy, dubbed ‘Artzgate’, enlivened the first hour of racing concerning Huub Artz. TNT Sports pundit Jens Voigt stated that the point of conflict was the position of Artz’s hands, which were inside the handlebars and under the brake levers to achieve a more aerodynamic position on the bike. The argument was that this makes it harder to control the bike and reach the brakes, contravening UCI rules.
Artz may be given a yellow card warning later, though he had apparently already received a verbal warning. Sean Kelly made a calculation but did not understand why Campenaerts was burning his energy in the breakaway on the flat. Meanwhile, Arvid de Kleijn (Tudor) abandoned at the back of the race, having suffered for several days and being unable to handle the pace.
Riders sped through Lourdes with 142km to go, where GC outsiders might have been tempted to say a few Hail Marys. The situation looked good for Pedersen for points with the bunch over a minute adrift. A big split in the bunch had occurred after an uncategorised ascent.