Healy wins hilly 6th stage, Van der Poel takes yellow jersey from Pogacar at Tour de France
The 24-year-old Healy had won a stage on the Giro d'Italia before, but this was his first victory at cycling's showcase race.
'A stage win in the Tour is just unbelievable, it's what I've worked for,' he said. 'I grew up watching the Tour and wishing one day I could just be there. Participating in the Tour is already an achievement and to win a stage is just so so amazing.'
American rider Quinn Simmons finished 2 minutes, 44 seconds behind Healy in second place and Australian Michael Storer was 2:51 back in third spot.
Van der Poel finished eighth, and Pogacar was a little further back in ninth.
Stage 6 took riders over 201.5 kilometers (125 miles) from Bayeux to Vire Normandie, featuring six minor climbs before a sharp uphill finish with a 10 percent gradient.
The Slovenian star accelerated at the end of the stage but could not quite do enough to stop the yellow jersey going to the 30-year-old Dutchman Van der Poel, who is not considered a race contender.
'I would have loved to have a bit more than one second but I'm happy to have it again,' said Van der Poel, who struggled with the heat. 'I'll try my best to recover as good as possible and then we'll see tomorrow, but first I'm going to enjoy the yellow jersey. I will probably only have it for one day.'
Two-time Tour winner Jonas Vingegaard finished 10th, just behind Pogacar, and is fifth overall.
The route favored allrounders and an experienced-looking eight-rider breakaway, including Stage 2 winner Van der Poel and Giro d'Italia champion Simon Yates, pulled away from the yellow jersey group around three-time Tour winner Pogacar.
Riding through rolling countryside they opened up a four-minute lead with 40 kilometers to go, which is when Healy decided to go for the stage win and pulled away from his rivals, who could not follow.
'Today's stage really suited me, I had circled this day from the start,' Healy said. 'I knew I needed to get away from the group, I think I timed it well and I caught them by surprise a little bit. Then I knew what I had to do: just put my head down.'
Friday's stage is also hilly
Stage 7 is 197 kilometers long, starting from the port city of Saint-Malo and finishing with a climb up Mûr-de-Bretagne in Britanny's picturesque Côtes-d'Armor department.
'When you see how Tadej is riding,' Van der Poel said, 'if he attacks tomorrow, or Jonas as well, it will be very difficult not only for me but for the whole bunch to follow on this climb.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Arabiya
7 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Spanish rider Garcia becomes the oldest stage winner at women's Tour de France at age 41
Mavi Garcia became the oldest rider to win a stage at the women's Tour de France on Sunday. The 41-year-old Spaniard clinched the second stage on Sunday with a solo breakaway. She looked back twice before realizing she would not be caught and then raised her arms aloft at the finish line. Dutch rider Annemiek van Vleuten was 39 when she won a mountain stage on the 2022 women's Tour organizers said. Garcia attacked with about 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) left on the 110.4- kilometer hilly stage through Brittany and ending in Quimper. She looked like being caught near the end as the peloton loomed large behind her but she kicked in and won by three seconds. Dutchwoman Lorena Wiebes was second and Kim Le Court of Mauritius took third place in a sprint to the line. Le Court did just enough to take the race leaders yellow jersey from cycling great Marianne Vos, who won Saturday's opening stage in a close finish and placed fifth on Sunday. Le Court and Vos have the same overall time after two stages but Le Court now leads overall courtesy of her better combined stage finishes over the first two days. Stage 3 on Monday is a flat stage for sprinters ending in the western city of Angers. The nine-stage race ends on Aug. 3. Last year provided the smallest winning margin in the history of the women's and men's races with Polish rider Kasia Niewiadoma beating 2023 champion Demi Vollering by four seconds and Pauliena Rooijakkers only 10 seconds off the pace in third place.
Al Arabiya
9 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Tour de france finale brings excitement to montmartre with a climb to sacré-coeur
Hours before the Tour de France peloton was due to pass through Montmartre on Sunday, thousands of fans packed the streets, eager to claim a prime spot to watch riders climb the iconic hill during the final stage of the race. The Tour is breaking with tradition this year as organizers look to build on the popular success of the Paris Olympic road race. During last years Olympics, massive crowds lined the streets of Montmartre – a neighborhood in northern Paris famous for its artistic heritage and sweeping city views – to cheer on riders. Inspired by the frenetic atmosphere, Tour organizers decided to include the Montmartre climb in this summer's route. Riders will ascend the hill and pass beneath the Sacré-Coeur basilica before heading to the finish on the Champs-Élysées. Spectators began arriving early Sunday on the cobbled Rue Lepic, well before race leader Tadej Pogačar and his rivals were expected to tackle the steep ascent. Fans also filled the stairs beneath the Sacré-Coeur to ensure they didn't miss a moment of the action. Riders will also pass the Moulin Rouge before climbing to the Butte Montmartre. To mark the occasion, dancers in tricolor costumes will perform a French Cancan outside the cabaret. Traditionally, the final stage is largely processional until a sprint decides the day's winner on the Champs-Elysées. On Sunday, the final climb comes less than 7km from the finish, making it unlikely that many sprinters will contend for the stage win. During the Olympics, the road races drew more than 500,000 spectators in Paris. Last year's Tour concluded outside Paris for the first time since 1905 because of a scheduling conflict with the Olympics, with the final stage held in Nice. The Champs-Élysées returned this year for the conclusion of the 3320-kilometer (2060-mile) race.
Arab News
a day ago
- Arab News
Cycling great Vos wins 1st stage of women's Tour de France with brilliant late attack
Ferrand-Prévot looked set to win the stage, but the Frenchwoman attacked too early from 600 meters For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport
