The Pyrenean 6th stage of the 113th Tour de France will hold a special place in Tadej’s career. With an exceptional performance and an attack on the legendary climb of the Tourmalet, he rode to his 23rd stage win at the Tour and pulled on the yellow jersey again.
On the first real mountain test of this year’s Tour, which was also attended by French President Emmanuel Macron, Tadej crowned the outstanding work of his teammates from UAE Team Emirates – XRG with a victory. They set a fierce pace already on the climb to the Aspin pass, which put many riders in trouble.
Next came the 17-kilometer climb up the Tourmalet, where the train of Tadej’s team was still operating flawlessly. Then, five kilometers below the summit, Isaac del Toro accelerated hard. Together with Tadej, he got away from their rivals, and Jonas Vingegaard (Visma Lease a Bike) set off in pursuit, trying to follow Tadej even after del Toro faded.
Tadej reached the top of the 2,115-meter-high Tourmalet half a minute ahead of the Dane, and for the first time won the Jacques Goddet award. Their duel continued on the descent, where Tadej was also faster. He thus started the climb to Gavarnie-Gedre with a 1:10 advantage, which he more than doubled over the final 18 kilometers to the finish.
Tadej won with a 2:38 margin over the Dane, and thanks to time bonuses his lead in the overall standings is 2:42. In 3rd place is del Toro, who also won the sprint for 3rd place on the stage. His Mexican teammate trails Tadej by 3:27. Before the stage, the yellow jersey was worn by Torstein Træen (Uno – X Mobility), with a 7:53 advantage, but the Norwegian lost more than eight minutes on the climb to the Tourmalet. Then he crashed badly on the descent and rode to the finish almost 30 minutes behind Tadej.
»I think this victory ranks among my top five at the Tour. During the stage, a lot of memories from stage 6 in 2023 came back, which had a similar finish. Back then I won after breaking my hand. This win was incredible, one of the sweetest,« Tadej said after his 15th win this year and 123rd of his career.
Even before the stage, he felt it would be a special day. »When we were returning from the race by bus yesterday, the guys and I were encouraging each other for this stage. In the morning my thoughts were racing, already when I woke up at seven. I was very excited before this stage. The other guys were very hyped too. I knew it would be a good day. We went as if we had nothing to lose. If we blew up, we blew up, but in the end we did it. I’m proud of everyone—this was crazy team work,« Tadej added.
Even so, he did not expect that he would put on the yellow jersey for the 56th time in his career. He already put on the yellow jersey at this year’s Tour after winning Stage 3. »This time I left everything to chance—whatever happens, happens. I wasn’t counting seconds and thinking about who would win; I just wanted to go full gas to the finish. I didn’t think I would put on the jersey. I heard that Træen had a nasty crash; the descent from the Tourmalet is very tricky, very dangerous if you miss a corner. I hope he’s okay. I would rather have seen him keep the jersey; I hope he recovers quickly and continues the race,« Tadej added.
Now, on paper, a few calmer days await him together with his teammates, as Stages 7 and 8 are flat and intended for the sprinters. But the Tour is still the Tour, and UAE Team Emirates – XRG will remain focused on its task—getting Tadej in the yellow jersey to the finish on July 26 in Paris.