Cycling: Ben Healy has struck again. The Irishman has won the sixth stage of the Tour de France. As part of an eight-man breakaway, he attacked with 43 kilometers to go – and was never caught. The new man in the yellow jersey is – once again – Mathieu van der Poel. The Dutchman leads by one second ahead of Tadej Pogacar.
Healy attacks cleverly and drives it home strongly
This Irishman is a true phenomenon. Ben Healy (EF Education – EasyPost) won the sixth stage of the Tour de France with an impressive attack. When the eight-man breakaway group had put several minutes between themselves and the peloton, he used the element of surprise and suddenly stood up from his saddle 43 kilometers from the finish. None of his seven companions reacted – and so they didn't see him again until the finish line. With this, Healy pulled off another solo coup, for which he has become known in the cycling world. Among others, he also dropped Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin – Deceuninck). The Dutchman can still be pleased, however. Since Team UAE – XRG stopped their intensive pursuit, he was able to reclaim the yellow jersey – albeit by just one second. With 29 kilometers to go, it briefly looked as if things might get tight for Healy. Quinn Simmons (Lidl – Trek) and Michael Storer (Tudor) gave chase – but couldn't close the gap.
A contested initial phase
The 201,1-kilometer sixth stage of the Tour de France, from Bayeux to Vire Normandie, began extremely hectically. Before the intermediate sprint, which went to Italian Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek), no riders were able to break away, and the formation of the breakaway groups remained fiercely contested afterward. Many professionals wanted to be part of the breakaway, and Team UAE-XRG was generally dissatisfied with its composition. As a result, numerous sprinters were dropped early and were unable to rejoin the peloton before the finish. Only when Simon Yates (Visma-Lease a Bike), Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek), Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Michael Storer (Tudor), Eddie Dunbar (Jayco AlUla), Will Barta (Movistar), and Harold Tejada (XDS Astana) managed to break away did the day's eight-man breakaway group finally form. Team UAE-XRG almost completely withdrew from the lead. Only Nils Politt (UAE-XRG) managed to control the gap.
⚠️ Ben Healy solo ride alert! The Irishman launched a blistering attack that left his breakaway companions stranded. He's already 25″ ahead!
⚠️ Alerte numéro solitaire de Ben Healy! L'Irlandais a place une attaque foudroyante qui a laissé sur place ses compagnons d'échappée.… pic.twitter.com/nN0oF8flq6
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 10, 2025