Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes stage 6 LIVE – Massive breakaway extends lead on approach to summit finish as Decathlon and EF chase

Finally, some help has come for Decathlon. EF have put Ben Healy’s powerful engine to work on the front with the yellow jersey quickly getting away from Baudin now.

2026-06-12T13:34:13.351Z

The break are absolutely motoring along now, with the peloton looking comparatively pedestrian. The gap is out to four minutes!

With every team in the race except for Decathlon represented in the day’s breakaway, the group in front is winning the arm wrestle for the moment, extending its lead out to 3:22 on the valley road.

2026-06-12T13:25:03.884Z

Only just returning to racing after crashing out of the Giro d’Italia, Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain-Victorious) has crashed here on stage 6 after hitting a piece of street furniture.

I won’t remind you of all 57 remaining riders in the break, but here are some of the top climbers to look out for if they do make it to the finale with a lead still intact – which looks likely:
Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility)
Luke Tuckwell (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe)
Georg Steinhauser (EF Education-EasyPost))
Jordan Jegat (TotalEnergies)
Yannis Voisard (Tudor)
Pablo Castrillo (Movistar)
Christian Rodriguez (XDS Astana)
Guillaume Martin (Groupama-FDJ United)
One of the top rouleurs in the bunch could also be on a flying day and surprise the purer climbers, though, the likes of Armirail and Simmons perhaps on their best day.

2026-06-12T13:11:36.014Z

Almost at the bottom of the descent off the Granier, the next 55km of so will be on flatter valley roads that lead to the pair of category 1 climbs which will decide the day.

2026-06-12T13:07:19.902Z

There’s been a crash in the chasing peloton for Dillon Corkery (Picnic PostNL), and another abandon for Senna Remijn (Alpecin-Premier Tech).

2026-06-12T13:00:14.767Z

Braz Afonso crested the Granier in first again, picking up five more KOM points. Glivar, Conci ad Skujins mopped up the remaining minor points.

2026-06-12T12:59:40.450Z

Still no other teams are helping Decathlon CMA CGM in the chase. Gap to the breakaway is now at 2:55 after the second climb.

2026-06-12T12:58:43.733Z

Look out for further medical updates from Ineos on Tarling’s condition. Based on images it looked like a nasty fall off screen. He was left clutching his left arm and with big road rash in his shoulder.

Decomble and Raisberg have dropped back from the break, leaving just 57 in front after Tarling abandoned.

2026-06-12T12:38:26.157Z

Tarling has abandoned the race as a result of that crash, rotten luck so close to the upcoming Tour de France. Kevin Geniets has also left the race mid-stage.

2026-06-12T12:33:24.109Z

Decathlon are leading the chase back in the peloton, but Lidl-Trek are also sat towards the front of the peloton. They will be eager for Ayuso and Skjelmose to be up there on a finish which should suit them both.

2026-06-12T12:31:14.828Z

A short descent will lead the riders onto the next climb of the day, and it’s a tough one: the Col du Granier (8km at 5.6%).

2026-06-12T12:30:23.614Z

Unsurprisingly, Clément Braz Afonso extended his lead by the maximum two points available in the King of the Mountains classification over that first climb.

Josh Tarling (Netcompany Ineos) has crashed on the climb.

2026-06-12T12:24:06.661Z

The peloton’s deficit is now at 2:25.

2026-06-12T12:22:27.493Z

The break is now onto the first of four climbs on today’s stage: the cat-3 ascent of Côte de Châtelard (4.3 km at 5.7%).

Raisberg of course won the IS, strengthening his hold on the green jersey. He gained 10 more points as Garcia Pierna took 6 and Urianstad 4. He now has 62 points and a 24-point lead over Henri-François Renard-Haquin.

The leading group is closing in on the intermediate sprint in Les Échelles. Raisberg will be interested in extending his lead in the green jersey points classification.

2026-06-12T12:07:38.782Z

With the race settling down and the groups established, Pacher and Dhondt have made it back to the leading split. Tarling also punctured and made it back in.

2026-06-12T11:58:12.359Z

Seixas clearly still wants to go for the stage with his team controlling, but if this big group cooperates well, they could build an insurmountable lead heading into the final few climbs. He may have started this week as the favourite, but it’s been far from simple so far.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The breakaway’s lead is out past the two-minute mark.

2026-06-12T11:55:10.541Z

Two riders have punctured out of the leading group now, with Pacher and Dhondt both dropping back.

It’s been rapid so far: average speed above 50kph for the first hour, and still around 30km to go until the first climb of the day

2026-06-12T11:42:06.474Z

With Decathlon being left to pull on their own in the group behind, the gap to the cooperating break has increased to 1:55.

2026-06-12T11:34:40.697Z

There are some real GC threats in this group of Baudin’s lead, so it wouldn’t be strange to see EF come to the front to help pace soon.

Luke Tuckwell started the days just 1:03 down, Bruno Armirail 1:20, and Guillaume Martin 1:51.

The big front group is working well together, maintaining their lead of 1:45 over the Decathlon-led chasing peloton.

2026-06-12T11:32:30.108Z

And the second half: Yannis Voisard, Robin Donzé, Lennart Jasch, Roland Thalmann, Matteo Trentin (Tudor), Nikias Arndt, Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious), Lars Cras, Matthew Fox, Mathieu Kockelmann, Baptiste Veistroffer (Lotto-Intermarché), Jordan Jegat, Thibaut Guernalec, Matteo Vercher (Total Energies), Jose Felix Parra, Sergi Darder, Alex Diaz (Caja Rural), Nadav Raisberg (NSN), Alessandro Covi, Felix Engelhardt (Jayco AlUla), Bryan Coquard, Sam Maisonobe, Louis Rouland (Cofidis), Clement Braz Afonso, Maxime Decomble, Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet, Quentin Pacher (Groupama-FDJ United), Gal Glivar, Michael Gogl, Hugo Houle (Alpecin-Premier Tech) and Robbe Dhondt (Picnic PostNL).

2026-06-12T11:27:45.710Z

Here’s the first half of those riders: Benoît Cosnefroy, Pablo Torres (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Edoardo Affini, Bruno Armirail, Per Strand Hagenes (Visma-Lease a Bike), Quinn Simmons, Toms Skujins (Lidl-Trek), Dorian Godon, Josh Tarling (Nectompany Ineos), Callum Thornley, Luke Tuckwell, Maxim Van Gils, Gianni Vermeersch (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Tobias Halland Johannessen, Martin Bugge Urianstad, Anthon Charmig, Anders Skaarseth (Uno-X Mobility), Alastair Mackellar, Georg Steinhauser, Max Walker (EF Education-EasyPost), Ethan Hayter, Pepijn Reinderink, Martin Svrcek, Mauri Vansevenant (Soudal-QuickStep), Nicola Conci, Chirstian Rodriguez, Simone Velasco (XDS Astana), Pablo Castrillo, and Raul Garcia Pierna (Movistar).

2026-06-12T11:22:31.999Z

Confirmation that there actually are 60 riders in the leading group on stage 6.

2026-06-12T11:17:10.952Z

Uno-X Mobility are pulling in the front of the race, with four of their guys making it into the almost 60-rider strong split. Decathlon continue to chase behind.

It’s still not completely clear just how many riders are in the front split, but almost all of the big teams are represented by at least one rider.

2026-06-12T11:09:38.479Z

Here’s a look at some of the early action, with Callum Thornley (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) pulling on the front.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-06-12T11:08:35.322Z

Seixas, Del Toro, Jorgenson, Skjelmose, Ayuso, and Vauquelin are all in the second group on the road, still 1:35 down on the break.

The peloton has split in two early on stage 6. Most of the big GC names are in the second group, with Seixas’ Decathlon team working on the front to try and bring back a one-minute deficit.

2026-06-12T10:54:51.821Z

Even without much uphill terrain to get away on, there are several early attacks and splits in the peloton.

2026-06-12T10:54:12.952Z

For a deeper dive into how the general classification looks heading into this vital trio of closing stages, read our Deputy Editor Patrick Fletcher’s very through GC analysis:

Racing is fully underway on stage 6 of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes!

2026-06-12T10:40:15.097Z

If you’re feeling as though you recognise today’s start location, Saint-Vulbas, you aren’t mistaken as it was the site of one of cycling’s most important victories, though I am biased as a Brit.

It’s where Mark Cavendish finally broke the record he held alongside Eddy Merckx for the most Tour de France stage wins, claiming his 35th back on stage 5 of the 2024 edition to stand alone.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Riders are gone from the unofficial start in Saint Vulbas. The racing is expected to kick off fully after 10 minutes of neutral riding to kilometre 0.

2026-06-12T10:25:21.627Z

Van Aert isn’t the only non-starter on Friday morning. Michael Matthews (Jayco AlUla) has pulled out after his return to racing, now focusing on Tour de France preparation, Matevž Govekar (Bahrain-Victorious) and Hannes Wilksch (Tudor) – both fell ill overnight, and Pau Martí Soriano (NSN) has also bad to abandon due to illness.

2026-06-12T10:21:39.256Z

His home nation Mexico kicked off the World Cup with a bang at home last night, beating South Africa at the iconic Azteca Stadium, but can national champion Isaac del Toro make his mark on the first of three big mountain stages?

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-06-12T10:18:15.248Z

In spite of his brutal, high-speed crash a couple of days ago, British Sam Watson has soldiered on to be at the start for these final three mountain stages.