Dylan Groenewegen of the Netherlands claimed victory on Thursday in stage six of the Tour de France, outpacing his rivals in a frenetic sprint to the finish line in Dijon. Belgian rider Jasper Philipsen initially crossed second but was demoted due to a maneuver that endangered Wout van Aert.
Tadej Pogacar maintained his lead in the general classification, holding onto the yellow jersey with a 45-second advantage over Remco Evenepoel of Belgium. Defending champion Jonas Vingegaard sits third, trailing by 50 seconds, followed by Spaniard Juan Ayuso and Pogacar’s fellow Slovenian Primoz Roglic in the top five.
Groenewegen surged ahead decisively, utilizing an aerodynamic black nosefoil, and credited his victory to being slightly superior to Philipsen in the day’s sprint.
Van Aert of Team Visma criticized Philipsen’s swerve during the sprint, remarking on a recurring issue with his behavior but stopping short of advocating for Philipsen’s expulsion from the race, instead suggesting a declassification was warranted.
Bahrain-Victorious expressed dissatisfaction over Phil Bauhaus’s penalty in the green jersey competition, arguing inconsistencies in the application of rules after stage five. Their contention led to Biniam Girmay being elevated to second place in the standings.
Biniam Girmay, currently holding the green jersey, expressed satisfaction with the diversity in stage winners so far and aims to retain the jersey as long as possible.
The Tour had seen record-breaking sprints with Mark Cavendish securing his 35th career stage win on Wednesday, while stage three witnessed Eritrean Girmay becoming the first black African to claim a stage victory in the race’s history.
In previous controversies, Groenewegen had served a nine-month ban for his role in a severe crash during the 2020 Tour of Poland, which resulted in serious injuries to fellow rider Fabio Jakobsen.
Looking ahead, Friday’s seventh stage features a 25-kilometer individual time trial, promising significant changes in the overall standings. Pogacar, mindful of the physical demands, anticipates a rigorous challenge, acknowledging Evenepoel as the favorite given his world champion status in time trials.
