Hello and welcome! It's day number 6 of the 2022 "Race to the Sun" - and it's showdown time! The Queen stage is on the menu - 173 strength-sapping kilometers, including a 15km uphill dessert!
After yesterday's stage already headed from West to East, we'll do the same again, as the riders will start the stage in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. As the name says, the location - inhabited by just above 2,000 people nowadays - was home to the Avignon popes in the 14th century. The castle's ruin is the best known sight of the village. Otherwise, the commune is mainly famous for some great red wine - which the riders definitely shouldn't taste before the start!
We have a maximum of 48 KoM points available today, and the first climb will be quite familiar to the riders, as it's the Col de Murs, just like yesterday. It's a category 2 climb again, and its summit will be reached after 48 kilometers.
We'll then have the first of two intermediate sprints in Saint-Saturnin-lès-Apt (66km) after the descent, before reaching the Côte d'Oppedette, a Cat. 2 KoM sprint again. From there, the terrain is pretty undulating, but it takes until kilometer 121 and the Côte de Saint-Martin-les-Eaux for the next categorized climb (Cat. 3).
One descent and another ascent later, the riders will arrive on top of the 3rd category Col de la Mort d'Imbert (named after a guy assassinated there in the 12th century) - hopefully alive - after 132 kilometers.
Underways to the final Cat. 3 hilltop of the day - the Côte des Mourres (149km) - the riders will cross the second sprint point in Forcalquier just 3km before reaching the summit. From there, it's a flat and a short downhill, and then: The Montagne de Lure!
Also know as the "Ventoux' little sister", the ascent is 15km long, 6.7% steep on average, with some slopes reaching 10% - this climb will be crucial for everyone who wants to take home a great GC result! It's actually "only" a category 1 climb, but with that length it will surely be hard enough to separate the men from the boys!
And as one would expect, the biggest favorites for climbing up fastest are Lecuisinier, Dombrowski and Morton. Madrazo, Barguil and U25 favorite Bernal are next, with Carthy, Olivier, Padun and Warchol making the bookies' Top10 list as well.
Well, it's indeed the race to the sun once more, as it's invisible at the start line. But even though nobody might see it today, at least one rider will shine for sure - let's find out who!
Abdurrahman, Mamykin, Lampawog, Carr, Nareklishvili and Stojnic are our first attackers.
But one of the aforementioned stage favorites tries as well - Inkelaar, who thinks that with his 2'29" deficit the pack might give him some freedom. Chamorro tries to follow, as well as Van der Hoorn.
Van der Hoorn didn't go far, and neither did the rest. Pszczolarski, Rodenberg and Nur Hasan shut down the entire move quite quickly.
We've got lots of attacks on those first kilometers - here it's Carr, Chamorro, Stancu and Rybalkin trying once more.
And that move might even have worked, but then Tolhoek, Inkelaar, Foliforov and Vingegaard tried to join them - too much for the pack. At least Rybalkin and Chamorro were able to stay ahead of the rest and are our current leading duo.
We have almost reached the foot of the Col de Murs, and we still don't have a stable situation. Now it's Giannoutsos jumping up front, with many others again wanting to follow.
The climb is on now, and Giannoutsos has indeed bridged the gap to Chamorro and Rybalkin.
Halfway up the climb, Giannoutsos has left everyone behind - but we also have a new attacker in Bernard, who is already past Chamorro. What a savage race so far!
In the end, Bernard proves to have best managed his energy, taking maximum points on top of the climb. Giannoutsos comes 2nd - but what happens behind?
Chamorro has been swallowed by the pack, while the three usual suspects Bagioli, Neuman and Narvaez attack for the remaining KoM points. Rybalkin is still ahead of them, but he doesn't look very fresh anymore.
Bagioli pushed too hard and misses out on the points, while Narvaez and Neuman even sneak past Rybalkin on the final meters. Let's get an overview:
Narvaez moves up to 3rd, but only trails Nych by 8 points. It will however be difficult to make up this gap on the next climb already, as the leading duo is 2'30" ahead.
The pack is another minute further back and actually catches Bagioli on the descent, while the three others continue to push.
By the intermediate sprint, the chasers have joined the leaders, and so we have a group of five. Rybalkin "wins" the sprint ahead of Bernard and Giannoutsos, but as that doesn't really matter we won't go into the details.
The quintet now has a 2'30" advantage, so things don't look great for a stage win yet. If they should get there, however, Giannoutsos should be the strongest climber. On the other hand, he's the weakest puncheur of the group and has the worst acceleration, so KoM hunting won't be easy for him.
Bernard is the 2nd strongest climber and the best rounded rider. He also has decent acceleration, but not the greatest energy stats. Rybalkin is quite similar to him, but a level down, and without the acceleration.
Narvaez and Neuman are puncheurs with a nice kick and are probably mainly going for KoM points today.
Speaking of the peloton, we have the expected teams doing some work for their leaders: Jacobs for Barguil Pszczolarski for Lecuisinier Silvestre for Madrazo Prevar for Padun and Pluchkin Nur Hasan for race leader Meintjes Rodenberg for Morton Kooistra for Olivier Brockhoff for Bernal
Gazelle and Moser have chosen the smart strategy of sending a rider up front, therefore not having to do anything in the pack except for protecting their leaders Dombrowski and Warchol.
Rybalkin went all-out from far away, and now pays for this by being dropped. Narvaez actually indeed wins the sprint, thereby taking over the virtual KoM lead on top of the Côte d'Oppedette!
It's actually even game over for Rybalkin, who wasn't able to rejoin his now former companions. The pack still trails by 2'24", a bit more than 60km and a lot of elevation gain yet to tackle!
The climb to the Côte de Saint-Martin-les-Eaux is about to start, and the breakaway's gap has dropped below the 2-minutes mark already!
And the high speed of the pack on that rollercoaster terrain actually yielded a major casualty, with U25 contender Foss being dropped - worst-case scenario for Aker - MOT! He's only 1'35" back and in a group of 15, so maybe there's a chance to come back still.
The two latest attackers have the best legs on top, but this time Neuman pips Narvaez to the line. Bernard plays out his better punch and takes 3rd, Giannoutsos' effort here goes pointless.
The first two riders of this KoM sprints now are also 1-2 in the virtual KoM standings. 40km to go, but the pack only trails by 1'30" now.
By the way, no further casualties in the pack - but group Foss is now 5 minutes behind the pack, and they aren't even trying to get back!
Giannoutsos goes first at the second intermediate "sprint", ahead of Narvaez and Neuman. The pack is approaching quickly, though, reducing the gap to about a minute by now!
The last Cat. 3 KoM sprint is due in about 3 kilomters, so the escapees should probably make it. But then?
Now it's not even a matter of punch, but Giannoutsos and Narvaez just run out of gas! Neuman easily wins the KoM sprint - but he'd need some points at the finish as well to overtake Narvaez:
So there are only 4 points between Narvaez and Neuman - and only 12 between the leader and Sosa, who is the only GC rider within reach of the KoM lead though!
The peloton continued to set a very high pace on this hill - and now we have a big split! Only 44 riders remain in the pack, and notable missing names are Inkelaar, Chamorro and Vingegaard! The Mugishas are trying to bring the group back.
But as we get to the end of the downhill, we still see only a 44 rider peloton - respectively 45, as Narvaez has already been caught and Giannoutsos will soon suffer the same fate as well. Neuman has an 11" gap to Bernard, with the pack another 21" back - clearly no chance for a stage win there.
All escapees are caught - and Inkelaar also manages to latch onto the back of the pack, having left behind the major part of his group.
However, let's see how long he can stay there, as it looks like we already have some attacks up front...
Indeed, it's U25 leader Sosa who goes first again, just like he did 2 days ago! However, this time he has 12.5km to the finish line, and not 2.5... Padun takes his wheel, the others are yet to react!
Olivier manages to catch up with this duo, while Formolo looks to be in no man's land. Dombrowski isn't getting nervous yet, letting Karnulin do the work.
43 riders are still in the peloton - Inkelaar has already been dropped again, though. It's really not his race...
Karnulin indeed brings everyone back - but Padun doesn't appreciate his fellow countryman's work and kicks again!
Formolo is the only one who can keep up with Padun, and now it's Roglic leading the chase for Sosa, who obviously must be the team's captain after his great performance in Mende!
10 kilometers to go, and we're down to 33 riders. Besides Inkelaar, we're also missing Warchol now in the front group!
For the first time in this race, Lecuisinier wants to show everyone who's the boss! He's now taking over the chase, and only Sosa can follow his acceleration for now!
Meintjes obviously knows that this is an incredibly dangerous move and accelerates as well! Morton, Madrazo, Dombrowski, Olivier, Bernal, Pluchkin, Barguil and Kirsch are all there, while Chiarello and Pinot seem to struggle towards the end of the group!
Lecuisinier closed that gap rather easily, and is now with Formolo, Padun and Sosa. Let's just remember that Sosa and Formolo are #2 and #3 in the GC, only 3" and 9" behind Meintjes - who has now left the chase to Morton. Only 14 riders are in the chasing group, so it's time to get an overview again:
Padun
Formolo
Lecuisinier
Sosa
+ 18"
Morton
Madrazo
Bernal
Dombrowski
Meintjes
Olivier
Pluchkin
Barguil
Roglic
Prevar
Chiarello
Kirsch
Lastra
Pinot
Lastra and Prevar are surely the most surprising names in this group - but we still have 8km to go, and the steeper slopes are yet to come!
6km to go, and now it's Formolo who tries to get away! Sosa and Padun are quick to react, but Lecuisinier doesn't follow and is rather pacing himself!
The chasers - led by Madrazo - are now 25" down, and Prevar has been dropped from the group.
Formolo is looking really strong, gapping Sosa and Padun! Lecuisinier has almost rejoined them, while the chasing group apparently can't go any faster, either!
Finally, Dombrowski decides that it's enough, and he just leaves the chasing group behind! Lecuisinier is with Sosa and Padun, but Formolo has quite a big gap already!
What does this look like in terms of timings?
Formolo
+ 36"
Lecuisinier
Padun
Sosa
+ 18"
Dombrowski
+ 27"
Meintjes
Morton
Madrazo
Bernal
Barguil
Olivier
Pinot
Pluchkin
+ 29"
Kirsch
Chiarello
Roglic
Lastra
Tension is clearly rising with just 5km left in this stage!
One kilometer later, Lecuisinier feels like it's time to set an end to Formolo's adventure! Dombrowski and Sosa are still looking good as well, while Padun seems to be tiring.
But the chasing group can see up front that Lecuisinier and Dombrowski have actually dropped Sosa and Padun! Morton, the third big favorite, is leading the group. Meintjes is still looking pretty good, while at the tail end Pinot and especially Barguil are looking quite empty!
However, it looks like Lecuisinier and Dombrowski don't actually have enough in the tank to catch Formolo, who still holds onto a 15" advantage! Sosa and Padun are 29" behind the French champion, but not losing more ground currently.
And the chasing group - still containing the same 8 riders - is another 43" down the road.
Flamme rouge, and it's still that tiny advantage for Formolo! Dombrowski has taken over, but isn't able to close the gap as well! Or are they just bluffing?
Further behind, the chasing group seems to have managed their energy much better, now catching Sosa and Padun - do they actually have enough left to even fight for the stage win? Morton does definitely look very strong now!
And to everyone's big surprise, Bernal has actually lost touch with the chasing group - and Pinot is about to suffer the same fate as well!
700m to the line - and while the situation is unchanged up front with Formolo leading by a couple of seconds, Morton is clearly getting closer to Lecuisinier and Dombrowski!
Believe it or not, but with 500m left it's actually oldie Pluchkin who's accelerating! Or just leading out Padun? In any case, Lecuisinier and Dombrowski are about to be caught - can at least Formolo hang on?
Struggling to hang on are Barguil and Sosa at the rear, meaning Sosa's top GC position is at risk! He's still the best U25 rider in the race, though.
300m to go, and now Lecuisinier and Dombrowski launch their sprint! They actually did have something left, and they kick precisely as Pluchkin is about to draw level with them!
Can Formolo counter, or will the "big guns" take this stage?
Behind, Madrazo is the next rider to lose touch, another meh stage for him this year!
Look at this! Just 200m to go, and Lecuisinier is flying! Dombrowski wasn't able to match the Frenchman's acceleration, so it's a duel for the win! What does Formolo have left in the tank?
A LOT! The Italian counters, and Davide Formolo wins on the Montagne de Lure! A fantastic ride by the new Huski Chocolate star, which on top of the stage win will be crowned by the GC lead!
But will Lecuisinier actually even lose 2nd place? Morton is closing in really fast!
No, he won't. Pierre-Henri Lecuisinier takes 2nd place - a disappointing result for him. He was the strongest climber on paper - but he didn't have the greatest legs, or the climb was just too easy to play out his advantage.
Lachlan Morton stayed in the chase group for most of the climb, and was able to make a late surge to 3rd! We'll see what that means for his GC ambitions later on.
Joseph Dombrowski faded on the final meters and has to be glad to secure 4th place, ahead of "oldie but goldie" Aleksandr Pluchkin. Daan Olivier, Mark Padun and Louis Meintjes finish 6th through 8th; the entire group loses 22"!
Angel Madrazo was definitely aiming for higher than 9th place, but he didn't have the legs. Thibaut Pinot takes the final Top10 spot, ahead of Barguil and Sosa. All of them are 54" down.
Bernal then is already another minute behind, a very bad day for him!
Further down the road, we have a very strong Lastra leading home a group with Kirsch, Chiarello and Roglic, all losing 3'04" already. "Only" 45" more time lost in the end for Inkelaar, while Warchol is 7'21" down!!!
Davide Formolo had a fantastic ride today, attacked exactly at the right moment, and deservedly - yet surprisingly - wins stage 6! Surprisingly, because all the riders from 2nd to 11th are considered to be stronger climbers than him!
2nd placed Pierre-Henri Lecuisinier will still be wondering what went wrong. Sure, his team support wasn't great, but he still should have won this stage. Bad legs? Bad timing?
Great legs, but maybe not the best timing for 3rd placed Lachlan Morton. He was very strong on the final two kilometers - and one has to wonder if he couldn't have kept up with the Top 2 had he reacted earlier...
Actually, the Top3 favorites take 2nd to 4th today - so no really bad result - but Formolo just was too strong today.
And given that he wasn't just strong today, but also two days ago, Davide Formolo is our new GC leader!
The Italian takes a 29" advantage over Pierre-Henri Lecuisinier into the final two days - which however contain a time trial, where the latter has got a huge advantage.
Previous race leader Louis Meintjes holds onto 3rd place, 33" off the lead. TT's aren't his strongest discipline though, so he'll have to watch out for those behind him - especially Morton, who is just 8" away.
Nothing new in the points standings then, as the Top3 didn't score but still remain on the same positions. Bryan Coquard still has a comfortable lead over Salem Kemboi (76 vs. 54), with Caleb Ewan following 6 points further down.
While picked up a lot of points on the undulating terrain before the final climb. The Ecuadorianer is our new KoM leader with 42 points - which is just 4 more than Dominik Neuman, however! Previous jersey wearer Nych is 3rd with 30 points.
Ivan Sosa was again looking strong today, launching the first attack. He was dropped on the final meters though - but still was the highest U25 finisher, extending his lead over Egan Bernal to 1'27"!
Petr Rikunov is 3rd, 3'45" back - only 4" ahead of Almeida, though! Those two will likely be battling it out for the final podium spot.
With two riders in the Top7 today, Team Popo4Ever fully played out their advantage of having 2 GC leaders here. They now have a comfortable lead of 3'13" over cycleYorkshire and 4'04" over Gazelle.
That wraps up today's Queen stage! The top climbers finally ended the stage almost on top - however, the gaps were much smaller than anticipated, and in Formolo we had a pretty unexpected winner. Let's see what tomorrow's hilly-rated stage with a double category 1 climb brings - see you!
Paris - Nice 
