Mark Cavendish misses out as Dylan Groenewegen wins stage six at Tour de France
Dylan Groenewegen won stage six of the Tour de France as Tadej Pogacar kept his grip on the yellow jersey through crosswinds on the road to Dijon.
Groenewegen edged out Jasper Philipsen on the line in a photo finish with stage three winner Biniam Girmay in third, but Sir Mark Cavendish - a day after his record-breaking 35th career Tour stage win - could not get up to the sharp end after being caught out of position on the approach to the finish.
It means the opening three sprints of this year’s Tour have gone to three different men as Groenewegen took the sixth Tour stage win of his career.
The Dutch national champion’s bizarre ‘Batman’ nose piece on his sunglasses has been a talking point in the opening week of the Tour, but whether or not it offered any real aerodynamic advantage, Groenewegen found the clear air he needed on the left side of the road after bursting off the wheel of Arnaud De Lie.
05:07 PM BST
Delight for Groenewegen and Jayco-Alula
#TDF2024
THIS is what it means 🫶
It's a team effort! 💚🧡 pic.twitter.com/ndLsvzIpdO— GreenEDGE Cycling (@GreenEDGEteam) July 4, 2024
#TDF2024
DYLAN!!! ❤️🤍💙 pic.twitter.com/MWXOCJsfGl— GreenEDGE Cycling (@GreenEDGEteam) July 4, 2024
05:03 PM BST
The winning moment
🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥
🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥
⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦 @GroenewegenD #TDF2024 pic.twitter.com/7Oz3iadYbf— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 4, 2024
05:00 PM BST
Top five in the general classification after stage six
Ahead of the first individual time trial tomorrow, here is the top five in the general classification, which was unaffected today:
Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) 26hrs 47mins 19sec
Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quick Step) +45secs
Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) +50secs
Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) +1min 10secs
Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) +1mins 14secs
04:52 PM BST
Points classification (green jersey) after stage six
Biniarm Girmay, Intermarché-Wanty, 139pts
Jasper Philipsen, Alpecin-Deceuninck, 128
Mads Pedersen, Lidl-Trek, 109
Jonas Abrahamsen, Uno-X Mobility, 87
Bryan Coquard, Cofidis, 74
Dylan Groenewegen, Jayco-Alula, 71
Fernando Gaviria, Movistar, 71
Arnaud de Lie, Lotto Dstny, 62
Arnaud Demare, Arkea-B&B Hotels, 61
Kevin Vauquelin, Arkea-B&B Hotels, 60
04:46 PM BST
The thoughts of stage winner Dylan Groenewegen
"I'm so happy. The feeling is amazing"
Dylan Groenewegen after winning his first Tour stage since 2022 🇳🇱🚀#TDF2024 pic.twitter.com/gftzt1tEgg— ITV Cycling (@itvcycling) July 4, 2024
04:40 PM BST
The difference between first and second
That's how close it was between 🇳🇱Dylan Groenewegen and 🇧🇪Jasper Philipsen 🤏#TDF2024 pic.twitter.com/3RfHAwK3uX
— ITV Cycling (@itvcycling) July 4, 2024
04:32 PM BST
The final kilometre
04:28 PM BST
Top five across the line
Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco-Alula)
Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck)
Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty)
Fernando Gaviria (Movistar)
Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious)
04:25 PM BST
Groenewegen wins
It is the man from Jayco-Alula who beats Philipsen to win stage six. That is the Dutchman’s sixth stage victory at the Tour de France.
Photo finish!!!
Dylan Groenewegen just takes stage 6 ahead of Jasper Philipsen for his 6th Tour de France victory 🇳🇱🚀#TDF2024 pic.twitter.com/Z5OAoTGKMA— ITV Cycling (@itvcycling) July 4, 2024
04:25 PM BST
Photo finish
Girmay is going well but on either side Groenewegen and Philipsen are coming to the line just ahead. Who has won? Groenewegen or Philipsen?
04:23 PM BST
500m to go
Cavendish is quite far back and will not be contesting this sprint finish as Uno-X Mobility are right at the front. van der Poel is giving Philipsen a leadout but van Aert goes first.
04:23 PM BST
1km to go
Under the flamme rouge we go. Most of the big sprinters right up there.
🔻 Flamme rouge !#TDF2024 pic.twitter.com/FW4JG6Aa5U
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 4, 2024
04:22 PM BST
2km to go
Cavendish near the front as is Kristoff, Pederson, Philipsen and de Lie.
04:20 PM BST
3.5km to go
Astana slightly found themselves out of position so fight hard up the right-hand side to get back to the front.
04:20 PM BST
4km to go
Into the safe zone we have entered.
04:19 PM BST
4.5km to go
Green jersey man Girmay was way down the peloton but has fought back over the last 5km to get to the front.
04:18 PM BST
5km to go
Under 5km to go and Astana are still positioned well near the front. The peloton is being strung out with the road exposed to the wind.
04:17 PM BST
7km to go
There is a crash in the middle of the peloton and it is EF Education-EasyPost who are most affected. It is caused quite near the front but the ripple effect causes the crash further back.
04:15 PM BST
7.5km to go
Plenty of road furniture for the peloton to negotiate. Astana Qazaqstan are right at the front on the right-hand side of the road.
04:14 PM BST
9km to go
We have just had a thumbs up from Mark Renshaw in the Astana Qazaqstan team car. Still celebrating yesterday’s win for Cav and the Manx missile is in a decent position at the moment.
04:12 PM BST
10km to go
We nearly had a crash in the middle of the peloton but everyone just about stays on their bike.
Inside the final 10km. Let the fireworks begin!
04:10 PM BST
12km to go
The teams are getting themselves into position as we head towards 10km to go.
04:05 PM BST
16km to go
Here are some of the names to look out for today; some are very familiar, some maybe less so:
Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan)
Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck)
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
Arnaud de Lie (Lotto Dstny)
Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty)
Fabio Jakobsen (Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL)
Fernando Gaviria (Movistar)
Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious)
Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco-Alula)
04:00 PM BST
20km to go
Under 20km to go on stage six and we are all set for a bumper sprint. Can Cav get stage win number 36?
03:55 PM BST
23km to go
Meanwhile at the finish:
03:52 PM BST
25km to go
The safe zone has been set at 4km from the finish today so any crashes beyond that point will result in the same times for everyone. That is the point all of the general classification teams are aiming for.
03:48 PM BST
28km to go
Cavendish is up near the front of the peloton, with three of his teammates around him.
03:46 PM BST
30km to go
Into the final 30km we go and the pace is up near 50km/h.
03:38 PM BST
36km to go
No more splits as of yet to report on but the tempo is still high in the peloton so everyone needs to be on high alert to avoid getting into strife.
03:29 PM BST
42km to go
Abrahamsen is now back into the peloton.
03:27 PM BST
43km to go
There has been a crash! The man in the polka dot jersey (king of the mountains) Jonas Abrahamsen is one of a few riders down as the peloton was hitting a left-hand turn. Fortunately it looks like no-one is seriously hurt.
💥 Crash in the peloton that takes down @maillotapois 🇳🇴@AbraJonas and others, but all are making their way back to the peloton.
💥 Chute dans le peloton ! ⚪️🔴@abrajonas est notamment tombé, tout le monde est de retour dans le peloton.#TDF2024 pic.twitter.com/ezvCb7k7NN— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 4, 2024
03:25 PM BST
45km to go
A lot of the general classification-focused teams are at the front of the peloton keeping their main men safe. The pace is up to 60km/h. Rapid!
03:20 PM BST
50km to go
Into the final 50km we go.
03:17 PM BST
54km to go
Cavendish is back into the peloton safely.
We have just heard praise for the Visma-Lease a Bike riders over their team radio as Grischa Niermann has praised how well his team dealt with the chaos of the crosswinds earlier.
03:11 PM BST
57km to go
Cavendish has chosen that now is the right moment to change back to his original bike in a planned bike change so he should get back on fairly quickly.
03:06 PM BST
62km to go
It has calmed down a little but the whole of the peloton will still be very wary of the crosswinds to come.
03:00 PM BST
66km to go
Panic over for Cavendish as he is now back with the peloton after his mechanical issue.
Mark Cavendish is back in the bunch after a scare, but not before being told off by the race commissaires for drafting 😳#TDF2024 pic.twitter.com/jBLggQhY2n
— Eurosport (@eurosport) July 4, 2024
02:56 PM BST
70km to go
Fortunately for UAE Team Emirates the front two groups have come back together.
Cavendish is still 50 seconds back.
02:52 PM BST
73km to go
Pogacar is in this front group but he has no UAE Team Emirates teammates in this lead group. If he were to have an issue now he would be in might trouble. Visma-Lease a Bike have a strong contingent.
02:49 PM BST
76km to go
This is significant as the front group has put 20 seconds on the second group on the road. Cavendish is over a minute down on the front. From the looks of it the big hitters in the general classification are all there; Pogacar, Vingegaard, Evenepoel and Roglic.
02:46 PM BST
79km to go
We have a split towards the front of the peloton and Pogacar is right there pushing it on to force the matter.
02:45 PM BST
80km to go
Oh no! Mark Cavendish has a mechanical and the timing could not have been any worse as things threaten to split up!
That's NOT the moment to have a problem 😬
Mark Cavendish has to stop just as things are splitting up in the peloton #TDF2024 pic.twitter.com/B1i6IRQR81— Eurosport (@eurosport) July 4, 2024
02:43 PM BST
81km to go
It is one long line at the moment and we are potentially looking at splits here.
02:42 PM BST
82km to go
Visma-Lease a Bike are on the front with Christophe Laporte, who did have a fall yesterday. We are on some narrow roads at the moment which will string it out as well as being exposed to the wind.
02:41 PM BST
84km to go
The speed of the peloton is currently at 50km/h and the wind is coming from their left-hand side. You can sense the tension in the peloton at the moment as everyone is fighting for position to make sure they do not get caught out.
02:36 PM BST
87km to go
The peloton is going through Chagny and, with the narrow streets, this could string everyone out and if the winds are strong coming out of Chagny that is where we could see significant splits.
02:34 PM BST
89km to go
02:30 PM BST
92km to go
The stress levels have gone up in the peloton and the pace is very high at the moment. Pogacar and Cavendish are right near the front, making sure that if splits do happen they are in the best place possible to avoid being caught out. The peloton are very exposed with no cover so this is where we could see splits.
02:27 PM BST
95km to go
Lotto Dstny are kicking things off at the front of the peloton and this is where we could see splits in the peloton. The wind, coming from the left of the peloton, is at 20km/h.
02:21 PM BST
100km to go
We are inside the final 100km of today’s stage.
02:17 PM BST
103km to go
Top five in the points classification at the moment:
Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) 119pts
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) 109pts
Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 98pts
Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility) 87pts
Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) 69pts
02:11 PM BST
107km to go
Peter Kennaugh grew up with Mark Cavendish on the Isle of Man and they are best of buddies. This is how you celebrate:
When your best mate makes history 🙌🇮🇲#TDF2024 | @Petekennaugh | @MarkCavendish pic.twitter.com/dTa3v6cgZw
— ITV Cycling (@itvcycling) July 4, 2024
02:07 PM BST
110km to go
We did have glorious sunshine not so long ago but we are heading for another bout of rain. Very changeable conditions out there.
02:01 PM BST
115km to go
We have just gone past 1,000km covered so far at this year’s Tour. The likes of UAE Team Emirates, Ineos Grenadiers, Visma-Lease a Biker and Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe are right at the front of the peloton with the threat of strong crosswinds.
01:58 PM BST
117km to go
Stage six a year ago was a little different to say the least to today’s stage. The stage, which included a climb up the iconic Tourmalet, was won by Tadej Pogacar, who won by 24 seconds ahead of Jonas Vingegaard.
01:47 PM BST
124km to go
He did not contest that intermediate sprint but Mark Cavendish is here for stage victories. Project 35 was completed yesterday and he is looking for number 36 today. There are quite a number of reasons why Cav is the greatest sprinter of all time.
01:42 PM BST
127km to go
Here are the results from the intermediate sprint at Cormatin:
Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 20pts
Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) 17pts
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) 15pts
Arnaud Demare (Arkea-B&B Hotels) 13pts
Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) 11pts
01:36 PM BST
132km to go
20 points up for grabs for first across the line and that is Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck). Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) just edges out Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) for second. Despite a heavy crash yesterday Pedersen contested that whereas Mark Cavendish did not, saving himself for the finish later.
01:34 PM BST
133km to go
Here comes the intermediate sprint...
01:32 PM BST
135km to go
Zingle and Abrahamsen have been caught with just over 2km until the intermediate sprint.
01:30 PM BST
136km to go
We are now closing in on the intermediate sprint at Cormatin and the peloton are closing on the front duo. The gap currently stands at around 20 seconds.
01:24 PM BST
139km to go
Unless you have been living under a rock, you might be aware that Mark Cavendish won an historic 35th stage yesterday. Tom Cary has been taking a look at the highs and lows of Cav’s career, from those who know him best.
01:21 PM BST
142km to go
The rain has gone away and the riders have now hit glorious sunshine.
01:17 PM BST
145km to go
Zingle and Abrahamsen have stayed out in front for the time being and they have a one-minute advantage. There is an intermediate sprint at Cormatin in just over 10km time so Abrahamsen will be eyeing up some green jersey points there. We had a two-man breakaway yesterday with Clement Russo and Matteo Vercher.
01:13 PM BST
149km to go
Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) now holds the green jersey (points classification) on 102 points, with Mads Pedersen in second and Jonas Abrahamsen third. Abrahamsen was in the lead of that classification but Girmay is now in possession of that jersey.
01:09 PM BST
153km to go
Jonas Abrahamsen, who lost the green jersey (points) yesterday but still holds the polka dot jersey (king of the mountains), attacks with around 600m to the summit to take the one KOM point but Axel Zingle (Cofidis) joins him. Zingle though does not contest it and allows Abrahamsen to take the solitary point.
01:04 PM BST
155km to go
We have hit the foot of the Col du Bois Clair, which is 1.6km in length at an average gradient of 6%.
12:59 PM BST
158km to go
We have just one categorised climb today, which is the Col du Bois Clair, a category four climb that is coming up in around 5km. No attacks yet.
12:56 PM BST
160km to go
It has already started to rain. We have just seen Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) towards the back of the peloton, heavily bandaged up after his crash in the final 500metres of yesterday’s stage.
12:55 PM BST
161km to go
On the face of it, this stage looks fairly simple. However, with rain around and strong crosswinds predicted, chaos could ensue!
We have just seen a huge image of French footballer Antoine Griezmann mown into the grass. Griezmann is from Mâcon where we have started today. Griezmann has been active on X this morning, appreciative of the tribute.
12:52 PM BST
Flag drops
Off we go on stage six at the 2024 Tour de France!
12:49 PM BST
Special bottles for Astana
🇫🇷 PHOTO: @LeTour
Well, the time has come! @GarminCycling #TDF2024 #AstanaQazaqstanTeam #GarminCycling pic.twitter.com/GUxroj10L3— Astana Qazaqstan Team (@AstanaQazTeam) July 4, 2024
12:46 PM BST
Tributes aplenty
At the start of my career leading Cav out was a joy. A fellow Brit, changing the landscape of cycling. To see what he did today, 16 years after his first Tour stage, is almost unbelievable. But, it's Cav. Nothing's unbelievable. Congrats mate. They don't call you Sir for nothing pic.twitter.com/ppR9OJmmRJ
— Geraint Thomas (@GeraintThomas86) July 3, 2024
Congratulations @MarkCavendish !! History made 👏🇬🇧 #TdF2024
— Chris Froome (@chrisfroome) July 3, 2024
12:44 PM BST
Selfie from Cav
The calibre of rider in this picture is not bad, is it?
🤳 Selfie courtesy of the one and only, @MarkCavendish #TDF2024 pic.twitter.com/wZKil12l0u
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 4, 2024
12:41 PM BST
Celebrations for the Astana Qazaqstan team
Inside the Astana DS car when history happened 🙌#TDF2024 | 🎥 @AstanaQazTeam | @Mark_Renshaw pic.twitter.com/joZSUQtK4z
— ITV Cycling (@itvcycling) July 4, 2024
12:36 PM BST
Roll-out
The peloton has begun the neutralised roll-out from Mâcon. Even though we have a pretty flat stage ahead, there is expected to be crosswinds therefore we could have splits in the peloton.
12:35 PM BST
The front page of L’Equipe
Good morning 3⃣5⃣🙌#TDF2024 | @lequipe pic.twitter.com/Xb3c9DfHtZ
— ITV Cycling (@itvcycling) July 4, 2024
12:27 PM BST
Mark Renshaw on X
For many years the Australian was a teammate and leadout man for Cavendish and now he is his Sport Director at Astana Qazaqstan. Safe to say he was happy for his good friend!
35 ! @MarkCavendish @AstanaQazTeam pic.twitter.com/TqvNz0Hwge
— Mark Renshaw (@Mark_Renshaw) July 3, 2024
12:22 PM BST
35 in the bag
If you were living under a rock yesterday, here is a reminder of the history we witnessed in front of our own eyes yesterday:
HE'S DONE IT!!!!
MARK CAVENDISH TAKES A RECORD BREAKING 35TH TOUR DE FRANCE STAGE VICTORY 🇮🇲🚀#TDF2024 pic.twitter.com/ZWqfbnS7eN— ITV Cycling (@itvcycling) July 3, 2024
12:17 PM BST
Stage six profile
11:55 AM BST
The day after project 35 was completed
Good morning and welcome to stage six of the 2024 Tour de France. We witnessed sporting history and immortality yesterday on stage five as Mark Cavendish sealed his 35th stage win at the Tour de France in Saint-Vulbas, taking him one clear of the great Eddy Merckx to make him the most successful Tour de France stage winner of all time. He had been equal on 34 with Merckx since 2021. He was set to retire at the end of last season but, after crashing out on stage eight at the Tour in 2023, the Manx missile came back in his quest for 35 and he delivered yesterday in emphatic style with a sprint of the highest calibre. He was not to be denied as he beat Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X Mobility) to victory in convincing fashion. He showed speed and intelligence to make history, as he has done throughout his career. Cavendish was thrilled to be able to celebrate this iconic moment with his family.
“I think I’ve been home less than three weeks this year,” Cavendish said. “I’ve been away so much training, racing. Not just me but my team-mates. Everyone has put a lot into this. You know, when you’ve got five children and your wife is bringing them up, making sure they live a normal life when dad’s away…It’s pretty special you know? They’ve been supporting me the whole time.
“For them to be able to come over yesterday and share this moment, I think any father would be able to testify how special it is. What’s the point in doing anything unless you can share it with those closest to you, your family, particularly children, and with your friends? I’m very fortunate to get that privilege today.”
Today should be another day for the sprinters as we head from Mâcon to Dijon in a very flat 163.5km stage. Who would bet against Cavendish making it 36 today?
Stay with us for all the action from stage six.