Jai Hindley loses yellow jersey as Tour de France favourites turn up heat

Australian cyclist Jai Hindley enjoys just one day in leader’s yellow jersey as Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard show their class in stage six of Tour de France.

Tadej Pogacar celebrates his victory in stage six of the Tour de France. Picture: Getty Images

Tadej Pogacar unleashed a devastating turn of speed to win stage six of the Tour de France overnight (AEST), but defending champion Jonas Vingegaard took the overall race lead as Australia’s Jai Hindley lost the yellow jersey just 24 hours after claiming it.

On the Tour’s first summit finish, Team UAE leader Pogacar went for broke with 2km to go and finished 24sec ahead of Vingegaard. However it wasn’t enough to claim the overall lead from the Dane, who goes into the seventh stage with a 25-second advantage.

Hindley, who finished stage six in sixth, 2 minutes 39 seconds back, now sits in third place in the overall standings, 94 seconds behind Vingegaard.

On the 144.9km run from Tarbes to Cauterets in the lush Pyrenees the Dutch Jumbo-Visma team looked to have the X-factor in Wout Van Aert acting as Vingegaard’s sherpa with Pogacar isolated from his teammates.

But with 4km to go Van Aert peeled off and almost keeled over after his efforts on a 10 per cent gradient section.

Jonas Vingegaard (left) and Tadej Pogacar break from the pack in the final ascent of the Col de Cauterets-Cambasque during the sixth stage of the Tour de France. Picture: AFP

Vingegaard and Pogacar powered ahead alone after dropping everyone from the day’s breakaway on the high Tourmalet pass.

When Pogacar made his move with the roadside crowds leaving the narrowest of passages Vingegaard desperately clung on as the Slovenian pulled away for a moral victory.

“I’m really happy to have just one stage win, you can’t get cocky,” said the 24-year-old Pogacar.

“When Jumbo started pulling I was ready to pack my bags and go home,” he said. “Wout (van Aert) goes faster than the race chief’s car. But I played it smart and told myself I mustn’t give up, at that point I just held on.”

Pogacar started the Tour strongly but Vingegaard struck back on stage five before this new enthralling instalment of their internecine duel offered up some more gripping fare.

Defending champion Vingegaard and two-time winner Pogacar were billed as the stars of the Tour and so it is proving to be.

“This is an exciting Tour de France,” Vingegaard said.

“The first six days have been hard, the start in the Basque Country has made it amazing.

“First of all I’m happy to be back in the yellow jersey. Tadej was just stronger today and he deserved to win.”

Australia’s Jai Hindley crosses the finish line after stage six of the Tour de France. Picture: Getty Images

Overnight leader Hindley’s 15 minutes of fame were sealed on the 17km slog up the highest peak of the Tour so far, the Col du Tourmalet.

The Australian paid for his efforts in the breakaway on stage five and dropped off the pace as Vingegaard put the hammer down.

“It was just a epic day riding round in the yellow jersey,” Hindley told the ABC.

“To be honest, I got my arse handed to me, but I really enjoyed it.

“I knew I just wanted to ride my own race and if I could hang on to the two big favourites then I would do my best, which I did.

“I just got spat at the top of the climb there with four k to go or something and that was it.

“It was pretty much lights out from then on, but I gave it a red hot crack.”

Australia’s Jai Hindley (second from left) wears the overall leader's yellow jersey during stage six of the Tour de France. Picture: AFP

One interested onlooker was Emmanuel Macron, the French president joining Tour director Christian Prudhomme in the car following the race leaders.

American rider Neilson Powless of the Education First team retook the polka dot climb jersey thanks to being in the mix as far as the Tourmalet.

The climbs of Col d’Aspin and Col du Tourmalet marked out stage six as the toughest test so far.

Stage seven on Friday takes the Tour away from the Pyrenees and through the world renowned vineyards of the Bordeaux region.

“It’s flat, superflat and easy for the teams of the sprinters to control,” race designer Thierry Gouvenou said.

There is a 2km long pancake flat home-straight guaranteeing a mass bunch sprint finish at Bordeaux where British sprinter Mark Cavendish could write a chapter of his own by claiming a record-breaking 35th stage win.

AFP