🎥 Thrilling mountain sprint decides Tour de l'Avenir's queen stage as Bahrain Victorious pip Quick-Step on the line
CyclingWednesday, 26 August 2026 at 09:50
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Follow us on GoogleKasper Borremans won the sixth stage of the Tour de l'Avenir. The Finnish rider from Bahrain Victorious defeated Jasper Schoofs (Soudal Quick-Step) in the queen stage, which finished at the Col de l'Iseran, with an exceptional sprint in the final meters. Lorenzo Finn (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) held his ground with ease and gained time on his rivals for the yellow jersey.
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The first four stages of the Tour de l'Avenir were relatively quiet, but things really heated up on Monday. The mountain time trial produced the first major time gaps, and it was top favorite Lorenzo Finn who attacked mercilessly. The Italian rider from Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe produced staggering power numbers on the climb to take the yellow jersey quite comfortably. However, stage six would be anything but comfortable.
Because a grueling stage was on the schedule, with a staggering 5,000 meters of elevation gain, finishing at the 36-kilometer-long Col d’Iseran, at an altitude of over 2,700 meters. The climb to the Col des Saisies began early on, and that’s where the attackers launched their move. It took a while for a group to really break away, but when they did, it was a group to be reckoned with.
Among the leading riders were Matisse Van Kerckhove (Visma | Lease a Bike), previous stage winner Aubin Sparfel (Decathlon CMA CGM), Henrique Bravo and Said Cisneros (Soudal Quick-Step), as well as Ugo Fabries (UAE Team Emirates) and Niels Driesen (Lotto-Intermarché). Fabries was in sixth place, while Driesen had lost the yellow jersey just one stage earlier and was still in second place.
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Early attacks among the favorites
A dangerous group, then. No wonder, then, that Finn took matters into his own hands and made the move to the front. That brought about a lull, allowing us to start fresh a little while later. On the Cormet de Roselend, it was Fausto Valentin Menna (Germany) who picked up the pace. He was joined by Rémi Daumas (Groupama-FDJ).
Behind them, a strong second group formed, and from that group, three riders managed to break away at the top of the Roselend. Mattia Negrente (XDS Astana), Sparfel, and Jasper Schoofs (Soudal Quick-Step) joined the leaders. The top favorites were more than three minutes behind at the start of the final climb. But that didn’t matter, because that final climb was brutal.
Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe controlled the pace in the peloton. Meanwhile, the breakaway at the front completely fell apart. The leading groups merged somewhat, and new breakaways emerged from them. We saw the Finn Kasper Borreman (Bahrain Victorious) take the lead, but there were still thirty kilometers to go to the finish.
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Breakaway riders battle it out; leader Finn comes under fire
Bahrain Victorious then pulled off a nice move: Jan Jackowiak, Borremans’ teammate, also joined the group, along with Schoofs. Later, Elliot Rowe (Visma | Lease a Bike) joined the trio. The peloton remained passive, allowing the group to pull slightly further ahead. Moments later, Borremans broke away again. The Finn was once more on his own.
The battle among the favorites was also heating up. Several riders launched attacks on leader Finn, including the UAE duo Mateo Ramírez and Fabries, as well as Henrique Bravo (Soudal Quick-Step) and Matteo Vanhuffel (Picnic PostNL). But Finn didn’t flinch. Meanwhile, Borremans was still riding nearly four minutes ahead. The winner was out in front, but could the Finn hold on? Schoofs was 15 seconds behind with Jackowiak.
Among the favorites, Ramírez and Finn were the best climbers: they never lost sight of each other. At the front, however, Borremans was caught by the two pursuers just as the finish line came into view. Schoofs was sandwiched between two Bahrain riders, but on this climb, it was survival of the fittest. The lead, however, melted away like snow in the sun: would they still be caught by the favorites?
Schoofs picked up the pace in the final kilometer and managed to shake Borremans off his wheel; later, Jackowiak also faltered. The Belgian continued alone, but the remarkable Borremans suddenly had some energy left. He surged ahead with 25 meters to go and claimed victory on the Iseran. Schoofs finished second, Borremans third. Finn and Ramírez crossed the finish line together, just under forty seconds behind.
Results of Stage 6 of the 2026 Tour de l'Avenir
1. Kasper Borremans
2. Jasper Schoofs + 0.03
3. Jan Jackowiak + 0.19
2. Jasper Schoofs + 0.03
3. Jan Jackowiak + 0.19
David Bavin-HobbsChief Editor
David has been working in the sports & cycling industry for 16 years. Covering racing, business and technology, he has worked in communications for cycling companies, teams, and as a journalist. His proudest achievement is winning the first bike race he ever entered. He hasn't won a race since.
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Latest Comments
- - Grande artículo, pero el nombre del puerto es Envalira, no “Envilara”, no? Pequeño detalle, pero importa en ciclismo.samanthak26-08-2026
- - Pedersen not there after 25 km of climbing is normal, but calling out the others publicly feels harsh. DS could’ve kept that in the bus—morale matters.bikebuffj26-08-2026
- - Not good enough, but not a disaster. If the team tightens up and gives him wheels deep into the penultimate climb, he can claw back seconds on medium-mountain days. Vamos Mattias!jeremya26-08-2026
- - Quick q: what’s the Envilara climb like compared to Tour climbs? Is it high-altitude causing the legs to go pop?tourdeforce926-08-2026
- - Roglič, Mas, Kuss, Onley, Gall all had the punch today. Skjelmose didn’t. But if he really lost a minute in stage 4 last year and still finished strong, there’s precedent. Keep the faith.sprocketspiny26-08-2026
- - Lidl-Trek’s chase was a mess. How do you end up pacing a group your leader isn’t even in? Communication breakdown or just chaos? Doesn’t inspire confidence.jennifer1926-08-2026
- - Sorry, is “two Grand Tours back-to-back” super common for GC riders? Do most guys struggle like this in the first mountain stage when they do it?cyclechamp4526-08-2026
- - Still early days. If he’s carrying Tour legs/fatigue, a week could flip the script. He limited the loss with Carapaz/Widar before cracking on the last climb—damage control could keep a top-5 GC alive.julien26-08-2026
- - That was a rough watch for Skjelmose in Andorra, especially on home roads. Losing 40 seconds isn’t terminal but the worry is how early he was isolated. If Konrad/Kämna/Bernard aren’t there on Envalira, that’s a tactical hole. DS is right to call it out.breakawaybikerd26-08-2026
- - Fair play to Gall—aggressive, grabbed bonuses, and didn’t crack when the hammer dropped. If he limits losses in the next high-alt days, top 5 GC isn’t crazy. Vamos Felix!pedalpowe2925-08-2026
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