2026 Tour de France Femmes stage 6 preview | One rider’s loss is another’s gain

And just like that, we have already reached stage 6 of the Tour de France Femmes. Before the race heads towards an extension of its demanding final weekend, featuring a summit finish on Mont Ventoux on Friday, Thursday brings a transition stage designed to take the peloton closer to Provence. IDL Pro Cycling guides you through the route and the leading contenders.

Stage 6 of the Tour de France Femmes starts in Montbrison. The opening ten kilometres are flat, but the riders will then face an immediate two-part climbing test. The Côte de Périgneux, measuring 1.4 kilometres at 6.2 percent, and the Côte de la Prunerie, around three kilometres at 4.9 percent, are officially classified as separate climbs but effectively form one extended ascent. The summit of the second climb arrives after just over 25 kilometres.

Following a descent and a short section alongside the Loire, the race heads into the middle portion of the stage, where three more categorised climbs await. The most significant obstacle appears to be the Col de Lalouvesc, which reaches an altitude of 1,092 metres and measures 8.6 kilometres at an average gradient of 5 percent. Its summit comes approximately 48 kilometres from the finish in Tournon-sur-Rhône.

Most of the remaining kilometres trend downhill, but the Côte de Boucieu-le-Roi still has to be tackled with around 16 kilometres remaining. The climb is 3.9 kilometres long at an average gradient of 5.6 percent. After a short plateau and a steep descent, the riders will quickly approach the finish. The final corner of a stage containing approximately 2,600 metres of elevation gain comes around 500 metres from the line.

Times
Start: 1:35 p.m. CEST
Finish: around 5:41 p.m. CEST

Thursday will bring another hot afternoon in France, with temperatures remaining above 30 degrees Celsius throughout the stage. The Mistral can produce strong winds along the Rhône, but the forecast suggests it is unlikely to have a major influence on the racing beyond offering the riders some welcome relief from the heat.

When assessing the favourites, it is important to remember that stage 5 was a genuine war of attrition, while stage 7 finishes on Mont Ventoux on Friday. Will the general classification contenders really want to attack each other again on terrain that, particularly in the finale, is less demanding than the roads they faced one day earlier and will encounter one day later?

We do not think so. Instead, we are looking towards riders who demonstrated strong legs during the opening five days and could be given freedom in the breakaway. At Visma | Lease a Bike, the hunt for stage victories may now begin in earnest, with team leader Pauline Ferrand-Prévot no longer appearing capable of winning the battle for yellow. Marianne Vos, Lieke Nooijen and Sarah Van Dam: this is your opportunity.

FDJ United-SUEZ will be fully focused on Demi Vollering, although Célia Gery could potentially be released in a stage like this. Maeva Squiban has already spent several days operating in an attacking role for UAE Team L’IMAD, while Zoe Bäckstedt is an intriguing option for CANYON//SRAM. SD Worx-Protime have as many as four riders who may want to join the moves, although Lotte Kopecky and Mischa Bredewold appear to be the team’s most realistic potential winners.

Liane Lippert has already been active for Movistar on several occasions, and this is naturally the type of stage that suits her. Lidl-Trek can play several cards, but we would certainly expect Riejanne Markus, Amanda Spratt and Lucinda Brand to be involved near the front. Justine Ghekiere is another interesting option for AG Insurance-Soudal, while Kim Le Court may also receive more freedom after losing time on stage 5.

Who else belongs on the list? World champion Magdeleine Vallieres and Kristen Faulkner are obvious candidates for EF Education-Oatly, while Noemi Rüegg could also quietly make her way into the right move. Puck Pieterse will be hunting mountain points for Fenix-Premier Tech, but the finish also suits her qualities. With Yara Kastelijn appearing to be riding slightly below her best, we are also including Sara Casasola.

Among the longer shots, we are selecting Silke Smulders of Liv AlUla Jayco with a small dose of Dutch optimism. Julie Bego of Cofidis is another name to consider, as are Uno-X Mobility duo Sigrid Haugset — why could she not do it again? — and Anouska Koster. Finally, Sandrine Tas may be able to handle the extreme temperatures particularly well for Lotto-Intermarché.

Top Favorites: Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime)
Outsiders: Noemi Ruëgg (EF Education-Oatly), Lieke Nooijen (Visma | Lease a Bike), Riejanne Markus (Lidl-Trek), Kim Le Court (AG Insurance-Soudal), and Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Premier Tech)
Long shots: Sarah Van Dam (Visma | Lease a Bike), Zoe Bäckstedt (CANYON//SRAM), Mischa Bredewold (SD Worx-Protime), Celia Gery (FDJ United-SUEZ), Liane Lippert (Movistar), Amanda Spratt and Lucinda Brand (Lidl-Trek), Justine Ghekiere (AG Insurance-Soudal), Magdeleine Vallieres and Kristen Faulkner (EF Education-Oatly), Sara Casasola (Fenix-Premier Tech), Silke Smulders (Liv AlUla Jayco), Julie Bego (Cofidis), Sigrid Haugset and Anouska Koster (Uno-X Mobility), and Sandrine Tas (Lotto-Intermarché)