Other breakaway riders satisfied with result behind Healy, but Simmons is not: "If I had been on the wheel..."

Dunbar was Yates' teammate last year, but was now a rival in the breakaway for Jayco-AlUla. “It was brutal; we didn't have a moment's rest,” he sighed after the finish in the flash interview. “The peloton just kept going; they didn't want to let us go. Even when the peloton split, we kept riding at full speed. It was an incredibly strong breakaway, and everyone contributed.”

The 28-year-old Irishman finished fourth but saw his compatriot win. He was full of praise for Healy's performance. “What an incredible ride by Ben. I have no idea how he took 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Hats off to him. He surprised us, and once he had 10 seconds... Everyone knows what Ben can do; I thought he would do it. When you see it from the sidelines, you might think: why isn't anyone going with him? But you can't.”

Of course, Dunbar is also disappointed that he didn't win himself. “It's great to fight for the win, but it's always disappointing when you have the chance to win a stage in the Tour and you fall short.” But he's not going to let it get him down because the Tour is still long. "I need a quieter day tomorrow, but it's a good sign. My form at the start was great, hopefully I'll get another chance in the breakaway somewhere."

Harold Tejada, like van der Poel, was unable to keep up with his fellow breakaway riders in the final. The Colombian from XDS-Astana eventually finished seventh, one place ahead of the Dutchman. "It was a pretty tough breakaway, but in the end, I just didn't have the legs," he told Clarosports. “We had pushed hard all day, and with all the effort we put in, I am happy with the result.”

The grueling stage ultimately cost the 28-year-old climber the win. “It wasn’t easy to form the breakaway, but the group that did form was of very high quality. The truth is that I was already feeling a bit empty in the last kilometers; I was on the wheel, trying to survive and get a good position," said Tejada, who had to let Van der Poel go on the Côte de Vaudry.

Michael Storer finished nicely third. The Australian rider from Tudor was disappointed to be the only one from his team in the breakaway. “It was tough to set up a breakaway,” he told Cyclism'Actu. “I think it only started 65, 70 kilometers from the finish, and it was really disappointing that none of us were in it. I was pretty confident that it could go to the end, and it wasn't exactly my terrain. But it was cool to be in a breakaway in the Tour de France.”

Storer is normally a man for the high mountains, but this time, he held his own on the short hills. “It wasn't really the plan, but I said this morning that I had a free role, so I adapted to the situation in the race and saw the opportunity to go with it. It's a great result, especially on this terrain. Hats off to Ben Healy; it's impressive to win by two minutes from such a strong group.”

Perhaps the most disappointed of the pack was Simmons, who finished second. The American from Lidl-Trek was disappointed that he let Healy go. "If I had been on his wheel when he attacked, that would have been great,’ said Simmons while cooling down by the team bus. “But he played it well; he surprised us a bit. I went from the second group myself, with an attack that was initially planned for the win. But unfortunately, there was one more in front.”

With that attack, the American champion broke away from his rivals, although Storer was still able to keep up. Together with the Australian, Simmons made a futile attempt to catch Healy. “He was super strong,” he said, praising his breakaway companion. But once again, he couldn't hide his disappointment. “This hilly terrain is perfect for me. It was a great opportunity that I missed.”

There are still plenty of opportunities for the man with the mustache from Colorado. But will he be allowed to go for it? Jonathan Milan remains the leader at Lidl-Trek, and on the more difficult terrain, Mathias Skjelmose and Thibau Nys are also contenders. “It all comes down to team ambition and who we want to ride for in these kinds of stages. I've shown my intentions, but we're still here with Johnny for the sprints, and two great opportunities are coming up this week.”

Riding in the national champion's jersey makes the day a little better for the 24-year-old American. "It's great. I'm a bit biased, but I think it's the most beautiful jersey in the peloton. However, it seems that I tend to hurt myself in the sixth stage of the Tour de France; that was also the case in my first Tour when Wout van Aert relegated me to junior status. But to be back at the front now and be able to race more is great. My first two Tours were mainly about hanging on: it's better to suffer at the front than at the back."