Alexey Lutsenko (Astama), the top cyclist from Kazakhstan, won Stage 6 of the 2020 Tour de France when he arrived at the finish line at Mont Aigoual nearly a minute ahead of the chase pack.
Lutsenko, who began the day in 37th place, collected his first-career stage win at Le Tour. He saw his Tour de France odds improve to 500/1.
Adam Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) retained the yellow jersey and holds on to first place in the general classification.
| STAGE 6 RESULTS |
- Alexey Lutsenko (Astana) 4:32:34
- Jesus Herrada (Cofidis) +0:55
- Greg Van Avermaet (CCC) +2:15
Julian Alaphilippe (DQS) lost the lead in Stage 5 due to an illegal feed. The Frenchman came into this mountain stage as one of the favorites to win this hilly climb. He tried to pick up lost ground at Mont Aigoual, but didn’t gain any time on the leaders. He’s still in 16th place.
Stage 6: Le Teil > Mont Aigoual
The sixth stage began with 172 riders in Le Teil and ended 191 km later at Mont Aigoual.
Nicolas Roche (Sunweb) broke out first and a small lead pack emerged that included Alexey Lutsenko (Astana), Jesus Herrada (Cofidis), and Greg Van Avermaet. They opened up a nearly six-minute lead over the chase pack about halfway through Stage 6.
The chase pack shaved time off the leaders on their way to Col de la Lusette.
Lutsenko opened up nearly a minute lead over Jesus Herrada as he reached the summit first.
“I gave my upmost in the steepest section,” said Lutsenko. “In my head, I was convinced I was going to make it.”
Lutsenko held off Herrada in the last few kilometers into Mont Aigoual to win Stage 6.
“It was a stage we targeted, and I’m delighted it came to fruition and the hard work paid off today,” Lutsenko said. “I’d lost enough time to be allowed into the breakaway, then we got to the climb and I climbed at my rhythm.”
Lutsenko secured the win, but there weren’t any changes in the overall GC standings.
“The final climb wasn’t super steep, and it takes a lot of effort to get a few seconds,” Yates said. “Everyone was saving their energy and keeping it for a later day.”
On Deck: Stage 7 Millau > Lavaur
The seventh stage of the Le Tour will be a 168 km ride from Millau to Lavaur.
The only challenging part of this laid-back leg will be a modest Category 3 climb up Col de Peyronnenc. Then it’s a nice easy downhill toward Castres. The last 40 km is a flat route that will cater to the top sprinters.
Sam Bennett (DQS) comes into Stage 7 as one of the favorites to finish first at Lavaur. Caleb Ewan (Lotto-Soudal) won a close sprint in Stage 3, and he’s always a favorite during a sprint stage. Both Bennett and Ewan are 3/1 odds to win Stage 7. Wout Can Aert, winner of Stage 5, is 8/1 odds to secure a second stage victory.
| GC STANDINGS (THRU STAGE 6) |
1. Adam Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) 27:03:57
2. Primoz Roglic (Jimbo-Visma) +0:03
3. Tadej Pgacar (UAE) +0:07
4. Guillauame Martin (Cofidis) +0:09
5. Egan Bernal (Ineos) +0:13
Yates is 22/1 odds to win the Tour de France. Primoz Roglic finished in 22nd place in Stage 6. He’s still the favorite to win Le Tour at -118 odds.
Last year’s champ, Egan Bernal, is +275 odds or the second-highest on the futures board. He’s still sitting in fifth place overall, 13 seconds off the lead.