Monumental climbs as bait for Pogačar!

The sixth stage in the Tour de France keeps the riders in picturesque Normandy, where a challenging ride awaits the peloton on Thursday. With a length of 201 kilometers and a total of no less than 3,500 meters of elevation gain, it promises to be an exhausting day. The finish is also on a steep climb in Vire Normandie.

After a rolling start from the medieval hotspot Bayeux (known for the world heritage piece, the Bayeux Tapestry, on which William the Conqueror from Caen is also depicted), the riders face Mont Pinçon after 38 kilometers. This 5.6-kilometer climb has an average gradient of 3.7% and immediately shows what the riders can expect from this stage. The following 150 kilometers are filled with a number of significant climbs.

For instance, the riders encounter La Rançonnière (2.3 kilometers at 7.5%), the Côte de la Batonnière (4.1 kilometers at 4.2%), the Côte de la Tertre Bizet (3.9 kilometers at 3.6%), the Côte de Mortain (2.5 kilometers at 6.1%), the Côte de Juvigny-le-Tertre (1.9 kilometers at 7.3%), and the Côte de Saint-Michel-de-Montjoie (4.4 kilometers at 3.6%). This kind of hills with those gradient percentages is somewhat reminiscent of a mini-version of Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Especially when you see the profile of this stage.

After the Côte de Saint-Michel-de-Montjoie, the riders descend to the foot of the Côte de Vaudry. This climb is 1.5 kilometers long, with an average gradient of 6.3%, but contains steep sections up to 11.2%. The top of this hill is only 4.5 kilometers from the finish. After a short descent and a section on flat terrain, the riders reach the last 700 meters of the stage, which steep upward with a gradient of 10%.

If the riders really want to, they can make this stage one of the most enjoyable stages of the Tour de France. One name you should definitely keep an eye on today is Kévin Vauquelin: he was born in the starting place Bayeux and already won a similar stage in the Tour de France in 2024. Then the finish was in Bologna. His current team Arkéa-B&B Hotels could use some successes, as they are heading hard toward relegation.

In addition, course builder Thierry Gouvenou pays tribute to himself. He was born in Vire Normandie. He was a professional from 1991 to 2002, but he never became a high-flyer. However, Gouvenou won Paris-Roubaix for amateurs in 1990. Cobblestones were also his specialty. As a professional, he achieved top 10 finishes in the GP de Denain, Omloop Het Volk, and the professional version of the Hell of the North.

Date	10 July 2025
Start	Bayeux
Finish	Vire-Normandie
Distance	201.5 km
Elevation gain	3550 m
Type	Individual Road Race
Average Speed	45.77 km/h
Overall Profile	Hill
Finish Profile	False flat

Tour de France

Men Elite - 2.UWT