Stage 6 of the Tour de France 2026 takes the race from Pau to Gavarnie-Gèdre on Thursday 9 July, with the Col d’Aspin, Col du Tourmalet and a summit finish making it the biggest GC test of the race so far.
The stage is 186.2km long, carries 4,100m of climbing and finishes after the category 2 climb to Gavarnie-Gèdre. The official neutralised start is at 12:25 CEST, which is 11:25 BST, with the finish expected between 17:29 and 18:05 CEST, or 16:29 and 17:05 BST.
For the full sporting breakdown, see our Tour de France 2026 stage 6 preview. The wider mountain context is covered in our Tour de France 2026 Pyrenees guide.
Photo Credit: GettyTour de France 2026 stage 6 start time
| Detail | Time |
|---|---|
| Date | Thursday 9 July 2026 |
| Stage | Pau to Gavarnie-Gèdre |
| Distance | 186.2km |
| Neutralised start | 12:25 CEST / 11:25 BST |
| Expected finish | 17:29-18:05 CEST / 16:29-17:05 BST |
| Stage type | Mountain |
| Main climb | Col du Tourmalet |
| Finish | Gavarnie-Gèdre summit finish |
UK viewers who want the whole stage should be ready before 11:25 BST. Those short on time should aim to be watching from around 14:30 BST, when the race is approaching the Col d’Aspin and the main mountain phase begins.
What time should UK viewers watch stage 6?
The full stage is worth watching because the breakaway should form early, but the decisive live window is likely to begin in the final two hours.
| Key point | Race distance | Estimated CEST | Estimated BST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neutralised start in Pau | 0km | 12:25 | 11:25 |
| Côte de Loucrup | 50.9km | 13:57-14:06 | 12:57-13:06 |
| Intermediate sprint at Pouzac | 59.1km | 14:07-14:17 | 13:07-13:17 |
| Côte de Mauvezin | 77.3km | 14:32-14:45 | 13:32-13:45 |
| Col d’Aspin | 118.1km | 15:37-15:58 | 14:37-14:58 |
| Col du Tourmalet | 147.8km | 16:30-16:58 | 15:30-15:58 |
| Final 10km | Around 176km | From around 17:10 | From around 16:10 |
| Finish at Gavarnie-Gèdre | 186.2km | 17:29-18:05 | 16:29-17:05 |
The Col d’Aspin should be the first major check on the GC group. The Tourmalet is the point where the stage could become decisive. The finish is long rather than brutally steep, but it comes after the hardest climbing of the Tour so far, which makes the final hour essential viewing.
How to watch Tour de France stage 6 in the UK
Stage 6 is live in the UK on TNT Sports and HBO Max, with the full mountain stage available as part of the race’s main live coverage.
There is no free live UK coverage of stage 6 on S4C. The Welsh-language broadcaster is showing selected stages live during the race, but stage 6 is not one of them. Free-to-air highlights are available on 5 at 7pm.
For the full UK broadcast picture, see our guide on how to watch Tour de France 2026 in the UK. Our Tour de France 2026 TV schedule and daily start times also tracks the key viewing windows across the race.
| UK option | Stage 6 coverage |
|---|---|
| TNT Sports | Live coverage |
| HBO Max | Live stream |
| 5 | Free-to-air highlights at 7pm |
| S4C | No live stage 6 coverage |
For UK viewers, the key practical point is simple. To watch stage 6 live, you need TNT Sports or HBO Max. To watch it free-to-air, the available option is the evening highlights on 5.
How to watch stage 6 in the US, Canada and Australia
Stage 6 will be shown through the main Tour de France rights-holders in each country, with early-morning coverage in North America and a late-night finish for Australian viewers.
| Country | Broadcaster / stream | Stage 6 timing |
|---|---|---|
| UK | TNT Sports / HBO Max | From 11:25 BST |
| USA | Peacock / NBCSN | From early morning ET |
| Canada | FloBikes | Morning ET |
| Australia | SBS / SBS On Demand | Late evening AEST |
For US viewers, the most important window should be from around 10:30am ET, when the race is expected to be on or near the Tourmalet. Australian viewers face a late finish, with the stage expected to conclude after 1:30am AEST on Friday morning.
For more detail outside Britain, use our Tour de France 2026 live stream guide by country.
Stage 6 route: Pau to Gavarnie-Gèdre
Stage 6 starts in Pau, one of the Tour’s most familiar Pyrenean towns, and sends the race south into the mountains. The early kilometres should allow a breakaway to go, but the day becomes more serious after the first two categorised climbs.
The route includes five categorised climbs:
| Climb | Category | Length / gradient | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Côte de Loucrup | 4 | 2km at 7.1% | km 50.9 |
| Côte de Mauvezin | 3 | 3km at 6.8% | km 77.3 |
| Col d’Aspin | 1 | 12km at 6.5% | km 118.1 |
| Col du Tourmalet | HC | 17.1km at 7.3% | km 147.8 |
| Gavarnie-Gèdre | 2 | 18.7km at 3.7% | Finish |
The Col du Tourmalet is the main climb, both for the GC battle and the mountains classification. The summit comes 38.4km from the finish, which means the favourites can attack there, but anyone who goes early will still need to descend, cross the valley and handle the final long climb to Gavarnie-Gèdre.
The day is also the first official summit finish of the race, which is why it features prominently in our Tour de France 2026 summit finishes guide.
Why stage 6 matters
Stage 6 is the first major mountain showdown since Torstein Træen moved into yellow on stage 4.
After stage 5, Træen still leads the race overall, with Sean Quinn second at 28 seconds and Mathias Vacek third at 3:50. Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard remain level with each other at 7:53 down, which means the yellow jersey is still in unusual territory.
The latest classification picture is covered in our GC and jerseys after Tour de France 2026 stage 5. For the background to Træen’s move into yellow, see our stage 4 report and our explainer on why Pogačar and Vingegaard are 7:53 down.
That makes stage 6 fascinating. Træen has time to lose, but this is the first day where he may have to defend yellow against the strongest climbers in the race.
Photo Credit: GettyWill Pogačar and Vingegaard attack?
This is the main viewing question.
Pogačar and Vingegaard are not racing Træen in exactly the same way they are racing each other. Træen has the yellow jersey and a large lead, but Pogačar and Vingegaard remain the reference point for the overall win. They are level on time, which makes stage 6 a potential first direct test.
The final climb is not savage on paper, so the Tourmalet may be where the race is made difficult. If UAE Team Emirates-XRG, Team Visma-Lease a Bike or Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe set a hard tempo there, the yellow jersey group could be reduced before the final approach to Gavarnie-Gèdre.
That is why stage 6 sits high in our guide to the best GC attack days at the Tour de France 2026. It is also the subject of our deeper look at the stage 6 Tourmalet yellow jersey test.
Could the breakaway win?
Yes. Stage 6 could still go to the breakaway.
The route suits a strong climber who is far enough down on GC to be allowed freedom. The early climbs can help form the move, while the Tourmalet and the final climb give genuine mountain specialists a chance to decide the stage away from the main favourites.
That will depend on how the GC teams race. If UAE and Visma want a full showdown, the break’s chances shrink. If they prefer to test each other without committing to a full chase, the stage winner could come from the move while the GC race unfolds behind.
For the broader race pattern, see our guide to the Tour de France 2026 route’s best days for breakaways.
Alex Molenaar will not start
Caja Rural-Seguros RGA will start stage 6 without Alex Molenaar.
The Dutch rider crashed late on stage 5 in Pau and suffered a fracture to the first metacarpal in his right hand. His withdrawal matters because he had been second in the mountains classification and had already worn the polka-dot jersey earlier in the race.
That removes one of the early KoM contenders before the Tourmalet stage. With major mountain points available over the Aspin, Tourmalet and Gavarnie-Gèdre, the polka-dot jersey fight should become much more serious.
Stage 6 mountains and points
The Tourmalet carries the Souvenir Jacques Goddet and offers the biggest mountains classification reward of the day. The Col d’Aspin also offers a significant haul, while the final climb to Gavarnie-Gèdre adds points at the finish.
| Climb | Maximum mountain points |
|---|---|
| Côte de Loucrup | 1 |
| Côte de Mauvezin | 2 |
| Col d’Aspin | 10 |
| Col du Tourmalet | 20 |
| Gavarnie-Gèdre | 5 |
The intermediate sprint at Pouzac comes before the main climbs, so green jersey contenders may try to score early before the race becomes too hard. After that, the stage belongs to climbers, GC riders and breakaway specialists.
For the wider KoM picture, see our Tour de France 2026 climbers guide.
Weather and race conditions
Stage 6 is also expected to be raced in continued summer heat. That matters because mountain stages in the heat can change quickly.
Teams must manage feeding, cooling and effort. Riders who look comfortable on the first climbs can fade later if they misjudge hydration or pacing. For those watching live, the effects may become clearest on the Tourmalet and the long final climb.
This is also the kind of day where time cuts can become relevant for riders dropped early. Our Tour de France time cuts explainer covers how riders stay inside the limit on mountain stages.
Best live viewing window
For the full story, watch from the start. The breakaway, intermediate sprint and early climbing will matter.
For the key action, these are the main UK viewing windows:
| Viewing window | BST | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Early breakaway | 11:25-13:00 | Break forms before first climb |
| Intermediate sprint | Around 13:10 | Green jersey points at Pouzac |
| First serious climbing | 14:30-15:00 | Col d’Aspin |
| Main GC test | 15:30-16:00 | Col du Tourmalet |
| Stage finish | 16:25-17:05 | Gavarnie-Gèdre summit finish |
The safest recommendation is to tune in from 14:30 BST. That should catch the Col d’Aspin, the full Tourmalet, the descent and the final climb. If there is a major GC move, it is unlikely to happen before then.
What happened on stage 5?
Stage 5 to Pau was the first proper sprint opportunity of the race, and Olav Kooij took full advantage. The Decathlon CMA CGM rider won a reduced sprint after a late crash and split disrupted the finale.
The result did not change the yellow jersey, but it did alter the sprint hierarchy and confirmed Kooij as a major stage-winning threat. For the full details, see our Tour de France 2026 stage 5 report and our analysis of why Olav Kooij’s Pau win changes the Tour de France sprint picture.
What happens next?
Stage 7 takes the Tour from Hagetmau to Bordeaux over 175.1km and should return the race to the sprinters. That makes stage 6 even more important for the GC riders and climbers. It is the last immediate chance in this Pyrenean block to make a major mountain statement before the race changes rhythm again.
For more on the following sprint opportunity, see our guide to the Tour de France 2026 route’s best days for sprinters.
For Træen, stage 6 is about survival. For Pogačar and Vingegaard, it is about finding out whether the other is vulnerable. For the breakaway, it is one of the best early chances of the Tour. For UK viewers, it is the first day of the race where the final two hours may define the whole week.
