Mathieu van der Poel has regained the yellow jersey in the Tour de France on Thursday. The Dutchman was part of a leading group in the hilly sixth stage, but fell short of another stage victory.
Van der Poel rode away with seven other riders on the second climb of the day. Simon Yates, Eddie Dunbar, and Ben Healy were also among this group.
The leading group gained a significant lead, which meant that Van der Poel was virtually in yellow halfway through the stage. The Dutchman lost the lead in the general classification to Tadej Pogacar after Wednesday’s individual time trial.
The thirty-year-old Van der Poel ultimately had just enough left to take the yellow jersey from Pogacar. The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider has only a one-second lead over the Slovenian in the standings.
Van der Poel fell short of his second stage victory in this Tour. With 42.5 kilometers to go, Healy jumped away from the leading group. The Irishman quickly gained a significant lead.
Quinn Simmons and Michael Storer went in pursuit, but they also could not keep Healy from the stage victory. Van der Poel finished eighth in Vire Normandie.