Tour de France Femmes stage 6 LIVE: Another hot stage packed with climbs could shake-up the GC
August 6, 2026; Montbrison - Tournon-sur-Rhône, 153.4km, hilly
The riders start the double whammy of the 1.4km Côte de Périgneux and the 2.7km Côte de la Prunerie.
Riders are already being dropped as Josie Nelson is caught.
We expect the first attacks to come on the early climbs.
For now the race is gruppo compatto but we are expecting attacks.
After the intense racing on stage 5 and with Ventoux coming up on Friday, there is a sense in the peloton that a breakaway might have a chance today.
134 riders start the 6th stage of the 2026 Tour de France Femmes at exactly 13:46.
Two riders did not start: Barbara Malcotti (Human Powered Health) and Monica Trinca Colonel (Liv AlUla Jayco).
Unfortunately, Barbara will not take to the start of stage 6 at @LeTourFemmes. We wish her the best in her recovery. Our fighter will be back soon ❤️🩹 📸 @GettySport #WatchTheFemmes | #TDFF2026 pic.twitter.com/KocipN00VkAugust 6, 2026
Get well soon Monica! 😕 https://t.co/aXpSDJE9hsAugust 6, 2026
This was the roll out and now the stage has officially started.
No attacks from the moment the start flag was waved.
🚩 The peloton rolls out from Montbrison ! Stage 6 is underway! Le peloton quitte Montbrison, direction Tournon-sur-Rhône ! 🚴♀️#TDFF2026 #WatchTheFemmes pic.twitter.com/XIdIMY0hjdAugust 6, 2026
Following her strong TT and her excellent performance in the hills on stage 5, Marlen Reusser (Movistar) is still in the yellow jersey.
But she has just a 12-second lead on Demi Vollering (FDJ United-Suez) and 1:17 on Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon-SRAM).
They will surely fight for every second today before the big show down on Mont Ventoux on Friday.
There are 10, 6 and 4 bonus seconds up for grabs at the finish line in Tournon-sur-Rhône, as well as 6, 4 and 2 seconds at the Bonus Point located at Saint-Barthélemy-le-Plain after 144.2km.
It's great to see Chiara Consonni race on despite a nasty crash early on stage 5.
She joked she has less skin but two stitches in her knee.
After yesterday’s heavy crash, @consonni_chiara is “all good” and ready for new day. Thanks to everyone who checked in and sent their well-wishes. 🫶#TDFF2026 #WatchTheFemmes pic.twitter.com/EN4LkhV4uQAugust 6, 2026
We're five minutes from the roll-out of the stage in Montbrison.
The riders face 153.4km in the saddle, with a 5km neutralised sector.
We'll have all the action from every km until the finish in Tournon-sur-Rhône.
It's another hot day in France, with temperatures for the stage expected to touch 32C.
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot endured a bad day on stage 5 but is smiling on the sign-on podium today.
I can't have any regrets. I'm going to fight on and try to get the best possible result. Thanks to the public for all their incredible support.
This is a detailed stage preview of stage 6.
It is a medium-mountain stage that covers 153.4km, passing through the eastern part of the Massif Central on narrow roads, almost always either climbing or descending.
The 153.4km stage includes 2600m of altitude gain, 6 categorised climbs and many others.
Tour de France Femmes 2026 stage 6: Another hot, hilly day could be one for the breakaway - Preview
💛 Día importante por delante.En el 🇫🇷 @LeTourFemmes nos espera otra etapa de media montaña camino de Tournon-sur-Rhône, en la que habrá batalla.👊 Tocará defender, una jornada más, el maillot amarillo de Marlen Reusser.#RodamosJuntos | @movistar_es pic.twitter.com/ctJfhCrb4WAugust 6, 2026
Riders always find time for autographs.
✍️ Another memory to take home.⁰Encore un beau souvenir à ramener à la maison. 💛#TDFF2026 #WatchTheFemmes pic.twitter.com/4PWQlK2M60August 6, 2026
The riders are currently signing on in Montbrison, in the the Loire department in central France, east of Lyon.
Like every day, we will have full live coverage, from the sign-on until beyond the finish line, with race updates, analysis, rider quotes and race photographs.
Bonjour and welcome to the Cyclingnews live coverage of stage 6 of the Tour de France Femmes.
