Hello and welcome to our full live coverage of stage 6 of the Critérium du Dauphiné - 141km from La Rochette to Meribel. It ♚is the deci🐼sive mountain stage of the race.
Bonjour and welcome to the big day at the Dauphine. Today will see another face off in the French Alps as Chris Froome (Team Sky) tries to defendꦐ his narrow race lead.
As we raise the Cyclingnews blimp,ꦆ the riders are gathering at the start.
Today's stage to M𓆉eribel is the Queen stage of the race thanks to the five major climbs packed into the 141km distance.
The climbs start jus𝔍t a few kilometres after the start, making for a hard and in⛦tense day in the saddle.
Mid-s🍌tage see🐼s the rider climb the Hors Category Col de la Madeleine. It is 19km long and has a gradient of 7.9%.
The finale of the stage includes a series a of minor cl🐠imbs before the 12.3km - 6.6% climb up to the finish in the ski resort of Meribel.
We can expect some aggressive racing as riders try to take the s💜tage victory and as Froome, Porte, Contador and others fight for overall success anℱd the leader's yellow jersey.
With the Tour ಞde France just a few weeks away, it is time for the big-name riders to show their form. There will be nowh🐭ere to hide today.
The riders have lined-up at the start under sunny skies but there is a serious⭕ risk of rain, addin༒g an extra twist to the race.
Many of the riders in the race carefully warmed up for the aggressive start on the rollers, includꦉing race leader Chris Froome.
They're off! The rider💞s have left the start line for the kilometre 0 point.
A total of 158 riders are in the peloton today. The onꦕly non-starter is Dominik Nerz (Bora-Argon 18).
Chris Froome (Team Sky) wears tꦺhe race leader's yellow jersey after winnnig the stage on Friday and taking the lead from Alberto Contador (Tinkoff).
The flag has dropped and so we're live!
We immediately have an attack, with five rider jumping away trying to form the break of the day on the flat roads beforeﷺ the first climb.
The first climb has began ♚and the first attack is breaking up. It's going to be an intense day in the saddle.
The ever-aggressive Cesare Benedetti (Bor💛a-Argon 18) is now the ✱only rider up the road.
A counter attack of around 20 riders has gained 40 seconds on th🀅e peloton and Benedetti has been caught.
Robert Kiserlov🃏ski (Tinkoff) is now o൩n the attack.
Is Tinkoff t꧒rying to send riders up he road to help Contador l❀ater on?
Kiserlovski is quickly caught, lea🥂ving a 21-rider gro🌌up up front.
Three oth🌟er riders have joined the move as the riders near the summit of the Col de Champ-Laurent.
Daniel Teklehaimanot (Dimension Data) was one of the first to attack today. H🧸e is c🐓hasing points in the climber's competition.
Teklehaimanot leads the climber's competition and is cha🌠sing more points.
Astan𒀰a seems to be the only team to have missed the attack and so have sent Andrey&n🥀bsp;Grivko and Luis Leon Sanchez up the road to try to join the move.
The riders in the attack are:
Jan Bakelants (AG2R-La Mondiale) is also trying to p🤡ower across to the attack before the gap becomes too big.
🐼As you can see, there are some interesting names in the attack, including Pinot, Voeckler, Van den Broeck and Tony Martin.
As the riders ap꧑proach the summit of the first climb Grivko is close to closing the gap. However Nauleau has been distanced.
Team Sky does not have a rider iꩲn the attack and so will have to lead the chase behind.
The peloton is 2:30 behind.
The riders are close to the summit.
The high pace 🌼is hurting behind and Igor Anton is the first to quit the race today.
Anton rode the Giro d'Ita🌺lia for Dimension Data and is clearly tired after a lot of racing.
Teklehaimanot is the first to the top of the climb, 🌺taking maximum poinꦿts for the climber's competition.
The peloton reaches the summit some 3:15 down.
After a 🔯short descent the riders face the Col du Grand Cucheron&nb🦋sp;climb. It is 3.4km long at 6.9%. After they can enjoy a long descent o the foot of the much feared Col de la Madeleine, which begins after 70km.
113km remaining from 141km
Teklehaimanot is on f🎃orm today and also takes five points as first to the summit o🐻f the Grand Cucheron climb.
He beat fellow 🐈African Grmay of Lampre-M🅺erida as they fight for mountain points.
Bryan Nauleau is back in the attack after struggling o🌺n the climbs.
106km remaining from 141km
As expected, the race has settled after the fireworks of the openi๊ng two climbs.&nbs🦩p;
As the Queen stage of the Dauphine continues, you can also fol♒low the Cyclingnews live coverage of the opening TT at the Tour de Suisse.
🎀Here we go, the break hits the Col de la Madeleine!
As we suspected thඣe Col de la Madeleine has inspired an attack from Contador!
Also in the move is Fabio Aru, plus Jesper Hansen (Tinkoff), Joaquim Rodrig𓆉uez (Katusha), Dayer Quintana (Movistar) and Bjorn Thurau (Wanty).
It will now be up to Sky and BMC to chase to protect the GC positions of Froꦇome and Porte.
The Madeleine will be a real test of Contador and Froome. It's a high risk strateg♛y for the Spaniard but he has shown it can work in the past.
The long clim𝐆b is already hurting the attack up💛 the road, with several riders distanced.
These include Voeckle📖r, Marco Minnaard, Andriy Grivko, Cesare Benedetti. Contador's speed is also hurting som of the riders who attacked with him, including Dayer Quintana and Thurau.
Behind Team Sky is setting a steady pace in pursuit, with six riders from the Bri♍tish team on the front of the peloton.
80km remaining from 141km
The Contador attac🐷k has gained 30 seconds o⭕n the Froome group.
The Contador group is 1:45 down on𒊎 the break, with the Froome peloton around 25 seconds further back.
Upfrontꦗ Daniel Teklehaimanot has been dropped from the attack. He will miss out on points on the Madeleine and so his lead in the climber's competition could be at risk.
Team Sky seems to have landed a blow📖 to Contador's hopes. His attack has been caught 4km from the summit of the Madeleine.
We'll chalkღ that up as round one to Froome and Team Sky.
Cont🎐ador seems to have given up the idea of attacking Froome but Aru goes again.
🤡Aru has jumped across to LL Sanch⛄ez and is now chasing the break of the day.
The riders are enjoying the sunny weather in the🔴 Alps today, with blue skies and warm temperatures in the mo🐼untains.
At 🤡2km from the summit of the Madeleine, Aru and Sanchez are just 45 from the attack of the day, with the pe꧃loton 50 seconds back. It seems that Team Sky is happy to let Aru go away but kept Contador under control.
Contador attacks again!
The summit is jus🔥t 1km away, as Team Sky chase after Contador.
Romain Bardet (Ag2r La Mondiale) is also on the att🌸a𒊎ck. He has a gap on Contador, who has been caught by Froome and Contador.
It's mano a manoಌ out on the top of the Madelei♑ne.
Aru is hoping to get across to the break before the long descent but he is run꧃ning out of climb. The race is almost at the summit of the Madeleine.
Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) isthe first to the summit of the Madeleine, ahead of Louis Verva💯eke and Mickael Cherel. However he is then distanced on the descent.
Aru reaches the summit 45 seconds after the break, with Contador, Porte and Froome in a 20-rider group furt𒁏her baಌck.
Bardet has caught Aru to create ♔a big-name duo that is chasing the break and the chance of stage victory. Both are no longe☂r overall threats.
The two lead by 40 seconds.
Serge Pauwels (Dimension Data) is riding aggressively and ha🔴s gone past Pinot to catch Vervaeke and Cherel.
It's a busy day of racing today.
Aru and Bardet have caught the back end of the attack of the ﷺday. They look well placed to go for the stage victory now.
The Froom💯e peloton is around a minute back on Aru and Bardet.
Also with them are Pinot and Gal✨lopin as they chase Cherel, Vervaeke and Pauwels.
It seems that Contador is again back in the Froome group after a second failed attack. We can surely ex𒁏pect him to try again later.
48km remaining from 141km
Today's stage goes deep into the Alps.
The situation is fluid at the head of the race, with Chérel joining Pauwels up f๊ront.
The chasers are 45 seconds down on Chérel and ♑Pauwels, with the peloton slipping back to 2:20.
35km remaining from 141km
Bardet has now gained a chunk of time on T♛eam Sky and so has become an overall threat aജgain.
The front group is thinning ou🌟t as AG2R and Astana set the pꦜace for Bardet and Aru.
Behind Froome has Wout Poels, Mikel Landa and Sergio Henao riding tempo fro him at the front♑ of the peloton. But the gap remains at 2:00, meaning Bardet is the virtualℱ race leader. He is only 1:34 down in the GC.
Aru is struggling in the break and so Sanchez w🌊aits for him. If he can't hold the pace, he has little chance of winning the stagꦍe.
Aru is spinning his gear but losing ground.
The riders are 2km from the🌊 top of the Montée des Frasses. the riders then face some rolling roads before the 12km climb to the finish.
The🔥 Froome group is slipꦡs back to 2:20 as Poels tries to set the pace.
The pace is bot fast, with Bart de Clerq (Lotto Soud♒al) even jumping away.
Upfront Van den Broeck, Kiserඣlovski, Kre🐻uziger, Pinot, Bennett, Bardet, Bakelants, De Plus, Bakelants and Cherel are the riders left in the attack.
The AG2R team is d𒀰oing a great job at dragging Bardet clear. Jan Bakelants has now sat up after doing a huge block of work on the front.
26km remaining from 141km
The attackers and the Froome group of 20 riders have crested t♔he summit of the Montée des Frasses climb.&nb🤪sp;
21km remaining from 141km
Tony Martin is leading the chase on the descent, giving Team Sky a hand and helping his team leader Julian Alapꩵhilippe.
A⭕ru has been caught by the Froome group and fallen out the back. He's payin♓g big time for his earlier aggressive riding.
On a sector of descent at 70km/h a AG2R team car tries to moveꦫ past some riders but almost goes off🌜 the road. That was not a clever move.
14km remaining from 141km
Froome hits the front to do a turn on꧑ the descent. It will soon be time for him to spin his legs on the climb to the finish.
11km remaining from 141km
The gap is 🍸now 2:40. Bardet is virtual leader by 1:06ꦑ.
The Froome group hits the climb with the♛ Team Sky riders gathered on the fro𝐆nt.
Poels offers ꦜhis gels to his teammates and then sits up. His work is done.&nbs🐈p;
Froome now has Henao and Landa to set the pace.
Thibaut Pinot 💟(FDJ) is also a dღanger for the stage victory today.
9km remaining from 141km
But Pinot can't hold Bardet's wheel.
Pinot is trying to limit the gap but Bardet is g💮oing for it.
It's a long way out for Bardet to attack but it coul🍒d mean he gains enough time on Froome to take the race lead. He als🦩o has a 10-second time bonus if he wins the stage.
Pinot has made a c๊ontrolꦕled chase and manages to get up to Bardet.
Pinot quick🌠ly goes to the front to do a turn. Froome and the front group are at 2:00 and so Bardet is still virtual race leader.
Landa is leading the chase for Fr⛦oome and seems to have 🦩upped the pace.
Froome has to try to chase Bardet and Pinot but also watch his back fro attacks from Cont👍ador and Porte. for now he's stuck in the m🐠iddle trying to manage both threats.
The Froome group is catching the remains of the attack but Contador still has two rid♏ers up the road🍌 to help him if he manages to attack.
5km remaining from 141km
Kiserlovsk♊i is about to be caught so will be of little help🐽 to Contador.
There ar♉e only a dozen riders left in 🍌the Froome group, with Pierre Rolland (Cannondale) collecting tickets as riders fall out the back.
Upfront Pinot 🦄is spinning his legs and working together with Bardet.
2km remaining from 141km
Pinot is unlike𓆏ly to work with Bardet afte🔥r that attack.
Froome only Henao to set the pace behind but the gap is c💮oming down.
Last Kilometre! Who will win the stage?
Henao moves over and so Froไome takes up the pace, spinning his legs.
Upfront it will be aܫ sprint between Bardet and 𝓀Pinot for the stage win.
A steep 250m to go!
Bardet opens the sprint but Pinot is stronger.
Pinot beats Bardet to win the stage.
Behind Dan Martin attacks and✱ only Froome can go with him.
They distance the others𒉰 and finish 1:03 down on Pinot. Martin takes the time bonus for third place. Froome was fourth at 1:06 and so actually extends his lead on Porte and Contador. However now Bardet is closer.
Froome gained 8 seconds on Contador and 14 on Porte🐼.
Provisional stage results:
Pinot is unlike🎉ly to work with Bardet after🌱 that attack.
Thanks to his huge effort, Bardet is now third overall at 21 seconds, the same time as Porte, wh♎o is second over𓄧all.
General classification after stage 6:
Thanks to h🍎is stage win and aggressive day out in♈ the Alps, Pinot also pulled on the climber's polka-dot jersey.
The final result and the late live television coverage did not tell the full story of the stage, with Contador trying but failing to blow the race part on the 19k⛄m Madeleine climb mid-stage.
That is perhaps where Team Sky proved their strength, by chasing down Contador with a real🍨 show of dominance.
It almost cost them as they had to pace their chase of Bardet but a controlled ride and refusal to panic eventually p𝔍aid off.
Porte is noq second overall at 21 seconds, with Bardet third at the same time. Martin moved up to fourth at 30 seconds, with Contador slipping to fifth at 35 seconds.
On the podiu🍷m Bernhard Hinault zips up Froome's yellow jersey and gives him the flowers. It must seem lik🌺e handy practice for July for everyone.
Sunday’s final and decisive stage at the Criterium du Dauphineis from Le Pont de Claix near Grenoble to Superdevoluy. It is a tough final day with six categorised climbs. Froome looks in control but no doubt his rivals will try ev🎀erything they can to crack him and🐈 Team Sky.
Thanks for joining us for our liveꦬ coverage from the French race. Join us tomorrow for the final show down.
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