Paris-Nice 2025 Stage 6 LIVE - Mads Pedersen wins as Visma Lease a Bike blow the GC battle to bits

PEDERSEN CLAIMS VICTORY AND THE GREEN JERSEY, AS JORGENSON TIGHTENS GRIP ON YELLOW
Mads Pedersen sprinted to victory from a select group of mostly general classification contenders, at the climax to what was supposed to be a straightforward sprinters’ stage that became anything but. 

As the longest stage of the race moved into its final phase, Visma-Lease a Bike set a trap and triggered it. For the few teams that were ready and alert, it was also to their advantage; for those that happened to be looking elsewhere, it proved a disaster for their overall hopes.

It all happened on the penultimate climb. As the peloton rose over the category 3 Cote des Baux-de-Provence, the original three-man break, which had served principally to put Thomas Gachignard (TotalEnergies) back in the mountains jersey, was down to just French time trialist Remi Cavagna (Groupama-FDJ). 

In the pouring, freezing rain, Victor Campenaerts (Visma-Lease a Bike) set a strong pace up to the top and then continued it over the summit. Although the wind was not blowing hard enough to break the group, the slippery conditions were. The peloton split with all six remaining Visma riders on the right side, along with a number of Mattias Skjelmose’s Lidl-Trek colleagues, and several Red Bull team-mates of Florian Lipowitz. Ineos Grenadiers, although mostly missing out, were able to make their way across just in time, where they immediately began adding to the firepower.

A 17-man group cooperated and committed, while the larger remnants of the peloton could not sort itself out. Bahrain Victorious were in even worse shape than the likes of Joao Almeida (UAE Emirates), as Lipowitz lost contact even with the chase group. 

It was a battle of wills between mostly the sprinters and several highly motivated GC teams. It was one the yellow jersey group never looked like losing, as they ate up the kilometres and came to the finish almost two minutes up.

Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) had earned his right to try for the stage. Although Max Schachmann (Soudal Quick-Step) launched a late flyer, he was easily marked, and was ultimately forced to lead out the sprint. Pedersen kicked, and came round, but it was not as easy a win as it might have been. Josh Tarling made him fight for it, but the Dane ultimately prevailed, to take his third stage win in this event since 2022.

Matteo Jorgenson, whose team-mate Jonas Vingegaard withdrew through injury overnight, holds a 40-second lead going into the race’s final two stages. Lipowitz and Skjelmose now occupy the remaining podium places.

Saturday will see a shortened queen stage due to weather conditions.

MADS PEDERSEN THE NEW POINTS LEADER
The victory takes him to 51, leading by a single point over Tim Merlier. You'd think the Dane would have a better chance of adding to his tally in the next two days, so that could well be that.

1. Matteo Jorgenson 20'52'57"
2. Florian Lipowitz +40"
3. Mattias Skjelmose +59"
4. Thymen Arensman +1'20"
5. Joao Almeida +2'40"
6. Tobias Foss +2'47"
7. Magnus Sheffield +2'54"
8. Brandon McNulty +3'05
9. Clement Champoussin +3'22"
10. Harold Tejada +3'24

Lenny Martinez is now 23rd in the general classification, 9'58" down on the lead.

Unequivocally over for him, but you live and learn. There'll be other races for him to contest, and he still has the stage win.

TOP FIVE ON THE STAGE
1. Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
2. Joshua Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers)
3. Sam Watson (Ineos Grenadiers)
4. Axel Zingle (Visma-Lease a Bike)
5. Matteo Sobrero (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe)

Although only the front four actually contested the finish.

And the Martinez group is still riding, as the clock ticks past five minutes. What a nightmare for them, even as it's been a dream for Visma, Ineos and Red Bull.

Cor blimey he had to fight for that. Max Schachmann's early attempted flyer meant he was forced to lead it out and he had Pedersen on his wheel., the perfect place to be. The Dane had no trouble coming round, but Josh Tarling showed more steel than you might have expected and wasn't far off drawing level, but Pedersen has his win.

Road furniture, twists and turns, all successfully navigated on this complicated run-in, which is made harder in these conditions. 50kph they're hitting on these roundabouts. Jungels has been dropped. Ineos chasing down the Soudal Quickstep rider.

1'48" says the clock at the top of my telly. A few gaps opening up between riders, with the group a longer line than it has been.

Time for some fun and games? Sean Kelly thinks no-one is going to go from a ways out, which suggests it will play into the hands of the faster men. Maybe Alex Zingle could have a hit out? Victor Campenaerts is keeping the speed high here.

Bert Lemmen has done all he can. I'm more impressed that there's that many up there, because the groups behind are crumbling. Almeida appears to have fallen even out of the chase.

At risk of repeating myself, but it seems very unlikely that this race will live up to its nickname this week. Tomorrow's stage has already been severely curtailed, and it will no longer feature the Côte de Belvédère and the Col de La Colmiane, but will still finish on the category 1 climb to Auron.

It's another uphill intermediate sprint, and there's plenty of interest in the bonus seconds here. Jorgenson hovers and watches, before setting off to snatch the full six. Skjelmose is a few bike lengths behind him for four seconds, which leaves Lipowitz with the two.

It's now just about the stage win, surely. Will the GC boys fight it out, or might one of the domestiques be rewarded for their efforts? Will they have anything left? One for Mads Pederson you'd imagine.

These three teams know what's at stake and they continue to cooperate. The lead hasn't gone up much, but it's enough for them that it hasn't come down.

'That is a disaster,' says Rob Hatch. And King Kelly agrees. Less than an hour ago he was looking at a podium finish. He's got team-mates ahead of him, so clearly they haven't given up, but they're on a hiding to nothing you have to think.

He's had a miserable week, but chapeau to him for soldiering on, as McNulty rides for UAE, which tells you how desperate things have got. They'll run out of bodies soon, and this gap could balloon. Of course, there'll come a point where the front group might start playing around themselves.

A reminder that Jorgenson has five team-mates, as does Lipowitz. This is not normally a race that is won by minutes, but it's heading that way.

They've at least got a bit of a grip, and the gap has held steady for a while, but there's too many teams in the front with too many riders present to make it easy. It's like a tug of war.

One minute they have over the front group of the peloton.

17 strong, they are:

Matteo Jorgenson (Visma Lease a Bike), Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe) Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek), Thymen Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers), Tobias Foss (Ineos Grenadiers), Magnus Sheffield (Ineos Grenadiers), Max Schachmann (Soudal Quickstep), Matteo Sobrero (Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe), Josh Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers), Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), Bart Lemmen (Visma Lease a Bike), Alex Zingle (Visma Lease a Bike), Victor Campenaerts (Visma Lease a Bike), Bob Jungels (Ineos Grenadiers), Sam Watson (Ineos Grenadiers), Edoardo Affini (Visma Lease a Bike), Per Strand Hagenes (Visma Lease a Bike).

Bahrain and UAE are the big GC teams to have missed out, but we understand that Martinez is in the third group on the road. I fear for his chances. Hopefully he's got Fred Wright with him.