In the sixth stage of the French stage race, the peloton faced four categorised climbs. Four riders were part of the early breakaway and built up a maximum two-minute lead. Partly thanks to Team Visma | Lease a Bike, the breakaway riders were reeled in and the battle for the stage win was wide open once again.

On the final climb, Martinez attacked, but Vingegaard managed to fend it off convincingly. Harold Tejada then broke away and narrowly stayed ahead of the chasing group, which included Vingegaard. "It was another tough day. Fortunately, we came through it unscathed and are another day closer to Nice," the GC leader said.

According to Vingegaard, going for the stage win was not the objective. "The most important thing today was to get across the finish line safely. I’m not a fan of there being a descent right before the finish. You can take a lot of risks by going downhill at full speed, but I’d rather keep everything intact."

With two stages remaining, the gap in the general classification is still more than three minutes ahead of his closest rival. "Of course it would be great if I could win another stage, but the most important thing is to take the yellow jersey home."