Stage six of the Tour de France 2022 starts in Binche, and finishes 212.9 kilometres later, in Longwy.
As today’s stage runs through perfect breakaway country maybe some overall contenders will be tempted to slip a beer from the renowned brewing town of Binche in their back pocket to quench their thirst on the race’s longest stage – maybe.
When is stage six of the Tour de France taking place?
The Tour de France stage six takes place on Thursday, July 7. It will start at 11.15am BST, and is estimated to finish at 16.29 BST.
How long is stage six of the Tour de France?
The Tour de France stage six will be 219.9km long.
Tour de France stage six: expected timings
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Route
Distance to go
Anticipated Time (BST)
Binche
220.2km
11.15
Carignan
73.9km
14:44
Cote de Montigny sur Chiers
14.9km
16.08
Longwy
0km
16:29
Tour de France stage six route
(Image credit: Tour de France)
Although the parcours looks like a nailed on day for the break to succeed, the punchy finish could well mean any escapees will be hunted down by a peloton packed with riders who’ll fancy their chances of success.
The finale is a little different from the one where Peter Sagan won in 2017. It’s been beefed up significantly with the addition of the Côte de Pulventeux 6km from the finish. Averaging 12% for 800m, it should shake out some wannabe stage winners. Following that, the riders will hit the Côte des Religieuses, which winds for 1.6km up to the finish, the gradient briefly reaching 11%.
Timing is key to success on this stage. Back in 2017, BMC, notably Richie Porte, worked hard to set up Greg Van Avermaet, while Bora’s Rafał Majka sat in behind them with Peter Sagan on his wheel. With 250 metres remaining, Sagan decided it was time to take advantage of the armchair ride that Majka had provided for him. He went to the front, stomped on the pedals, pulled one foot out, got it back in again and still had enough in hand at the line to hold off Michael Matthews’ late charge. However, the new Pulventeux climb offers an opportunity to lighter and more explosive riders.
Tour de France stage six: riders to watch
The climbs aren’t long enough for Ardennes Classics riders to prevail, so once again we're looking at the likes of MVDP. But make no mistake, the GC riders must be at the front too. A first stage win for Tadej Pogačar?
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Peter Cossins has been writing about professional cycling since 1993, with his reporting appearing in numerous publications and websites including Cycling Weekly, Cycle Sport and Procycling - which he edited from 2006 to 2009. Peter is the author of several books on cycling - The Monuments, his history of cycling's five greatest one-day Classic races, was published in 2014, followed in 2015 by Alpe d’Huez, an appraisal of cycling’s greatest climb. Yellow Jersey - his celebration of the iconic Tour de France winner's jersey won the 2020 Telegraph Sports Book Awards Cycling Book of the Year Award.
