Published on : 07/06/2026
At the start of this stage, which took the peloton from Spain to France, Ion Izagirre, Benjamin Thomas, and Alex Aranburu were particularly aggressive. After an 80-km battle to join the day’s key breakaway, Alex Aranburu briefly made up the breakaway before being reeled in. Despite the setbacks, they’ll all be back at it tomorrow!
The landscape has changed; the Catalan shores of the Mediterranean are already far behind, the Catalan flags are a little fewer, and, above all, the road has begun to climb. However, the intensity of the race hasn’t changed. It’s still just as fast, grueling, and relentless. Before even focusing on the end of the stage, we must look at the start of the day and the incredible battle to catch up with the breakaway. The first two hours were covered at 44 km/h, and it takes a great deal of self-sacrifice to try to form a breakaway in the Tour de France.
Page, Izagirre, Aranburu, and Thomas tried their luck
Hugo Page was the first to take a chance and move to the front of the peloton. Next up was Ion Izagirre. On several occasions, the Basque rider pulled
a few cable lengths ahead, notably alongside Magnus Cort Nielsen. Then we saw Benjamin Thomas working tirelessly to bring Ion and Alex Aranburu back into “the breakaway.” The efforts of the three men paid off, as Alex was able to join first the chasing group and then the day’s breakaway. For about fifty kilometers, he was part of this group, which was already holding its own against the pace set by Tadej Pogacar’s UAE Team Emirates. Alex was thus among those who held on before being reeled in by the peloton 73 km from the finish along with Mads Pedersen—a testament to the intensity of the race.
Afterward, all the team’s riders tried to pace themselves. At the finish, Ion and Alex were keen to emphasize that they’ll always give it their best shot, even if
the battle will be tough day in and day out. They know that tomorrow’s stage might be perfect for the kind of race they love, with a breakaway that could outlast the peloton. The 181.9 km between Carcassonne and Foix will feature four climbs (2nd to 4th category). Hilly, steep terrain and a scenario yet to be written for the Cofidis team, which hopes to be on the offensive.
REACTION
Alex Aranburu: “We really gave it our all at the start of the stage; we did everything we could to get into the breakaway for Ion or for me. We knew it was going to be tough—we had to fight hard for many kilometers. At one point, I thought the effort we’d put in was enough, but it wasn’t. We know that if UAE tries to control the pace and wants to set up a win for Tadej Pogacar, everything gets very difficult. I’ve already given it my all yesterday and today, but of course I want to give it another shot tomorrow—and so does the whole team!”