Published on : 07/12/2026
The Cofidis team leader was once again exemplary this Sunday. His selflessness and perseverance nearly paid off: he was one of the key players in the race, making it into the breakaway. An incredibly intense battle spanning more than 60 km that almost made you forget he’s 37 years old. And he was still out there working to help Alex Aranburu finish in the top 15 (14th)!
Today’s stage almost felt like a summer homework assignment or a question posed over dinner that forces everyone to think. It can be summed up simply: “So, how do breakaways form?” To answer that, there was nothing better than watching these 154 km between Malemort and Ussel. This new day in the scorching heat—with temperatures over 40 °C—lived up to expectations: a battle of incredible intensity, 60 km of attacks and counterattacks enough to make your head spin and forget all about taking a nap.
Alex, Hugo, and Ion in the fray
In this battle, the Cofidis riders held their own. Right from the start, Alex Kirsch was among the first to go on the offensive—he had already been part of the breakaway during the stage between Carcassonne and Foix. He was seen on the attack several times this Sunday, anticipating the major moves before the intermediate sprint. Hugo Page also made his presence felt with two attacks of his own in an attempt to break away. Alex Aranburu, for his part, stayed well positioned, never far from the front of the yellow jersey group.
But the most aggressive and daring rider of all on the Cofidis side was Ion Izagirre. We saw him attack after 20 km of racing, then at 25 km, before doing it again on the Naves climb. He was never alone, of course, but he had strong riders on his wheel, such as Ben Healy and Richard Carapaz. Ion was still on the attack after 50 km. This time, the offensive was successful: for the first time, a group of 15 riders broke away from the rest of the peloton. It was within this group that the race was decided less than two hours later. Unfortunately, attacks by Quinn Simmons, Tom Pidcock, and Mathieu Van der Poel broke up the large breakaway and dashed Ion Izagirre’s ambitions.
The Basque rider thus rejoined the yellow jersey group and his teammate Alex Aranburu. The end of the stage boiled down to a long chase between the front runners and the yellow jersey group. With 3 km to go, Ion moved to the front of the peloton to try to catch up with the breakaway riders. One last attempt—yet another. His efforts were not in vain: Alex Aranburu, well-positioned in the peloton, took 14th place. He had the luxury of finishing just behind Tadej Pogacar (11th), Remco Evenepoel (12th), Isaac Del Toro (13th), and ahead of Paul Seixas (15th).
When they arrive at the Cofidis bus, there are smiles all around: Ion and Alex congratulate each other and reflect on the incredible race that just took place. Ion put on an incredible performance, brilliantly reminding everyone that he is one of the best riders in the world. Ion, Alex, and the others will now be able to enjoy a well-deserved day of rest. In 48 hours, they’ll be back amid the excitement along the roadsides, the grueling stages, and their determination to give it their all. And they all know it: there will be great opportunities to shine.
Reactions
Ion Izagirre: “It wasn’t really a stage but more of a classic. The fact that the stage was shortened made it even more explosive and very fast. Nothing was easy; I gave it everything I had. We knew from the start that the breakaway had a good chance of making it to the finish and that we had to be part of it. At first, I thought it was more of a race for me, so I took a chance. Then, when I saw how the race was unfolding, I did everything I could to help Alex finish in a good position. This is the Tour; we know it’s all tough: every stage, every battle to get into the breakaway, every climb. But that’s part of the game—it’s also why it’s the toughest race in the world!”
Bingen Fernandez, sports director: “Simply put, we witnessed a short but very intense race! The team rode well with great tactical awareness. Our riders were involved in almost every breakaway. Ion was impressive; he rode very hard. Perhaps at one point he was a little too enthusiastic instead of conserving his energy, which prevented him from keeping up with the fastest riders when the pace picked up. But then again, that’s also part of the Tour de France—taking risks, fighting hard, giving it your all—and you don’t always get rewarded. In the end, Alex finished in the top 15, which is a great result given the nature of the stage.”