The Tour de France burst into life with a classic mountain stage on La Planche des Belles Filles, with the final gravel section seeming to put an element of doubt into the minds of the riders.

Richard Moore, Lionel Birnie and François Thomazeau recap the sixth stage of the Tour which saw two debutants take the major honours.

The stage was won by Belgian rider Dylan Teuns with his breakaway companion Giulio Ciccone pinching the yellow jersey by a fine margin despite a spirited late bid to keep it by Julian Alaphilippe.

To begin with, we hear from a range of riders and team managers about what they expected from the stage and then discuss whether their predictions matched the reality. Spoiler: They didn’t.

We ask why no one chased harder earlier in the stage, we weigh up who had a good day and who didn’t, and discuss the significance of Geraint Thomas’s strength in the final few hundred metres of the stage.

The Cycling Podcast is supported by Rapha and Science In Sport. This episode is sponsored by Wattbike. As a Cycling Podcast listener, Wattbike is offering you the chance to receive a £100 Sigma Sports voucher, free when you purchase a Wattbike Atom. This offer is available until 31st July 2019, simply use the code TCP100 at checkout. Get the home advantage with Wattbike Atom this summer.