As it happened: Leader's jersey changes hands on Queen Stage at Tirreno-Adriatico 2025

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With just 163km of racing today from Cartoceto to the summit finish on Frontignano and it all came down to the 7.7km final climb

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Hello and welcome to CyclingNews' live report for the sixth stage of Tirreno-Adriatico 2025

The so called 'Queen Stage' is here with the summit finish up to Frontignano coming at the end of a relatively short 163km stage. The final climb is 7.7km long with an average gradient of 7.8% with a max kick of just under 11% at the halfway point. 

Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) has a simple view of today's stage with only FIlippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) in his way as he searches for the blue jersey at the end of today...

Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) kept hold of his leader's jersey despite late mechanical but the Italian star still complains about bad luck...

Yet more frustration for Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) as the former world champion comes close to another stage win as he continues building towards Milan-Sanremo...

In addition to the nine abandons yesterday, Bram Welten (Picnic-PostNL) will not take to the start today. 

Sign on is complete and the riders will be getting ready for the neutral roll out of Cartoceto.

They are currently using a blow torch to dry the roads at the finish of today's stage... The race organiser's commentator, Carlton Kirby, shows how it looks at the finish and the bizarre dry techniques used... 

163km to go

Several early attacks going off the front. 

The sun is shining on the riders early on in today's stage. A second day in a row where the dry weather has come for the riders after two torturous days in rain and cold earlier in the week.  

The first attacker of the day was Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck). But he was swiftly caught. Now, Samuele Battistella (EF Education-EasyPost) is clear of the bunch. 

Battistella and his fellow attackers are caught. The fight for the break starts again. 

Mathieu van der Poel goes again to try and form the morning's breakaway. 

And, once again, the attackers are caught. 

Several more moves tried to get away with the likes of Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) and Tobias Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) but all came back before a new group got away. 

A group of six riders have a small gap:

Benjamin Thomas (Cofidis) and Chris Hamilton (Picnic-PostNL) are trying to bridge the now 40" gap up to the leading group of six riders. 

This looks like the break of the day as the leader's now have two minutes on the peloton with the two chasers about 25" behind the front of the race. 

140km to go

Benjamin Thomas (Cofidis) and Chris Hamilton (Picnic-PostNL) catch the breakaway. 

The breakaway has formed and has a gap of just under three minutes. 

120km to go

The gap between the peloton and the breakaway is now actually reducing and is at 2'38". 

The teams of Q36.5, UAE Team Emirates-XRG and Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe are leading the peloton for their leaders Tom Pidcock, Juan Ayuso and Jai Hindley. 

Finally, the breakaway have a three minute gap on the peloton. The pace isn't particularly rapid but it is still quite close between the two groups. 

100km to go

Abandon

80km to go

An absolutely bizarre moment for Benjamin Thomas (Cofidis) in the break. He tried to give a bidon to a spectator but the spectator, in trying to grab the bidon, grabbed Thomas' handlebars with the Frenchman almost hitting the deck but used his track skills to stay upright. 

70km to go

The peloton has now got the gap below four minutes with 3'45" between the break and peloton.

Here is that bizzare moment for Benjamin Thomas (Cofidis) earlier today...

60km to go

Dylan Groenwegen (Jayco-AlUla) has been dropped with his teammate, Elmar Reinders, looking after him. This is going to be a long afternoon for him. 

Abandon

KoM

Manuele Tarozzi (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizane) has won the KoM jersey. He has an unassailable lead over his nearest riders.  

50km to go

Over three hours of racing now and the average speed is climbing to 39.4kph with the breakaway's gap going back up to three minutes. 

40km to go

Just two kilometres to the intermediate sprint in Pieve Torina. Just back under three minutes between the break and the chasing pack. 

Intermediate sprint (Pieve Torina)/30km to go

This has been the situation on the front of the peloton for some time. Filip Maciejuk and Jonas Koch of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe being helped by Q36.5's Nickolas Zukowsky on the front of the peloton. 

Elmar Reinders has managed to help his teammate and Jayco-AlUla fast man, Dylan Groenewegen, get back into the bunch again. 

Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale, Tudor, Bahrain Victorious, Visma-Lease a Bike, UAE Team Emirats-XRG, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, Q36.5 and Ineos Grenadiers are all battling for the front of the peloton at the moment. 

20km to go

Just under 5km to the final climb of the day, the Frontignano. The climb is 7.7km long with an average gradient of 7.8% with a max kick of 10.8% in the middle of the climb. 

10km to go

Once again, Groenewegen goes out of the back with his mate Reinders. 

Israel-Premier Tech, Cofidis, Tudor, Soudal-QuickStep, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, UAE Team Emirates-XRG and Visma-Lease a Bike battling to control the peloton. 

Onto the final climb of the day with a summit finish on the Frontignano incoming. 7.7km of climbing left to likely decide the final GC with a sprint stage tomorrow. Gap of 1'23" between the break and the peloton. 

Attack in break

Gianni Moscon (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) leads the peloton onto the climb as several riders immediately drop out of the back. 

Battistella, Hamilton, Cort, Vendrame, Vermeersch and Stuyven are the only riders left at the front of the race. Thomas is trying to get back but Pietrobon has been dropped. 

Bahrain Victorious have taken up the pacing in the peloton with Pello Bilbao setting up an attack for team leader, Antonio Tiberi. 

Damiano Caruso now moves up to help Bilbao in pacing for Tiberi. 

Just 56" now splits the peloton and the break. Marco Frigo moves Derek Gee up towards the front for Israel-Premier Tech. 

Juan Ayuso following his UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammate, Isaac Del Toro with Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe's Jai Hindley marking the white jersey holder, Ayuso. 

Isaac Del Toro takes up the pacing in the peloton now for UAE Team Emirats-XRG's leader, Juan Ayuso. Adam Yates also moves up to help out. 

5km to go

Andrea Vendrame (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) goes solo into the final five kilometres with just 23" gap to the peloton that is splitting to bits. 

Blue jersey being distanced

The peloton have caught everyone except for Vendrame. 

Attack!

Attack

Attack

3km to to

The young Spaniard, Ayuso, is going flat out to the lline now as he distances Pidcock, Hindley and Landa with Gee and Healy slowly coming back to them. 

2km to go

Juan Ayuso has 24" on the group with Gee, Pidcock, Landa and Hindley. 

Pidcock ups the tempo and drops Gee again on a steep kicker. Landa also starting to struggle on the wheels but Hindley is following well. Still 21" up to the leader, Ayuso. 

Flamme Rouge!

Tiberi has dropped Healy and is now closing in on Gee who has been a bit discouraged after getting dropped yet again. 

500 metres to go for Ayuso who still has 22" on the chasers. 

Juan Ayuso of UAE Team Emirates-XRG wins stage six of Tirreno-Adriatico 2025! What a superb ride by the young rider from Barcelona. 

Tom Pidcock takes second place ahead of Jai Hindley with Mikel Landa cominig in for fourth. Antonio Tiberi did catch and pass Derek Gee in the battle for fifth and sixth with Isaac Del Toro in seventh. Filippo Ganna only losing 50" in the end. 

Top 10

GC after stage six

The final stage of Tirreno-Adriatico is a return to sprinting with the traditional finish in San Benedetto del Tronto with a stage cover just 147km from Porto Potenza Picena to the finish by the seaside. 

Read all the reaction and analysis of today's stage with our post race report by clicking the link below...

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