February 7, 2026
The sprinters have had two opportunities already and they should have a crack at a third today. Starting in Saint-Christol-lez-Alès, the riders head directly South towards the finish in Vauvert. Of all the days this week, today would be the day the wind could actually make a difference. Vauvert is a bit further North than the Camargue, a massive brine lagoon between two branches of the Rhône River as they meet the Mediterranean, but it's still an exposed area and there have been stages in the passed get blown apart here. There is a 9KM finishing circuit around Vauvert that will be taken on two times which will be important for the sprinters to see because the line sits on top of a 500M rise at 5% and timing the effort will be as important as ever.
Race Summary
More rain had fallen overnight but by the sign-on, the skies had cleared and the sun was shining once more. Three intrepid riders broke clear to form the early move including Valentin Retailleau of TotalEnergies, Tommaso Bessega of Polti-VisitMalta, and Clément Davy of Nice Métropole Côte d'Azur. With 82KM to go, the gap was just 1 minute 40 seconds as Retailleau started the day just 29 seconds down in the overall and the bunch wanted to keep him close. Unibet Rose Rockets were controlling behind as the race went through many of the small villages and local vineyards of the Gard.
Unibet Rose Rockets kept the gap steady at 1 minute 40 seconds all the way to 42KM to go when they finally got some assistance from the team of yesterday's winner, Alpecin-Premier Tech. Sometimes we have to stop and take a moment to appreciate the beautiful scenery, especially with such features as the Pont romain de Sommières. It's a classic stone arched bridge spanning the blue-green waters of the Vidourle River which looked particularly nice in the golden afternoon sunlight. The peloton regained focus and changed form with 28KM to go as teams swelled forward as the entrance to the finishing circuit approached.
The gap was cut down to 1 minute by the start of the last 500M rise to the finish line and it continued to drop to 45 seconds by the top. The last kilometer was technical with two tight turns which highlighted the importance of positioning for the finale. Bessega was dropped from the break with 19KM to go but it didn't perturb the other two who visibly kicked it up a gear.
Even with just four riders still in the race, Alpecin-Premier Tech were working hard for Henri Uhlig's chances at another sprint win. The break took the bell at 9KM to go with a lead of 30 seconds but the gap was only going in one direction. Groupama-FDJ United and Decathlon CMA CGM both got involved with the chase but mostly for positioning on the narrow vineyard roads. Just like in previous days, teams at the front of the peloton were content with their position and didn't have the will to accelerate to close the final gap to the break. As a result, Retailleau and Davy held 15 seconds with 3KM to go but they were swarmed and reabsorbed on a slight downhill leading into Vauvert for the final time.
Unibet Rose Rockets reemerged at the front with their entire team and it was a mad dash passed the 1KM banner and into the series of turns. Decathlon CMA CGM won the battle and started the final 600M straight to the finish in the lead. Attacks were flying as riders from behind got runs forward with their momentum and Decathlon CMA CGM got shuffled back a bit. Andrea Mifsud of Polti-VisitMalta led in the final 300M but he was passed as Joppe Heremans of Van Rysel Roubaix opened his sprint. Lukáš Kubiš of Unibet Rose Rockets and Paul Lapeira of Decathlon CMA CGM both looked like they may come over the top but Heremans was on another level and held them both off to take a win for the third division team from the North of France. Kubiš took his third second place in four days with Lapeira behind in third.
Positions in the top GC spots remained the same but some gaps widened. With another second place and more bonus seconds, Kubiš now leads Uhlig by 13 seconds and Louis Hardouin by 16 seconds going into the final 10KM ITT tomorrow.