Juan Ayuso showed on stage 6 of Tirreno-Adriatico 2025 why he is considered the top favourite for overall victory at Tirreno-Adriatico 2025. With an attack 3.3 kilometres from the finish, he left his rivals Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team), Mikel Landa (Soudal - Quick Step) and Jai Hindley (Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe) standing. The 22-year-old Spaniard was then unstoppable. His lead grew steadily before he slowed down shortly before the finish and celebrated his stage win. With his victory on stage 6, Ayuso also takes the lead in the overall standings of Tirreno-Adriatico 2025.
"I was so happy that I had Isaac del Toro with me on the final climb. I knew that I just had to push my pace afterwards. I had to really push myself on the last kilometre, but in the end I'm happy to have made it." - Juan Ayuso in the winner's interview
Ayuso takes over the blue jersey
While Juan Ayuso takes over the blue jersey from Filippo Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers) as overall leader at Tirreno-Adriatico 2025, Tom Pidcock and Jai Hindley also put in a remarkable performance behind the Spaniard. With second and third place on the day, the duo also moved up significantly in the overall standings to sixth and fifth respectively. Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain-Victorious) repeatedly had problems keeping up with the fastest riders on the final climb, but in the end the Italian was able to limit the damage. With fifth place on the day, he moved up to second place in the overall standings, while Ganna is now third.
Tirreno-Adriatico 2025: Results stage 6
Stage 6: Cartoceto - Frontignano
Tirreno-Adriatico 2025: Stage 6, Cartoceto - Frontignano
| Rnk. | Riders | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | UAE Team Emirates - XRG | 04:14:02 |
| 2 | Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team | +000:00:13 |
| 3 | Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe | +000:00:13 |
| 4 | Soudal Quick-Step | +000:00:15 |
| 5 | Bahrain - Victorious | +000:00:20 |
| 6 | Israel - Premier Tech | +000:00:20 |
How the 6th stage of Tirreno-Adriatico 2025 went
The 163-kilometre stage 6 from Cartoceto to Frontignano was supposed to be the queen stage of Tirreno-Adriatico 2025. There were several attacks immediately after the start of the race. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin - Deceuninck) also endeavoured to initiate an escape group. However, it took around 10 kilometres before an attack had any effect. Gianni Vermeersch (Alpecin - Deceuninck) took off and took seven other riders with him. Andrea Vendrame (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team), Jasper Stuyven (Lidl-Trek) and Magnus Cort (Uno-X Mobility) were among those who managed to join them. In total, the escape group was eight riders strong.
Stable racing situation
The race situation quickly stabilised from then on. The octet was let go, while the big teams behind them took turns in the chase. Initially, it was more the INEOS Grenadiers and UAE Team Emirates - XRG teams that set the pace in the peloton, but as the race progressed, Red Bull - BORA - Hansgrohe and the Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team also appeared at the front of the peloton.
The breakaway had a maximum lead of 4:30 minutes. However, as the teams in the peloton wanted to conserve their strength as much as possible for the final climb, the gap only shrank slowly.
Showdown on the final climb
As the final climb began, the peloton suddenly came closer. UAE Team Emirates - XRG in particular, in the person of Isaac del Toro, put the pedal to the metal, while the first riders in the lead group dropped back. With 4 kilometres to go, the last remaining breakaway rider Andrea Vendrame was caught. This was followed by the first attack from Ayuso, who tested the legs of the competition. While Tiberi quickly ran into problems, Pidcock, Hindley and Landa were able to follow for the time being. After another Ayuso attack 3 kilometres before the finish, Ayuso broke away as a soloist and celebrated the stage win in style. Behind him, Pidcock, Landa and Hindley formed a trio that crossed the finish line around 15 seconds behind the day's winner.
