On a day when Tadey Pogachar (UAE Team Emirates) steadied his position as a Tour de France heavyweight with a stage win in Longwy, Tom Pidcock provided a bright spot for the Ineos Grenadiers.

Riding a finale that resembled a hilly classic like Amstel Gold or De Brabantepailles, Pidcock finished the day in fourth place, part of a select lead group that could handle the sudden changes in pace on the three sharp, small climbs that made up the finish of stage 6.

Pidcock had been a team player in previous stages and was again trying to break into the breakaway early on Thursday. But the Longuey finale, where the stage eventually unfolded, was the first opportunity to contend with the Tour de France's top contenders, and Pidcock grabbed it with both hands.

The Briton was as impressed as the rest of the field with Wout Van Aert (Jumbo Visma), who was destructive on the Tour's longest stage, and told Eurosport in a joking tone, "He's playing with our balls, isn't he? He's taking the piss, isn't he?"

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Pidcock told a TV station that his performance in the transition stage, one of the most testing stages of this Tour, was like a roller coaster ride.

"My legs felt better in the last 30km, but after that start and trying to get into the breakaway, I knew I couldn't fight for this final.

But Pidcock learned that he was actually in better shape than he expected when he was caught first by not one but two Slovenian Grand Tour winners in the last few hundred meters.

"I was feeling good, but [Jumbo Visma's] Primoš Roglic went early and surprised everyone. I had to stall and that killed my momentum.

"After that I think we had a good sprint, but Pogachar was the strongest.

What lies next for Pidcock will be his role as a team in La Planche des Belle Filles, but his top GC position of fifth, 40 seconds back, gives him and his team a lot of cards to play. In the longer term, however, after a grueling stage over cobblestones, Thursday's run will be really good.