With Tadej Pogachar (UAE Team Emirates) and Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo Visma) clearly on different planets, the battle for the final Tour de France podium began in earnest in the Pyrenees.

Ineos Grenadier, who is rebuilding his pool of Tour de France contenders after a dominant showing as Team Sky with Chris Froome, Bradley Wiggins, Geraint Thomas, and finally Egan Bernal, now has Vingegaard and Pogachar, but with Carlos Rodriguez and Tom Pidcock, are not competitive against them, but are working hard to get there.

A Tour de France podium would be an important consolation and motivation for Ineos Grenadiers as he tries to start a new Grand Tour leader cycle with Rodriguez and Pidcock.

"Looking at their recent race form, Tadej Pogachar and Jonas Vingegaard are head and shoulders above the rest. The way they are climbing proves it. It looks like the battle for the podium has begun, just like last year when they won the battle with Geraint Thomas." Ineos Grenadiers team manager Rod Ellingworth told Cyclingnews.

"We are a dominant team and it feels great. But it is a different cycling now and we are building for the future. I'm looking forward to the future. We like challenges and we will keep pushing so we can compete with Pogachar and Vingegaard."

"We have had great success in the Tour. We have to keep fighting. We have to keep fighting and not give up."

"We have to keep fighting and not give up.

On stage 6, Cauterets-Combasque, Rodriguez finished sixth, moving up four places to fifth overall. Pidcock was 33 seconds behind, but moved up to ninth overall in 4 hours 43 minutes.

Egan Bernal lost nearly 10 minutes, but now he is free of GC thoughts and can perhaps target stages, work on his Grand Tour form, and set a personal best at the Vuelta a España.

"For young riders like Carlos and Tom, it's about suffering, learning, and trying to progress. They learn something every day, so they can't fail," Ellingworth suggested.

"Tom will stay on GC and Carlos will be right there. The plan is for them to push themselves and find the limits of Grand Tour. I don't think that has happened yet. If they go for GC in every race, I was confident of a top-10 finish, but it's going to get better."

Bernal was prepared to sacrifice his personal ambitions for Rodriguez and hugged him when they arrived at the team bus.

"I love him very much and I am willing to give my life for him and for my teammates," Bernal said lovingly about Rodriguez.

"I think everyone here has helped me to win races, and I'm very proud of them.

"When you get on the podium at the Tour, anything can happen. He's getting better and better.

"He is a very young rider, but very professional and mature. He deserves to do well in the Tour.

Pogachar versus Vingegaard may create a Tour de France for the ages, but the battle for the last slot is one to watch.

While it remains to be seen how the Ineos Grenadiers GC contenders will fare in the next 15 stages, there is already significant movement among the riders surrounding them within the overall top 10.

Jai Hindley lost the yellow jersey after just one day, dropping him to third place, 1:34 back, with some 20 riders lined up under him and eager for the final podium in Paris.

Hindley also proved his reliability by winning the 2022 Giro d'Italia and a stage win in Larence.

Simon Yates has moved up three places to fourth, holding out hope for Jayco Arla, while his brother Adam, in sixth place, could also move up in the GC by helping Pogacha. Sepp Kuss has already proven himself to be more than a super-domestique.

Mikkel Landa (Bahrain Victorious), Romain Bardet (Team DSM-Filmenig), Ben O'Connor (AG2R-Citroen), and Louis Maintus (Intermarché Circus Wanty) are not to be overlooked.

The battle for the podium became clear for the first time on the long climb up the Col du Tourmalet on stage 6.

Hindley quickly dropped back into the chase group as Vingegaard and Pogachar pulled away in distance. The others raced wisely in the pack, keeping their neighboring podium rivals in mind rather than chasing the express train of Pogachar and Vingegaard.

The group swelled to about 20 riders on the final section of the Tourmalet Pass and the steep descent, leaving the early breakaway group and the domestiques of UAE Team Emirates and Jumbo Visma to the finish.

The race for third overall and a top-10 finish began in earnest on the steep section to the Cautaret-Cambasque finish.

Rodriguez maintained his lead over Pogachar and Vingegaard as they battled up the climb, finishing 2:39 behind, but ahead of many of his top 10 rivals.

Simon Yates moved up to fourth on GC by 3:14, while Rodriguez moved up four places to fifth by 3:30. Others are spread out by just 8 minutes and 19 seconds to 20th-placed Felix Gall (AG2R-Citroen), who is 8 minutes and 19 seconds behind.

Pogachar and Vingegaard's podium in Paris is an important achievement for many in the chase group, and who knows if they will stumble in any way in the next two weeks of competition.

All, or at least much, is still left to be done in the race.