Entering into the Tour de France still recovering from illness, and then layering a puncture in the opening team trial on top, compounded what had already been a tough start to the Grand Tour for Kévin Vauquelin but now the Netcompany Ineos rider looks to be starting the rebound.
Firstly he made it into the break on stage 4, the first time in the 2026 edition where it was allowed to run away to the line, and then persevered through the various splits to be in contention among the final group of 10 that fought for the stage victory.
"After we got to the final, I wanted to try some things, because a sprint with Mads Pedersen is very hard, for sure," said Vauquelin. "I try to maybe, for the last corner, go in the front but I lost more speed and Mads is really strong."
Ultimately that left the French rider with sixth on the stage, plus delivered a substantial reduction in his deficit to the leading overall favourites. He started the day 21:45 down on Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) but dropped it to under nine minutes by the end of stage 4.
So while it may not have been a stage podium, or a charge up the overall ranks that made the rider who finished seventh overall in 2025 a threat all of a sudden, it is certainly a sign that things are heading in the right direction.
"It's great to see Kevin feeling better, on the up," said Director of Racing for Netcompany Ineos, Geraint Thomas. "He got himself in that move and, just after the last three days with how hot it's been ... to see him able to improve in that is a good sign.
"He's a fighter and he battled. He's still not obviously 100% but to see him there fighting all the way to the line, even dive bombing the boys into that corner, shows his fighting spirit."
It's a positive turn after a run that included not only the pre-start trials – right from Vauquelin's illness to the crash that ruled Oscar Onley out – but also the team time trial puncture as well as crashes for Thymen Arensman and Tobias Foss on stage 3.
"It's been just a bit crazy, really, and a lot going on, and a bit of bad luck," said Thomas. "But that's that's life isn't it. You roll with the punches.
"But I think the way the boys are sort of slowly gelling together as well – because it's a different group to what everyone expected as well, say from the start of the year – they're growing together and we're positive that we can turn it around."
Or as Vauquelin put it: "We fight and the win will come."
The world’s biggest bike race deserves world-class coverage. Subscribe to Cyclingnews for unlimited access to our unrivalled reporting of the 2026 Tour de France. From Barcelona through to Paris, our experienced team will bring you breaking news, expert insight, and in-depth coverage from every stage as the battle for the yellow jersey plays out. Plus, access the Cyclingnews app to follow the action on the go! Find out more.
