Michael Storer has achieved the best Australian result so far at this year's Tour de France, finishing third in stage six.
Ireland's Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) won the 201.5-kilometre trek from Bayeux to Vire Normandie after a long solo breakaway.
Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) wrestled back the overall leader's yellow jersey from reigning champion Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates).
Healy attacked from an eight-man breakaway, which included van der Poel, with 42km remaining and pulled away to reach the finish line well ahead of second-placed American Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek) and Storer (Tudor Pro Cycling Team).
"I spent a bit too much time trying to get into the break, but I think that's just the way I do it," Healy said.
"Once I was in there we really had to work for that gap and it was just on the pedals all day and I knew I needed to get away from the group and picked my moment."
Van der Poel, who lost the overall lead to Pogacar after the individual time trial in stage five, was unable to keep pace with the breakaway.
But he moved back to the top of the general classification with a gap of one second over Slovenia's Pogacar.
Van der Poel, who first took the yellow jersey after winning stage two, began the day 1:28 behind Pogacar.
The breakaway group had managed to put more than four minutes between themselves and the peloton, with Pogacar's teammates appearing unconcerned about losing the yellow jersey at this early stage of the race.
After Healy broke free and the others gave chase, van der Poel lost his momentum and — on a day with six categorised climbs and an uphill finish — he looked a tired figure as he dragged himself to the line in eighth place.
Pogacar ended up crossing the finish next and the three-time champion will be more than happy to sit just one second behind van der Poel.
Jack Haig (Team Bahrain Victorious) and Ben O'Connor (Team Jayco AlUla) are the best-placed Australians in the general classifications in 20th and 21st respectively.
Haig is 5:09 off the pace, with O'Connor (5:30) further back.
Reuters/ABC
