Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) continued his resurgence at the top of the sprint hierarchy when he beat Marcel Kittel (Etixx-QuickStep) in a head-to-head duel on stage 6 of the Tour de France. Sprinting next to the big German, the Brit narrowly held off his big rival to take his third stage win in just six days of racing while Daniel McLay (Fortuneo-Vital Concept) finished fast to take a fantastic third place. Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) finished safely to retain the lead.

 

We have gathered several reactions.

 

Mark Cavendish: I no longer take for granted that I am the fastest

The fairy tale Tour de France continued on stage 6 for Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka as Mark Cavendish sprinted to his 3rd victory at this year’s race.

 

The inevitable catch took place just inside of 15km to go, and this is where things would get really interesting. The road was rather narrow and it meant that the peloton was densely packed, with almost no room for teams to move up. Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka were in the front 3rd of the peloton but there just didn’t seem to be a way through for the leadout team to get to the front.

 

The narrow road continued right up until 3km to go and it was clear that a long leadout train was not going to work today. Cavendish just wanted to be taken to the wheel of Kittel, from where he would then freelance to the finish. The African Team were able to get Cavendish locked on to the German’s wheel after some clever work by Mark Renshaw, and from there the Manxman showed his class. Jumping with around 300m to go, Cavendish came from behind Kittel to forge ahead on the slightly downhill sprint and took another incredible win for Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka.

 

While the entire team were working toward the common goal of delivering Cavendish to the finale, Daniel Teklehaimanot, played a huge part in today’s victory as the Eritrean national champion spent close on 150km working at the front of the peloton.

 

Tomorrow the race will head into the Pyrenees and Mark Cavendish will do so as the leader of the Green Jersey points competition once again.

 

Mark Cavendish said:
 

“It was a hot day. Daniel Teklehaimanot did an incredible job to control the breakaway. He was riding super strong actually and he was up there for a long, long time. The guys are getting more and more confident as the race goes on. Steve Cummings was up there fighting with us until the end which was phenomenal, he is a strong guy to keep us there in the final.

 

“There were essentially two finish lines, one was at 12km to go and one was at the finish. We were a little bit too far back at the first one but Mark Renshaw did a great job at 4km to go to get me just there and out of a sticky situation.

 

"Oh my God, that was terrifying. That was like the old days just wheel surfing. Honestly, I said this morning, there is two finish lines there’s one with 12 to go when we got onto the small road. We were a little too far back, Bernie and I, going into that.

 

“It was just carnage in the final with guys coming left and right. I wanted Kittel’s wheel. I was fighting and fighting for Kittel’s wheel. Etixx weren’t that organised but I knew that they would get it on the final long, fast run-in.

 

“I knew it would be the right thing to go early. Because it was slightly downhill, I put on a bigger gear again and I just went. Actually, I maxed out, I should have put a bigger gear on. I kept going to the line, I really wanted it. I felt Kittel coming up on my side again but I just did what he’s done to me over the last three years and just held him at it. I’m very happy with that.

 

”I thought the best wheel to follow in the final was Kittel. It was a fast finish and with the finish line not appearing until late I knew the guys would leave it late because your instincts are not to go before you see the line. I knew Kittel’s wheel was the one to get the biggest slingshot from and with the speed of the finish, I knew if I got a good slingshot I could be going 3-4km/h faster than him before he had time to react so that’s what I did and I was happy to hang on for the win.  

 

"I didn’t really think about [beating Hinault’s recond]. I’m just thinking about my little brother, he had a little baby girl yesterday. So I’d like to dedicate this to my little niece, Darcy, who was born yesterday.

 

"I'm really happy with that. Half of the stages have been won by Dimension Data. It's been a good Tour for us.

 

"The guys were incredible today. There was one finish with 11km to go when the road narrowed and then another at the line. We were not in an ideal situation late on because we got stuck behind Degenkolb and his Giant team. There were some GC guys up there, making it sketchy for a bit. Mark Renshaw did a good job earlier there. He had to do a big move with three kilometres to go. It was a bit like the Wild West in last two kilometres but then I got on Kittel’s wheel and it was perfect. He’s the biggest and fastest and I knew that I could get a slingshot and go 3km/h faster.

 

“Today I sprinted like in the old days. I stayed safe in the fast long run in. It was slightly downhill. I needed to do the right thing. I agree with [Dimension Data performance manager] Rolf Aldag when he says that my return to the track has helped me take the split second decisions.

 

"There's a reason that I've had Rolf with me for most of my career; he sees things that I even don’t see. He listens to me even when I moan and does his utmost to sort them out. With him and Roger Hammond we’ve got the most formidable sports directors in the team car. We do have a plan but the races go pretty much how they suggest it will. That’s testament to have them. I’m lucky to have them on my side.

 

“Only one stage victory at the Tour de France makes a career or a season, so I'm obviously happy with three this year and if I win only one more by the end of my career, I'll be happy as well.

 

"I don’t take being the fastest for granted any more. When I started 10 years ago there weren’t any guys putting out 2000 Watts, there no aerodynamic bikes, no skin suits, no aerodynamic helmets and you had to be able to climb as well. Now you can go faster as a big, powerful, heavy guy, a guy who puts out X amount watts is stronger than somebody who puts out 30-40% less power. But cycling is also a unique sport; all different sizes and physiologies can race together. You have to make work what works for you.

 

“I'm glad to wear the green jersey today but when we'll hit the mountains, there's no way I'll beat Peter Sagan. He just does what he wants. Nobody can. He's just on another level. I am happy to wear it but only Sagan can really say he can win in Paris.

 

“When I met Ryder, the team manager Dimension Data one year ago, we mentioned that the majority of the peloton is in Europe but what he did with the African riders is phenomenal. I think that in ten years they will make much progress. The biggest black talent is in my team but cycling is also a question of culture, roots. Dimension Data also has a youth team. I think the first victory of an African is a matter of time.”

 

"He is so fast at the moment,” Edvald Boasson Hagen told Eurosport. “Today Daniel was controlling the race and then Bernie got him to the front. I didn’t manage to do much today for Mark. He did most of the sprint for himself, I didn’t get to the front to help him. I was really impressed when he won and the rest of the guys did a great job. I’m really impressed with how fast he is at the moment.

 

"It was all around during the race but in the final we were all supporting each other and it’s great to see. He’s amazing at the moment.

 

"It’s always nice to ride on the same team as him. He’s a great rider and he wins so many races. He’s a really nice guy and it’s great to help him win races."

 

”It is really incredible that Cavendish continues to win,” Serge Pauwels told Sporza. "The Tour was already a success after the first day, but Cav won two days later. Today he takes his third win in a week's time, so you can speak of a fantastic first week.

 

"Of course, there are still major stages, but we have other cards to play with the team. Cavendish already took three wins but it does not prevent us to from foing well in the mountains. The pressure is obviously gone. Yesterday I was disappointed that I could not ride for the win, but actually I did not have good legs. I praise for Greg and Thomas. They were stronger.

 

"I look at what the team asks me to do. The next stage seems interesting, but I cannot plan too much in advance. There are still two major stages at the end of this week.

 

"That Cavendish does win a sprint? This is particularly relevant for the morale. Sprinters need a group around them, and Mark trusts his teammates blindly. That he is in top form has a positive snowball effect as a result. His preparation for Rio has also helped Cavendish to win the sprints.”

 

Marcel Kittel critizes Tour de France organizers after narrow defeat

Coming into the outskirts of the town located in the Tarn-et-Garonne department, the sprinters' teams tried to bring their leaders to the fore and catapult them to first place on the flat and wide stretch to the line, but the succession of corners which preceded the finish disintegrated the lead-out, so in the end it was every man for himself. Marcel Kittel opened his sprint in the last 300 meters from the left side of the road, but despite his huge effort, he had to be content with second, behind Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data), but ahead of another Brit, Daniel McLay (Fortuneo-Vital Concept).

 

Kittel, who has one win and two podiums to his name after the first six stages of the Tour de France, also climbed to second place in the green jersey standings, just 22 points behind the leader:

 

"Congratulations to Mark Cavendish, he was fast and played it smart today. In this year's finales it's impossible to have a team tactic, because you always get small and narrow roads, tricky corners, and on top of all, the GC teams, which are crowding in. You never know what's going to happen and because of the crazy sprints it's almost impossible to have a lead-out. That makes me even more proud of the boys, who managed to bring me to the front for the last part of the stage. We lost today, but for sure we will try again.

"[Cavendish] knew where he needed to be and when. I tried everything to hold him off but I couldn’t. It was really close in the end.

 

"It’s impossible to ride with a team here. I don’t know why the organisers do it like this with downhills in the city, we have all those small roads and corners. It goes wide, narrow, wide again and every team is struggling at this stage to be at the front. The GC teams are also holding their wheels until the finish line. It’s pure chaos and that’s why you can win here with really smart positioning. The team only has to bring you forward at a certain moment and that’s it and then you have to go out of the wheel of someone at a certain point. That is it but you don’t know when it is going to happen.

 

“The Tour organizers must have thought to make a big spectacle from it. It was chaotic. It was only when we came out of the final corner that I knew I was starting the sprint from the top five. I think Cavendish was on my wheel. He rode a super fast sprint and managed to pass me. I’m second again. I would have loved to have won.

 

“He was fast. He came out of my wheel again. He played it smart. For sure he’s strong in the sprint otherwise he wouldn’t have won this finale. He also has this smart view on the race, when to be where. I tried everything but I couldn’t hold him off. It was close in the end. That’s life.”

 

"We waited a long time. We were on the left and some teams were in front so we were trapped. So we absolutely have to get it right,” manager Patrick Lefevere told Sporza.

 

“We tried to stay cool, but I think we were a little too cool today. Actually, they started too late.

 

"Sabatini did a very good lead-out, but actually Kittel led out the sprint for Cavendish. They can hide, of course, tremendously well and Marcel began from sixth, seventh position. He touched Alexander Kristoff with his shoulder.

 

"But Cavendish is like no other out of that wheel. Marcel briefly came back, but the final jump from Cavendish made the difference.

 

“I did not expect this from Cavendish. He was supposedly sick in Slovenia and is much more busy on the track, but maybe he has played mind games. Anyway, he's sharp and when he wins that first stage, he gets the second and third much easier.”

 

Julian Alaphilippe: I know it will be difficult to defend the white jersey

The first Tour de France debutant in three years to lead the prestigious youth classification, Julian Alaphilippe rolled home four seconds behind the group that contested the sprint, together with the other general classification riders, and booked another visit to the podium, to receive his fifth white jersey of the race. Now, he looks towards the next three days, which will test him on the tough climbs of the Pyrenees:

 

"It was really hot today, the second consecutive stage in which we had such conditions. It's a pity Marcel didn't win, but we are confident other opportunities will come. He's very close again. It's always difficult to win at the Tour de France. It's a fight between the world's best sprinters!

 

"It was a new day in white, so that was nice. Unfortunately, Marcel Kittel did not win but it's also very difficult to go for this kind of stages. I'm still happy for Mark Cavendish whom I like

 

“Yesterday's stage to Le Lioran was difficult and it will be even more difficult tomorrow with the col d'Aspin. I'm looking forward to the Pyrenees although I know it'll just be harder and harder for me. At some stage, the battle of the top climbers will begin. But for now, I enjoy every day I am in the white jersey.

 

”Tomorrow will be the first of the three days we'll spend in the Pyrenees, and to be quite frankly, I don't know what to expect from these stages. I will try my best, but I know that it's going to be very difficult to defend my jersey.

 

Daniel McLay: A stage win is possible

“If I can get over the mountains, I’ll have my shot to win,” Daniel McLay told CyclingWeekly after his third place. “I feel like my sprint’s there, I wasn’t so far today. It has to be possible. I don’t’ know. Today, I had a good run at it, so did they, I wasn’t so far away.”

 

“After today, I can be confident that I have the legs, I just have to use them.  Today it worked better, I had Armindo Fonseca, Pierre-Luc Perichon, and Florian Vachon.

 

“’Cav’ was around a little by himself too, he had guys, but he was always trying to find them. To be honest, it was only Etixx who could stay together, and Katusha a little bit.”

 

"He often manages to find the wheel of a sprinter who will be in the game in the end and with his size (1.85 m), he is hard to push away,” his manager Sébastien Hinault told L’Equipe. “I can see that he will do beautiful things on the cobbles in the future.”

 

Alexander Kristoff hoping for harder stages later in the Tour

It was another chance for the sprinters in the 103rd Tour de France on Thursday before the peloton heads for the higher mountains of the Pyrenees this weekend. Team KATUSHA’s Alexander Kristoff came off the wheel of teammate Jacopo Guarnieri to vie for the win, ending up in fourth place behind Mark Cavendish, who earned his third stage win in the first week of racing.

 

”Mark and Kittel are just stronger than I am right now, and McLay came past me in the last meters. I tried to open up my sprint when I wanted to. Marco and Jacopo did a perfect job for me and brought me into a perfect position which allowed me to go when I wanted, but still Marcel and Cavendish went past me and I could not really respond to their speed. At the end, they were the fastest sprinters today. I usually know when it’s an easy day like today with just two guys in the break, those guys will be better than me. Hopefully some of the other stages are a bit harder and I can improve and have a chance on those days” said team leader Alexander Kristoff.

 

There was no change for the classification with BMC’s Greg Van Avermaet in yellow by a whopping 5:11 ahead of Julian Alaphilippe (Etixx - Quick Step) and 5:13 to Movistar’s Alejandro Valverde. Team KATUSHA’s Joaquim Rodriguez remains fourth at 5:15 after six stages of racing.

 

Coming into Montauban at the end of the 190,5 km stage that began in Arpajon-sur-Cère, Kristoff’s lead out men Marco Haller and Jacopo Guarnieri held a strong position in the fast pedal to the finish. Kristoff opened up his sprint, trying to outgun the others, but it was Cavendish who earned his 29th career win in Tour stages, making him second to only the great Eddy Merckx.

 

”It’s hard to make adjustments during the sprint when they are so good at timing their sprint. I tried to come in front of them so I could start a little bit ahead of them in hopes that they were not strong enough to come around me, but once they came around I could not respond to their speeds and just had to get the best result I could in the end,” assessed Kristoff.

 

Friday marks the end of the first week of racing and so far all 198 starters are still riding in the 2016 Tour. Team rider Michael Mørkøv continues to show small improvements each day after a major crash in the opening stage last Saturday. While still unable to work for the sprint, Mørkøv hopes to be back to full strength next week, as tonight the team's German osteopath Hansi Friedl will be able to treat Mørkøv. 

 

Christophe Laporte continues sprint improvement at the Tour de France

Christophe Laporte (Cofidis) finished fifth.

 

"I was a little far back with 400 meters to go. I lost the wheel of Geoffrey (Soupe), unfortunately. It was really fierce with these turns. It was hard to keep the wheel of my. 

 

“It was a super fast sprint, I had opted for a bigger gear in the first sprint and Ishould have done the same here.”

 

"We reorganized everything without Bouhanni. We move forward progressively and we learn from our mistakes. “We were more up front but had to be even better placed.

 

“We must make progress in positioning because we had to pass too many. But he is powerful, comfortable in the long sprints. When he leads Nacer out, he does 300-400 meters. And today he could still accelerate from Sagan on the line.”

 

Alberto Contador: Tomorrow will be an important test

In spite of being boxed in as the sprint unfolded, Peter Sagan pushed through and was unlucky not to make the day’s top five, finishing sixth after a strong effort. Alberto Contador was well-protected by teammates throughout the day and was brought home safe in the bunch, ready to face the Pyrenees.

 

While building for the sprint, the peloton was much more subdued and controlled compared to previous stages, making riding much safer, as Sport Director, Steven De Jongh, observed from the finish.

 

“After yesterday, today was a lot calmer and much more straightforward. We expected a bunch sprint and for the team it was important to hit the front with 11km to go when we turned onto the smaller, twisty roads. The guys did that perfectly and supported Peter and Alberto as best as possible today.”

 

A technical run to the finish saw the team surrounding Alberto to keep him safe, with road furniture, tight turns and teams jostling for position creating risks before the sprint. Narrow roads only heightened this danger, making it hard for the sprint trains to keep together, and several teams lost their leaders. With 600m to go, Peter Sagan found himself boxed in, but this wasn’t going to stop the green jersey holder as he powered through to take 6th in the sprint. A few seconds back, Contador was brought home safe with the GC riders and the rest of the bunch.

 

It was a tougher sprint all round, with the difficult run in to the finishing stretch making positioning difficult, but De Jongh was still pleased with the day’s outcome, which saw Sagan place well, and Contador ride home safely with strong support.

 

“Peter was a bit too early in the front and he then held back a bit which meant that he got a bit swamped but it was a good day for us still. Alberto was feeling a lot better today, he's recovering a bit day by day, and with Peter we can now look ahead of the next opportunity for a stage win.”

 

With the focus on the sprint, the aim for Contador was to finish safely, and with the team around him, the Tinkoff leader could concentrate on recovery.

 

“We finished safely and that was the most important part of today. Now we have to rest and recover after a very warm day. I feel my form the same as yesterday but as I said yesterday it's still a long tour and we have a lot of stages ahead of us. We will see what we can achieve.”

The Pyrenees await the peloton tomorrow. After a gentle lead in, with the first 100km of the 162.5km stage fairly flat, the road begins to ramp up – first with the fourth category Côte de Capvern, before the race gets serious with the ascent of the first category Col d’Aspin – a 12km grind at an average gradient of 6.5%. The day doesn’t end on the Col however, with a short downhill after the summit allowing riders to either make up time or extend their lead before the finish in Lac de Payolle. While the yellow jersey has a significant advantage, the GC riders will be aiming to eat into his lead.

 

The team’s focus for stage 7 would be to get through the day on the most challenging climb of the Tour so far, explained De Jongh.

 

“Tomorrow will be a totally different day, all about surviving the Col d'Aspin in a good way and then getting down to the finish safely.”

 

The first day in the mountains was going to be tough, said Contador, but he was still confident in his recovery.

 

“Looking at tomorrow, I would say it's a test day, as there hasn't been enough time to recover, but still I feel I have time to come back to my best.

 

“I’ve got through the stage ok, and that’s the most important thing. Now I’ve got to rehydrate well because it’s been the first really hot stage of this year’s Tour.

 

"It was pretty much the same as yesterday and I’m thinking the same as yesterday, that the Tour is very long, and we can do some good things here."

 

"I'm not sure, I was going to call tomorrow the crunch test of this year's Tour, but it's not that, it's too soon in the race to say that. It's an important test, though.'

 

Frustrated Dylan Groenewegen: More is possible

Dylan Groenewegen finished seventh in the Tour de France’s sixth stage to Montauban today. Team LottoNL-Jumbo’s sprinter stayed in front of the peloton during the final kilometres of the race thanks to his team-mates, but ended up in the first spots too early. Mark Cavendish (Team Dimension Data) won the bunch sprint.

 

During the final eight kilometres, the yellow, black and white colours of Team LottoNL-Jumbo were clearly visible in the front of the peloton. Paul Martens and Maarten Wynants were working together to lead the sprint train and keep Robert Wagner and Groenewegen out of the wind. Sep Vanmarcke and Timo Roosen weren’t behind them, though. That was the reason that the lead-out ended up at the first row of the peloton too early.

 

“We didn’t have enough men for that scenario,” Dylan Groenewegen said. “That’s why I had to change plans. I had to surf between the wheels of the other sprinters to find the right position and I got boxed in during that search. I’m not happy at all with this seventh place. My sprint is good, but we came to the front too early. I know that we’re here to learn, but so much more is possible. That’s frustrating.

 

"I had to choose position myself and that's difficult. We had agreed that we had to come to the front later. But now we were too early and we did not have enough riders. Thus, I had to choose position and it is tricky. I had to have a little luck, but I did not. I was on the wheel of Alexander Kristoff, but they came over me so I got trapped. Then it was over. "

 

”We are here to learn, so you know it can go wrong. It is for the first time we do it. I'm only 23 years, there are still plenty of Tours. It takes time to do this better. But I think more is possible. 

 

“Sprinting in the first week was my goal. That mission is partially successful. I am satisfied. We will now see from day to day.”

 

“Some parts of the plan didn’t go well today,” Sports Director Merijn Zeeman added. “We wanted to deliver a real lead-out, though, but we needed Sep Vanmarcke and Timo Roosen for it. They lost Dylan’s wheel during the fight. They fought like lions, but didn’t came through. Paul, Maarten and Robert did a good job to hold Dylan in front of the peloton, but Robert thought that Sep and Timo were in his slipstream. To communicate in a moment like that is impossible. What he did was good anyway because many riders are passing on the right and left side.”

 

With 1.5 kilometre to go, Wagner took the lead of the peloton. He pushed up the pace thinking that Vanmarcke and Roosen were able to finish it off afterwards.

 

“We were packed together quite well all the time,” the German explained. “Paul and Maarten held us out of the wind very well. Dylan shouted to me during the final kilometres, but I didn’t hear it. You’re riding through a tunnel of noise during such a sprint preparation. That was our problem today. We know what we have to do, but the execution isn’t perfect, yet.”

 

Edward Theuns asks for more respect after frustrating sprint in the Tour

Just after passing under the flamme rouge, Jasper Stuyven surged to the front with EdwardTheuns, the two young Belgians fighting their way to the top two positions in the furious bunch sprint of stage six Thursday. With 800 meters to go, their positioning was seamless. But this is the Tour. A stage win is coveted like none other; every bunch sprint a war.

 

Theuns went shoulder to shoulder against a rider from Katusha in a heated fight for Stuyven's wheel, his perfect placing and textbook lead-out lost in battle. Pushed into the wind, Theuns' advantage melted, and he faded to 8th place over the line.

 

"I am disappointed because Greggy (Rast) and Jasper did a great job," said Theuns. "One guy from Katusha [Jacopo Guarnieri, ed.] starts to push where he doesn't have to push – the old guys always talk about respect, but respect is from both sides. I am very disappointed because I had to use too much power there, I was in half in the wind with 600 meters to go, and then the last corner the rest came with speed, and I have to pull up. Then I cannot do anything.

 

"Jasper did a perfect job, he was really strong and swung off just after the last corner. Normally, I have the right to be in his wheel, that's an unwritten rule if a teammate is with you, you don't push him out.

 

”That rider from Katusha just had to take my wheel. Then I could stay in the slipstream of Jasper and then I could save a lot of energy and do much better. Now I was half in the wind and that costs you dearly. Jasper was incredible, he had high speed.”

 

Gregory Rast and Jasper Stuyven guided Edward Theuns with proficiency in the final kilometers, thick in the hellish turmoil that is a Tour de France bunch sprint. After Rast had employed every last watt of his power, Stuyven took over with three kilometers remaining.

 

"It was very nervous when we hit the small roads with 11 kilometers to go," said Stuyven, explaining the final moments of stage six. "Gregy kept us really well in front until 3kms from the finish, and then I went with Edward to the front, and I think we went at the perfect moment, right before the left-right corners. I was really hoping through these corners that it would stretch out with Edward on my wheel, but he was pushed out by a Katusha rider, and he had to ride in the wind. It's a pity, but I think we did a good job, and we showed again that the young Belgians can be up there."

 

Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) won the frenzied sprint, and the overall classification remained unchanged. Bauke Mollema finished safely in the peloton to maintain his place in the GC.

 

With more sprint stages to come, Theuns will have more chances, and the young sprinter is ready to do more than finish in the top ten:

 

"Yeah you can say it's a learning process, but I am already three times top ten, and then you want more. I am very ambitious, so I am riding to win. It's frustrating if things go wrong in the sprint, and it is not your fault."

 

Bryan Coquard: I need more luck

"I lost the wheel. I was pushed away by Shane Archbold, that's all,” Bryan Coquard told L’Equipe. “ I do not know where I ended because I did not sprint, but the legs were good. A sprint is complicated, it is often a war. Archbold made a move and I lost the wheel. "

 

"There are still opportunities for sure. It takes a bit of luck and I have not had that.”

 

“It's not easy, it is a little war, I often say that it is war to the finish.I lost the wheel and I could not sprint, this is cycling.

 

“Cavendish is a great rider. I have always said that he is a great sprinter. The riders never wrote him off, the journalists did. With his return to the track, I knew he was going to be successful and I think it did him good.”

 

Shane Archbold takes over from Sam Bennett in Tour sprints

Jan Barta from BORA – ARGON 18 and Yukia Arashiro (Lampre – Merida) were the first to attack successfully and went clear from the peloton. Barta won the first, the last KOM and the sprint, but 20km from the finish, it was over. Of course Barta was a big contender to get the red dossard of the most aggressive rider, but it was the decision of the jury to give it to his companion.

With Paul Voss, Barta, Cesare Benedetti, Bartosz Huzarski and Andreas Schillinger, BORA - ARGON 18 managed to be in the right group in 5 out of 6 stages.

 

Shane took over the role of sprinter from Sam Bennett, who is still recovering from his crash. For Benntt it was the first day without antibiotics, which is the next step in his recovery.

 

Archbold took 10th place. He was a little boxed in with 300m to go.

 

“For sure the last kilometres were very crazy and a new experience for me to sprint with the fastest guys of the world. I still have to learn how a manage to get into the right position without taking the risk of a crash.  But I’m very happy with this result,” he said.

 

"It was crazy. It’s definitely an unreal experience being with some of the fastest guys n the world. It’s not like any other race. I’ve still got a lot to learn about the right place to be and the safest spot. It’s definitely crazy out there, but I’m happy to get some form of result.

 

"Unfortunately, it would have been good to have Sam here, but he’s on the mend, and maybe later in the Tour we can do the same again."

 

“You have to give the riders the freedom and to motivate them to go in a leading group. Clearly it is the decision of the riders to be in the right place at the right time, and you need also a little bit of luck. The riders will always go full gas if they are in a leading group, but you`ve to pay attention to the race situation or even the wind, and so you`ve got to decide if it makes sense or not. Today we held Jan back a little to save energy for the 2nd and 3rd week because we still want to be able to go into breakaway groups,” said sports director Enrico Poitschke.

 

Orica-BikeExchange: It was always going to be difficult for Michael Matthews

Michael Matthews gave it his all against the world’s best sprinters on stage six of the Tour de France today, finishing in 11th place for ORICA-BikeExchange in a fast and energetic finale.

 

2016 Paris-Roubaix champion Matthew Hayman brought Matthews safely into the final three kilometres through the crowded and marauding peloton before peeling off with less than two kilometres to go.

 

The speed increased dramatically over the last few hundred metres with Matthews forced wide to try and break clear behind the big guns of the sprint world.

 

The stage was won by Mark Cavendish (Dimension-Data) with Matthews finishing just outside the top ten in 11th place.

 

Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) retains the race leaders yellow jersey and Adam Yates reamains ORICA-BikeExchange’s best placed rider in 13th.

 

Sport director Matt white was content at the finish with the main objective for the team to get through the stage in good order ahead of the coming mountain stages.

 

“Our main goal for today was to come through the stage unscathed and in good condition,” said White. “We have a big three days ahead as the race goes into the Pyrenees and hits the real mountains for the first time.

 

“The team rode sensibly throughout the stage and we never strayed too far from the job in hand.

 

“Today was the last stage for the pure sprinters until the race reaches Montpellier and it was always going to be a difficult task against the worlds fastest men. Michael (Matthews) did well to maintain his position for the finale and boxed on in the bunch sprint.”

 

Yukiya Arashiro most aggressive rider at the Tour de France

The first rider from LAMPRE-MERIDA to join a breakaway in the Tour de France 2016 is from Japan and he's really appreciated in France: Yukiya Arashiro was protagonist in the 6th stage of the Grande Boucle, having led the race, together with Barta, for almost 165km.

This performance was rewarded with the prize of "most combative rider" for Arashiro.

Arashiro attacked with determination after 3kmof racing and he was joined by Barta; the duo. After having built up a good advantage on the bunch, they preferred to slow down in order to check if others had the will to join the breakaway. No one did so LAMPRE-MERIDA's Asian rider and Barta continued their action.

The stage had a massive sprint as epilogue and Davide Cimolai could recover positions and cross the finish line close to the top 10: he was 12th.

"I'm pleased that I received the award as most combative rider, it's a reward for the determination I had to initiate the breakaway,” Arashiro commented. “We were only two athletes in the front of the race, it would have been better to have more riders in the breakaway, that's why we decided to see if someone would join us, but no one came from behind.

“I was aware that it was almost impossible to stay away but I focused my attention on the road and on my performance. 
 

”I'm happy to have the opportunity to share this happy moment with my team mates, the sponsors and all the fans who support me in France, in Europe and in Asia.

”This season started in a bad way for me. In February I broke my leg but I did not give up and I focused my energy on the recovery and on the training. I succeesed in coming back in May, at the Tour of Japan, where I won the Izu stage.
 

”Today I add another beautiful moment: I already won this prize four years ago, however it's always something good to experience these kind of moments.

 

“Our advantage was reduced to not much at the end but I still tried to go for the stage win. Our fight in the last King of the Mountains made us lose a lot of time but I'm happy to have the red bib [of most aggressive rider] tomorrow in a region that I know well because I've lived in Toulouse for a year [in 2005].

 

”This morning, my idea was to follow a small group if there were breakaway attempts. Eventually I took the initiative because it was pretty quiet. Jan Barta came along but I expected more riders to do so. It was hard in these conditions but I'm happy that I tried.

 

”Because of my crash in Qatar [broken femur in February], I haven't raced much with the Lampre-Merida jersey yet. Now I've fully recovered and I feel that I'm in a great shape.”

In the GC, Louis Meintjes is 19th at 5'28".

 

Samuel Dumoulin: I hope to find a stage that suits me better

"The stage ended in a very fast mass sprint. You had to have a calm heart and stay in the center to keep up the speed. It was not easy given the intensity,” said Samuel Dumoulin who finished just outside the top 10.
 

“I'm a little disappointed because I had worked hard. I was really up there. With 300 meters I decided to start and I hit the wind. Then I was in the wheel of Christophe Laporte (5th) and I lost speed. 
 

”There was room to do something but I was up against the most powerful riders with a bigger size than me. It shows, however, that I am in good condition. I hope to soon find a stage more suited me to use my legs.”

 

Domenico Pozzovivo: My goal is to support Bardet

"The final of the stage was very fast. The fastest I ever did. I tried to stay in front. For me it was important not to crash and to keep energy for mountain stages,” said Domenico Pozzovivo.

 

"The final of the stages are normally very fast, faster than I’ve ever done so it is difficult to rest at the front. For me it was important not to crash and also to reserve my energy for the next stages in the mountains, which I think will be very important in the general classification.

 

“The next three days in Pyrénées will be very important. My goal will be to stay with Romain [Bardet] and the other leaders. Maybe I will try something on the climb, not the the last one but before..."

 

Lawson Craddock: Roland can do something special

"Everything is bigger, everything is faster. It’s a whole new experience. I think we will really see tomorrow what kind of job I’m capable of doing, but I’m confident in my abilities to be there deep into these finales, deep into these high mountain stages to help Pierre [Rolland]out. To have a guy like him who’s clearly put a lot into this race - he’s really motivated. It's someone we truly believe can do something special and that makes me go a little bit harder,” said Cannondale’s Lawson Craddock.

 

Lotto Soudal and André Greipel not giving up yet

André Greipel could only manage 16th.

 

"The first moments it's always very hard for him because he can't accept not having gotten the chance to sprint along at full power for the victory. That's difficult, for the whole team. Greipel is a closed book in these moments. It's hard to digest but there's no need to panic," manager Marc Sergeant told Cyclingnews and Sporza.

 

"When watching the replay of the sprint I saw that he moved to the left in the long corner, swerving towards the barriers. We told him to take the left. Adrien Petit was there. When they had to go, Petit didn't go. A group of riders with Cavendish came flying by on his right. You see him looking. It was over. It was a wrong call. Probably the train hadn't work perfectly. They were spread out.

 

"Some things went wrong. Henderson said he was near André, saying he constantly saw him but didn't manage to get on him. It shouldn't happen because they're well organized. They learn everything about this during the morning meeting in the bus, probably ten times hearing at which point what has to be done. You can't do more than that."

 

"You have to acknowledge that if Cavendish wins three sprints, he's clearly the fastest one and Greipel should be there with him. That wasn't the case. Cavendish is one of the best sprinters in the Tour de France right now. Last year that man was Greipel. Then Cavendish won a stage because he sprinted like a gentleman. We're not giving up just yet."

 

"It's up to the climbers now. Our team is ready for that, as Thomas De Gendt showed yesterday.

 

”Of course such a defeat for André is hard. He wants to win and he does not sprint for places of honor, so he sat down when he was in a hopeless position. It makes no sense for him to have to find a gap because he no longer goes for the green jersey.

 

"They were three in front, but then they lost sight of each other and a compact lead-out was out of the question.  André was still in a good position and on the wheel of Jens Debusschere. Suddenly someone from Katusha then passed with Kristoff in his wheel. Andre went left, but suddenly he was boxed in. The sprint was started on the right and it was over.

 

“Cavendish is clearly the fastest now. Hopefully that changes after the mountain stages that are coming now and the rest day. There are still opportunities. Not only for André, but for others, like Thomas De Gendt who was good yesterday.

 

"Our Tour is not bad. Twice second, once fourth, the mountains jersey, others would be very pleased with that. Only the victory is missing. We do not give up and I'm not angry. André knows what went wrong and will let that sink in. We will learn lessons from this, we must organize ourselves better in the sprint, make fewer mistakes. There is always discussion in the bus Everyone knows his job, now that plan should just be carried out once and everything will work out. I do not despair. André had not forgotten how to sprint. He is not sick, he feels good, the victory will come.

 

Thomas De Gendt: I want to attack on Saturday

“Today it was quite ok,” said Thomas De Gendt who defended the mountains jersey. “It was easy to defend the polka dot jersey. I tried to save energy but there were still 190km to cover and I also went to the car to take bottles for the team.

 

”Tomorrow it'll be difficult to get into the breakaway but I hope for the right guys to be in there and take the points away from my rivals. My goal is more to break away the day after.

 

”It's nice to have a different jersey as there are only four of them at the Tour de France. It's good for the morale to be given a different bike too.

 

"I needed a recovery day today. It’s nice to have another jersey but I can lose it tomorrow.

 

"Have I considered how I can keep my polka dot jersey? Not really, but I know that there are double points in uphill finishes. In this way, the distribution of points is a bit unfair. Even if I take twelve points tomorrow, I will my jersey ainthe first real uphill finish. We'll see what tomorrow brings.”

 

Giant-Alpecin keep confidence in John Degenkolb at the Tour

Team Giant-Alpecin were well present at the front with their lead-out train. On the run to the line, it became very hectic and it was left to Mark Cavendish to show his power and sprint to his third victory of the Tour with Degenkolb finishing in 16th place.

 

In the overall classification, Warren Barguil remains 6th after finishing safely with the main bunch in 27th position.

 

John Degenkolb said: “The preparations for the sprint were very good from the team, we held a good position going into the finale. Unfortunately, we made one mistake and then we weren’t able to get to the front of the bunch and with 2km to go, we were a little bit too far back.

 

“It doesn’t help that my shape is not perfect at the moment and I need to fight every day. I am happy that the team supports me which is very important as my condition continues to improve every day.”

 

Coach Marc Reef added: “It was a pretty easy day with two guys at the front. The aim was to focus on the sprint with John and also to support Warren in a good way which worked out very well.

 

“In the sprint, we got boxed in and lost touch with each other. Then it was not easy to move forward and to set up John for the sprint. However, the good things are that we managed to be there together at the right moment. Now only the fine-tuning still needs to be done.

 

“We are improving day by day and we can expect a better result next time. We will keep our confidence in John and we know the situation with him. We know where he is coming from and when you compete at such a high level, the small differences are very important. When he has gained a little more in confidence and power he will improve his results.”

 

Nairo Quintana: Froome will probably attack in the first mountain stage

Without any troubles. The Movistar Team got unscathed through the last ‘transfer on bike’ towards their first real mountain goal in the Pyrenees of the 2016 Tour de France. The Blues wore the traditional San Fermín scarf in Arpajon-sur-Cère before taking on the hot, relatively fast 190km towards Montauban, where Mark Cavendish (DDD) claimed his third stage win in the race. The squad directed by José Luis Arrieta and Chente García Acosta thus kept Nairo Quintana in his seventh place overall - Alejandro Valverde as top of the Spanish outfit in third spot - before a trio of Pyrenean mountains from Friday to Sunday, which will start with the theoretically least hard of the three: 162.5km from L’Isle-Jourdain to an uphill finish in the Lac de Payolle and through the Col d’Aspin from Arreau (Cat-1): 12km at 6.5%, which could already bring some surprises.

Nairo Quintana said:

 

“It was another day of work properly done by my team-mates - they were excellent, without any errors. We got well through this final flat stage, which combined with all that first week was our first main goal in the Tour, and we’re raring to go into the mountains. Tomorrow’s finale will be already difficult with the Aspin, where we hope that the road will start to set things straight in the race. Froome attacking on the first mountain day like in previous years? Well, I think we might see more of the same tomorrow…!”

 

Alejandro Valverde: People will ride conservatively tomorrow

Alejandro Valverde said:

 

 “It was quite of an easy day, but despite that calm pace, the rolling route and especially the heat made for some tough legs in the end and lots of nerves with the swerving in the finish. That’s how the Tour de France looks anyway. Those nerves will be there again tomorrow, but in a very different way. It will be an important day, and I feel like we could see something important tomorrow. However, I feel like the hardness on those two mountain stages from Saturday and Sunday might make tomorrow’s racing more conservative - we might not see as much of a difference on the Aspin as if the race scheme was less focused on the weekend.”

Dani Moreno added:

 

“Yesterday’s stage was a tough one because we tried to make it that way in the finale. We all found good legs and, apart from the fruit our actions had, our main gain from the Le Lioran finish was that: the good feelings for all of us.

 

“Anything can happen in the Pyrenees, yet, after yesterday’s good performance from all of us, we’ll be in good spirits and ready to take on that challenge with lots of focus and strength.

 

“Everyone talks about Nairo and Froome as the two main candidates; they seem to be riding calmly yet fully on, and I think that the combined efforts from the previous stages will bring some epic racing in the weekend. Surely, there will be some other important rivals who won’t make things easy for them. Let’s see what we can do to help Nairo.”

 

Sports director José Luis Arrieta said:

 

“We pulled yesterday because we thought we should act like that. Sky asked us for some help and the truth was, neither them nor us wanted to let a breakaway grow and reach the finish line with 15 minutes of advantage, because such would be a big lack of respect towards the race.

 

“We knew the roads we would be crossing, we didn’t want either to see people riding relaxed in the finale, and we also wanted to profit from the hot weather conditions to test everyone’s legs and see if someone cracked.

 

“All in all, we’re happy about how things went this week: we’re in good mood, we went through no crashes, everyone is doing well. The Pyrenees are starting tomorrow with an important test, even if I feel like Saturday and Sunday will be the hardest days and the ones to watch.

 

”However, we don’t rule anything out on the Aspin. Froome might give it a try again tomorrow as in previous seasons. Should they go on the attack, we will try to stay as close as possible and play our cards when we see that it’s right. The Tour is won or lost in Paris; it’s not like you’re making the gaps on stage 21, rather I mean that you must keep a view on the full three weeks. We’re happy with how things went so far, and we must keep riding one stage at a time.”

 

Sky don’t expect big difference in first mountain stage

Chris Froome finished safely on stage six of the Tour de France to remain fifth overall ahead of the Pyrenees.

 

Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) emerged victorious in Montauban to claim his third stage win of the race, while Froome came home in the main bunch five seconds down.

 

A small split emerged in the fast and furious final kilometre but none of Froome's GC rivals were able to bridge across to the fast men, so he lost no time to his adversaries. Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) remains in the yellow jersey.

 

Vasil Kiryienka, Ian Stannard and Luke Rowe produced big turns on the front to keep Froome out of trouble, before the sprint trains began to form in the closing stages.

 

Froome raced hard to keep in touch with the 16-man front group in an attempt to steal some seconds, but he couldn't quite make it across the gap.

 

Speaking after the stage Geraint Thomas looked ahead to stage seven, when the race will hit the Pyrenees for the first time.

 

He said: "I don't think it will be [as decisive as last year's opening mountain stage]. It's predominantly flat all day, then a little fourth cat climb and then obviously the Aspin. It's a tough climb but it shouldn't be too selective I don't think.

 

"The day after is harder with four big climbs and it's going to be hot. I think that could be more selective for sure. Then obviously Andorra is the hardest stage of the race so far.

 

"I'm still feeling my ribs a bit but getting better every day. For Froomey I think if it's hard like last year it would be nice for him to take time. But every day it's getting tougher and I think that should favour him.”

 

“Today the feeling was better than yesterday. Tomorrow is another hard day and we want to help Chris again. Yesterday when Movistar went full gas on the really steep part of the climb I just wasn’t good enough and couldn’t follow,” Wout Poels said. “Last year, though, the first week wasn’t the best, and then I went better and better. The most important thing is that we have lots of riders with Chris. I don’t think that the difference will be that big tomorrow. For me, Sunday is the hardest for the GC.”

 

Diego Rosa ready to support Fabio Aru in Tour de France debut

“My first Tour de France is an incredible experience,” explained Diego Rosa. “I’m taking the race day by day, I would say km by km and I have to say that the rhythm is really incredibly high.

 

“Yesterday and today, it was really hot and I still feel the sun on my skin. Now I understand what my team mates were saying when they talked about the Tour de France as a different race compared to all the others.

 

“Yesterday in the final I suffered a bit too much in the high temperatures but our captain was in the front and this is the most important thing.

 

“I’m fully dedicated to Fabio Aru to help him to avoid any risk in the flat stages and stay at the front in the crucial moments of the stagesand I will do my best, in this my first participation in the Tour, to help Fabio and help the team.”

 

Greg Van Avermaet: Five minutes can be very little in the mountains

Greg Van Avermaet soaked up his first day in the leader’s Yellow Jersey at the Tour de France, coming home just behind the sprint to retain the jersey for stage 7.

 

Van Avermaet and his BMC Racing Team teammates spent the day towards the front of the peloton, keeping a two-rider breakaway safely down the road, until the sprinters’ teams worked to pull them back and set the stage for a sprint finish.

 

Van Avermaet takes the Yellow Jersey into stage 7 which will see the peloton tackle the first big mountain stage and battle of the General Classification contenders.

 

“It couldn’t have gone better I think,” he said. “It was a beautiful day, not too hilly, beautiful weather, no stress and just a hard final. In the end it was really good, there were a lot of Belgian people on the road on vacation with flags and they supported me really well so it was a wonderful day for me. We are a cycling country so it’s really nice to have a few Belgians up there in the final and a stage win with me, and the Yellow Jersey. It was one of the best days of my career so far.

 

“It was a pretty calm day but it was too hectic to go for the sprint. I was not recovered form yesterday either so I could not go for the sprint. But also with the stress it was just about getting safely over the line. I tried to recover as well as possible from yesterday.

 

“It was nice to be able to ride at the back of the peloton with no pressure and have friendly chats with some compatriots in our native language. I enjoyed the moment. Almost the whole peloton came and congratulated me. I had also received a lot of messages after my crash at the Tour of Flanders but I prefer these ones. My phone exploded!

 

”I'm happy that the country supports me. I've seen many Belgian flags on the road side today and I'm looking forward to see even more of them tomorrow in the mountains.

 

”I will try to keep the jersey tomorrow on the last climb and I hope that I might. We’ll see how the legs feel tomorrow but I’m going to try and keep it for as long as possible. Five minutes is a lot but not so much in a mountain stage. We will see tomorrow. If the GC riders attack, I need to find my pace and see where I end up.

 

”It'll be hard to keep the lead beyond tomorrow but the yellow jersey is something you fight for every second you have it. I'll see how far I can go.

 

“I will try to win a second stage, it's easier when the pressure is away. There is a stage which will finish in Bern, near the stadium that belongs to Andy Rihs who is a great boss. To win for him would be nice.

 

“I was impressed by media attention yesterday. This makes me think about what Froome goes through every day when he wins the Tour. For me it is two days, but I imagine what it feels like to lose energy over time. I have admiration for these riders who can handle such pressure and I understand that they end up giving less interviews too.

 

For us in Belgium, the most important races are the classics that represent so much. There are no high mountains and our riders are more suitable for classics and sprints. We train in the wind, on the cobbles, not much in the mountains but I note that in Belgium, we have better support and more climbers have the possibility to get a Belgian victory in the Tour someday.

 

"There is already one lion for my daughter Fleur. It's fine to have it because it is a collector's item, only for those who wear yellow. Maybe I should start thinking of a second child. ThenI know to whom I should give this lion.”

 

Marcus Burghardt said:

 

“I think it’s a pleasure for us to have the jersey and ride in the front for Greg. He is always giving us so much so it’s nice that we can give something back and ride in the front for him. It’s quite special.”

 

Richie Porte and Tejay van Garderen expect Sunday to be the first big test.

Richie Porte said:

 

“It was good to pass the day with no troubles. It had a bit of a technical finish but I’m looking forward to tomorrow, going back into some climbing. I’ve raced up Col d’Aspin quite a lot. I’ve done the recon on it this year. I think someone has to try there. It’s not the most technical descent down to the finish. The stage in Andorra is one of the hardest stages in the Tour this year, so we’ll have to evaluate on the day and in the moment and see what’s possible.

 

"I had a good block of training in recently in Monaco with heatwave conditions. So I feel quite acclimatised but it can feel like altitude when you're climbing and it's that hot.

 

Tejay van Garderen added:

 

“I don’t quite know what we’re expecting from tomorrow. A breakaway could win, or maybe we’ll see Movistar make another hard tempo like they did yesterday. There are possibilities so we just have to be prepared for everything. The Andorra stage will certainly be one of the hardest stages. Some of the stage sin the Alpes are also really hard.”

 

Thibaut Pinot tries to get ready for Pyrenean heat

The FDJ team suppoted its leader Thibaut Pinot and it confident.

 

"Yes ,” confirms sports director Yvon Madiot, “it was very hot and we used over 150 bottles for our riders but that day has allowed them to acclimatize. In the early part of the stage, on winding roads, the guys were vigilant and have done the work necessary for Thibaut to prevent him from being trapped. Then they again did what it takes to be in position in the final. This is a stage that is very well. Thibaut was good today, better than yesterday. Anyway, he did complain of nothing but the heat. We know him: he does not like to suffer so it's a good sign.

 

"After yesterday’s stage, the difficulty of this Tour is progressive and as two very hard stages await the riders this weekend, I think the GC riders will use Aspin as a test. "