Six categorised climbs were going to make stage 6 one of the toughest of the race so far. While the hardest on this 161.5km day was a second category, once all of these ascents had been dealt with, the riders would be feeling it in their legs. Initially, a seven-man break went out, dropping in number as the climbs were crossed. The pace had been driven hard all day with BORA-hansgrohe protecting race leader, Maximilian Schachmann, and by the time the distance remaining dipped below 20km, there were only two on the front and the gap had dropped to less than twenty seconds, catching them shortly after.
The final climb was to prove pivotal, with its steep slopes being used as a springboard for late attacks, with one rider going off alone here. Maximilian fought hard to close down the moves, with Felix Grossschartner alongside him, with the lead group stretching out and then re-forming as they descended. Felix worked with another rider to bridge the gap to the lone rider on the front, while further back, Maximilian responded well when the attacks came from the yellow jersey group. Pushing hard on the descent, less than a kilometre from the line, Maximilian slid out on a corner, hitting a wall. While the crash looked scary, the German GC leader jumped back on his bike seemingly unscathed and rode hard to get to the finish line and limit his losses – keeping hold of the yellow jersey ahead of a difficult day in the mountains tomorrow.
Results
01 T.Benoot 3h57’02”
02 M.Matthews +0:22
03 S.Higuita +0:22
11 F.Grossschartner +0:29
12 M.Schachmann +0:40
From the Finish Line
“I crashed with about 800 metres to go but I’m well. The race was full on and the guys were going full gas down. I had a small gap and came back but I think I was a bit too fast. I made a mistake but managed to get back on my bike. I still have the yellow jersey and tomorrow will certainly be a tough stage but I felt good in the last long climb. Today we rode a bit defensively but there is no doubt tomorrow will be all out.” – Maximilian Schachmann
“Max’s crash was not too bad. He fell off in the last corner, but he feels good for now. It was a difficult situation for us on the stage today, as several of our helpers were dropped early, but towards the end, we had Felix up there and he rode a very strong race. Patrick did extremely well today as well. Overall, we can be very happy with having defended the yellow jersey for another day.” – Christian Pömer, Sports Director
