Australian overall contender Cadel Evans’ strong start to the 99th Tour de France continued last night on stage six from Epernay to Metz.
The flat 208km journey was marred by a major crash involving a number of key riders with 26km remaining.
Riders, many with severe abrasions, and their machines, littered the road and adjoining embankments.
Wouter Poels (Vacansoleis-DCM), Tom Danielson (Garmin-Sharp), Mikel Astarloza (Euskaltel-Euskadi) and Davide Legano (Lampre-ISD) were all forced to abandon the race.
Neatly ensconced in the front half of the peloton (along with most of his BMC teammates), Evans was not affected by the incident, which caused major changes in the general classification (GC).
Bradley Wiggins (Sky Pro Cycling), Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale), Ivan Basso (Liquigas-Cannondale), Denis Menchov (Katusha) and yellow jersey Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack-Nissan) also managed to avoid the carnage.
The same cannot be said for the long list of riders who formed a second peloton after the crash. These were the men either injured or held up amid the chaos, who include: Frank Schleck (RadioShack-Nissan), Robert Gesink (Rabobank), Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Sharp), Michele Scarponi (Lampre-ISD) and Janez Brajkovic (Astana).
Evans moved up one spot in the overall standings to sixth, replacing Edvald Boasson Hagen (Sky Pro Cycling), who lost a significant chunk of time.
The 35-year-old remains 17 seconds behind yellow jersey holder Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack-Nissan) and 10 seconds behind Bradley Wiggins (Sky Pro Cycling) – the time gaps established by the prologue time-trial.
Gesink was the worst effected GC rider, losing more than three and a half minutes. Schleck, Valverde, Hesjedal, Scarponi and Brajkovic were among a host of riders to surrender 2’09” to the lead group.
But Evans was not the only Australian to escape the havoc on the road to Metz.
Spearheaded by Australian sprinter Matt Goss, the majority of Orica-GreenEDGE – a team which, including Goss, features five Australians – managed to dodge the crash.
Unfortunately for him, so did Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale). On the hunt for his first stage win at the Tour, Goss was unable to hold off cycling’s man of the moment.
It was the 22-year-old Slovakian’s third win in his debut Tour, and a result that reconsolidated his lead in the green jersey competition.
Prior to stage five, Sagan’s advantage sat at an imposing 55-points. By staying upright on the finish of that stage where Sagan could not, Goss cut that gap 18.
But, having been beaten to the line by Sagan and the battered and bruised Andre Greipel (Lotto-Belisol) last night, Goss is now 31 points in arrears in the battle for green.
Earlier, a breakaway group of four – David Zabriskie (Garmin-Sharp), Karsten Kroon (Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank), Davide Malacarne (Europcar) and Romain Zingle (Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne) – was first to reach both the intermediate sprint in Saint-Mihiel and the category four climb at the Cote de Buxières.
Kroon was the only rider in the break interested in the intermediate sprint, hitting the checkpoint first ahead of Zabriskie, Zingle and Malacarne.
Shortly afterwards, Goss led the peloton over the sprint point ahead of a ginger-looking Cavendish.
On the climb it was Zabriskie who took the solitary King of the Mountains point on offer at the summit.
Tomorrow is the first day for the climbers, the 199km stage seven from Tomblaine to La Planche des Belles Filles.
The stage ends with a summit finish at the top of a category one climb, so there is the potential for more mix ups in the GC.
Those that lost time last night may choose to attack in an attempt to make up precious time.
Come day’s end we will have a better idea of how the main contenders are feeling.
Cancellara is unlikely to be able to retain the yellow jersey. My tip to take over the reigns? A perhaps unwilling Bradley Wiggins.
Tour de France Stage 6 Results
Rider, Team, Points
1. SAGAN Peter, LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE, 04h 37′ 00″ + 00′ 00″
2. GREIPEL Andre, LOTTO-BELISOL, 04h 37′ 00″ + 00′ 00″
3. GOSS Matthew Harley, ORICA-GREENEDGE, 04h 37′ 00″ + 00′ 00″
4. VAN HUMMEL Kenny, VACANSOLEIS-DCM, 04h 37′ 00″ + 00′ 00″
5. HAEDO Juan Jose, SAXO BANK-TINKOFF BANK, 04h 37′ 00″ + 00′ 00″
6. HENDERSON Gregory, LOTTO-BELISOL, 04h 37′ 00″ + 00′ 00″
7. PETACCHI Alessandro, LAMPRE-ISD, 04h 37′ 00″ + 00′ 00″
8. PAOLINI Luca, KATUSHA, 04h 37′ 00″ + 00′ 00″
9. IMPEY Daryl, ORICA-GREENEDGE, 04h 37′ 00″ + 00′ 00″
10. LANCASTER Brett, ORICA-GREENEDGE, 04h 37′ 04″ + 00′ 04″
Tour de France Points Classification
Rider, Team, Points
1. SAGAN Peter, LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE, 209
2. GOSS Matthew Harley, ORICA-GREENEDGE, 178
3. GREIPEL Andre, LOTTO-BELISOL, 167
4. CAVENDISH Mark, SKY PRO CYCLING, 129
5. PETACCHI Alessandro, LAMPRE-ISD, 109
Tour de France KOM Classification
Rider, Team, Points
1. MORKOV Michael, SAXO BANK-TINKOFF BANK, 9
2. BASSO Ivan, LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE, 2
3. SAGAN Peter, LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE, 2
Tour de France Overall Standings
Rider, Team, Time, Gaps
1. CANCELLARA Fabian, RADIOSHACK-NISSAN, 29h 22’ 36″
2. WIGGINS Bradley, SKY PROCYCLING, 29h 22’ 43″ + 00′ 07″
3. CHAVANEL Sylvain, OMEGA PHARMA-QUICK-STEP, 29h 22’ 43″ + 00′ 07″
4. VAN GARDEREN Tejay, BMC RACING, 29h 22’ 46″ + 00′ 10″
5. MENCHOV Denis, KATUSHA, 29h 22’ 49″ + 00′ 13″
6. EVANS Cadel, BMC RACING, 29h 22’ 53″ + 00′ 17″
7. NIBALI Vincenzo, LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE, 29h 22’ 54″ + 00′ 18″
8. SAGAN Peter, LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE, 29h 22’ 55″ + 00′ 19″
9. KLODEN Andreas, RADIOSHACK-NISSAN, 29h 22’ 55″ + 00′ 19″
10. MONFORT Maxime, RADIOSHACK-NISSAN, 29h 22’ 58″ + 00′ 22″
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