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After what would have been an easy day for most of the riders, we're back sprinting again today. lets have a look what's in store.
Flat and undulating roads take the riders on the sixth day of the Tour de France from Tours to Châteauroux. A fast finisher is likely to celebrate at the end of the 160,6 kilometres race.
The Tour de France visited Tours for the last time in 2013. Marcel Kittel sprinted to triumph in stage 12 before the yellow caravan left the town the next day for a race to Saint-Amand-Montrond. Echelons ripped the peloton apart that day before Mark Cavendish sprinted to victory in Julian Alaphilippe’s birthplace.
Châteauroux has not seen the Tour de France since 2011, when Cavendish succeeded himself with a sprint victory. The Briton also won a Châteauroux sprint in 2008, while Mario Cipollini took the spoils in 1998. A bunch sprint is on the cards in 2021 also.
Gérard Depardieu was born in Châteauroux, although his popularity in France is on the wane since he was granted citizenship in Russia.
The Finish: Châteauroux is a flat place and there’s a run around the big boulevards. The section around 2.5km to go has a divider in the middle to split the team trains. There’s almost no elevation change but turning onto the finishing straight with 1.5km to go there’s a small slope, we’re talking 1-2% here or there but enough to make some think their legs are hurting or they’re in the wrong gear for a second.
The first three riders on the line gain time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds.
Who to look out for?
The Contenders: there’s no hierarchy to the sprinters yet. Alpecin-Fenix backed Jasper Philipsen two days ago, so you’d think this time it should be back to Tim Merlier but the Belgian media this morning say it’s Philipsen again. As you must be bored of hearing by now Mark Cavendish (Deceuninck-Quickstep) won his first ever Tour stage here so he can boucler la boucle as they say in French.
Arnaud Démare (Groupama-FDJ) vanished in Fougères. Earlier this year we saw him unable to follow his train in the Tour de La Provence and he could be having the same problems, if so he’s a harder pick. Now the time trial is done, does Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) try?
And yesterday..
Cmon Cav !!
Won't be many on here not rooting for cav I'm sure.
Seeing the pace with which he dispensed with phillipsen and rode Sagan off his wheel double quick it wouldn't be a wise man that bet against him.
Cav.
He and the team have their full belief back, it's a known finish for him, I think they'll throw everything they've got at this one.
The good thing for Cav is, he won't be the only team pushing on and clawing a break back, you'd expect FDJ and Alpecin will both be very much playing that game too. So hopefully we'll end up with a good battle for the line.
As with the other day... it's any of 4-5 of them for the win though, but yeah the Cav fella is certainly right at the top of that list.
Cav FTW.
I've got everything crossed.
Expected finish time between 4:26 and 4:44 I will be watching. Come on Cav, I am not sure I have any tears left after Tuesday though.
Got to be him hasn't it
Thanks @lunge for setting these up every day, chapeau to you!
I'd love to see Cav take another today, but Sonny Colbrelli has been quietly lurking at the sharp end of the last few stages so I think we may well see him up in the mix again.
It may not be Cav though, wearing green and being the last sprint winner makes you a marked man so all the other sprinters will be watching him, sitting on his wheel, disrupting his leadout man...
Cav must be in the mix. His timing, ability & one of the best lead outs make him as much a favourite as anyone surely!
I am not a big watching sports fan much prefer to take part, I am genuinely so nervous for the prospects of another CAV win it must be terrible if you spend your life watching sport.
green and being the last sprint winner makes you a marked man so all the other sprinters will be watching him, sitting on his wheel, disrupting his leadout man…
Yeah no one knows how to deal with all of that better than cav and quickstep.....
I still wouldn't be against him. He's already said this one's special as it's where it all started.
Huge Cav fanboi here, so would love to see him take another. My one concern would be how fresh he's feeling, he put in more of an effort yesterday than all of the other sprinters (he finished the TT in about 75th I think) Hopefully it wont have taken too much out of his legs.
an A lister break!
Kasper Asgreen is a beast ! 😀
last sprint winner makes you a marked man so all the other sprinters will be watching him, sitting on his wheel, disrupting his leadout man…
basically the last 15 years of his life (apart from the dark years), it's what he's lived and breathed for many many tours, people have always tried it and mostly failed... so he'll be ready for whatever they throw in the mix.
That break is super strong!!! Course is probably too flat for them, but crazy that that selection got away!
FFS at this rate they're going to be finished well before I get home!!!! Over 50kmh average so far
you speak too soon, break has sat up and so has the peloton
LOL I don't want to be here..... 🙁
Looks like G and Roglic have paid a price for yesterdays effort.
How so @klunk? Not seen anything on the CN ticker, which is how I'm following 😭
just both sitting right at the back of the peloton when the race was on, and G is now not riding in the his teams train as per (back in now).
stunning route today, don't think the break are up for this 😀
Intermediate spring coming up, looks a hell of a fast entry into it!
GvA and Kluge still tapping on.
Ooh, that all looked a bit tense, lots of wagging fingers and words afterwards... Sagan got properly boxed in, looked like a deliberate blocking running him towards the barriers.
Bouhanni leaning into Cav, Cav didn't even notice 😀
And GCN + not working!
What was the points for the intermediate sprint?
Bit confused by all the posturing afterwards?
I thought Sagan got proper squeezed and actually took it remarkably well
ignore, load of formatting text.
points on bbc website live link, @ 1527
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/live/cycling/55508978
Thanks for the BBC link.
shame there's no wind as it looks quite exposed and a good distance out 🙁
Winding up the pace now. Can he do it again? Can he?! Might be some shouting at the screen coming up 🙂
Yeah, this is going to be another close one, especially if GvA and RK decide to really go for it and can work together.
the AG2R spoilers are looking for some agro 😀
Demare's leadout man gone down, looks like just a single rider. Breakaway caught.
COME ON CAV!
I feel more tense than I should do.
You absolute LEGEND!!
Outstanding!!
<Frantically refreshes Guardian live blog>
EDIT: Hells yeah!
Yes!!!!!!!!
too quick for them!!!!
Yes boy. The guy is just a machine. How do you read events unfolding at those kinds of speeds and whilst under such physical exertion? To swap trains like that and then boom. Unreal
Legend