Mark Cavendish of Team Dimension Data won stage six of this year’s Tour de France to secure a third stage win for him so far in 6 days, taking his career total to 29 stage wins. Day 6 saw cyclists cover a distance of 190.5km from Arpajon-sur-Cère to Montauban as Cavendish came out on top of a thrilling sprint finish ahead of Marcel Kittel to take back the green jersey. He finished first with a timing of 4:43:48.
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Germany’s Marcel Kittel, who had stage 4 of the race came second, followed by Briton Dan McClay in the third position. Norway’s Alexander Kristoff of Team Katusha and Frenchman Christophe Laporte of Team Cofidis completed the top five.
"Oh my God – that was terrifying. That was like the old days of wheel-surfing. It was just carnage in the final," said an emotional Cavendish. "We were a little too far back, Bernie [Eisel] and I, going into that. Guys were 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."
The win puts Cavendish second on the list of most stage wins in Tour de France after he leapfrogged the legendary Bernard Hinault with a total tally of 29 wins on the tour in his career and he is now five behind give-time Tour winner Eddy Merckx of Belgium.
Cavendish also jumped above Slovakia’s Peter Sagan of Team Tinkoff in the battle for the green jersey after the world champion could only finish in sixth place – his lowest finish so far in the 103rd edition of the Grande Boucle. Stage 7 of the race will see cyclists race from L'Isle-Jourdain to Lac de Payolle, covering a distance of 162.5km in the medium-mountain range.
| S.No | Cyclist/Country/Team | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mark Cavendish (GB) Dimension Data | 1 |
| 2 | Marcel Kittel (Ger) Etixx - Quick-Step | 2 |
| 3 | Dan McLay (GB) Fortuneo-Vital Concept | 3 |
| 4 | Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Katusha | 4 |
| 5 | Christophe Laporte (Fra) Cofidis | 5 |
