First modification: 07/01/2021 – 20:03
Mark Cavendish won the sixth stage of the 2021 Tour in Châteauroux in the sprint, ahead of Belgian Jasper Philipsen and Frenchman Nacer Bouhanni. With this second victory of the week, the Deceuninck-Quick Step sprinter is confirmed as the fastest sprinter in the peloton. And it comes within just two wins of Eddy Merckx’s all-time record at the ‘Grande Boucle’. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin Fenix) continues to lead the overall ahead of Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates).
After Tadej Pogacar’s blow on Wednesday’s time trial and before tomorrow’s long stage on July 2, it was expected that this Thursday’s stage would be a quiet one. On a route of 160.6 km between Tours and Châteauroux almost completely flat, the question was which of the sprinters was going to win the stage. Was Mark Cavendish going to repeat his victory?
The answer is a confirmation: the runner from the Isle of Man is the fastest man in the pack in the sprint. Well launched by his Deceuninck-Quick Step teammates he reached over 70 km / h to overtake Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin Fenix) and Nacer Bouhanni (Arkea Samsic), who collects the places of honor (for the third time on the podium of a stage).
“Every time we arrive at Châteauroux it seems to me that the goal is different. It has been 10 years since I won here, so today is very special,” said Cavendish who had raised his arms in this same city on the 2011 Tour.
With this victory, the 36-year-old increases his advantage in the best sprinter points classification. The Briton accumulates 148 points in front of Jasper Philipsen, who has 102 points and Nacer Bouhanni, 99. Cavendish keeps the green shirt then, but in his eyes he is in a historical record of the Tour de France: the one with the most victories in the ‘ Grande Boucle ‘.
The history of cycling is marked by numbers and names. One of the most famous and seemingly unattainable are Eddy Merckx’s 34 stage victories in the Tour de France. A record that was set in 1975 when the Belgian won his last stage on the Tour.
Before the start of this competition, Cavendish followed with 30 wins. In less than a week he is 32 and at this speed Mark Cavendish could catch up with Merckx shortly.
A day without a problem for the general favorites and a hopeless escape
The favorites had a quiet stage as they dreamed of after the hectic first days of this Tour. There was no bad surprise or changes in the general.
Mathieu van del Poel is still dressed in yellow, eight seconds ahead of Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), the best youngster, and Wout Van Aert (Jumbo Visma) third at 30 ‘. Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe follows them in the standings while Rigoberto Uràn (EF Education – Nippo) continues to be the best placed Latin rider (seventh at 1’29 of van der Poel). Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz (Ineos Grenadiers) is ninth at 1’44.
The sprinter teams did not want to leave the chance of a stage win at Châteauroux to other riders. A prospect that did not offer much hope to a group of escapees. Despite this, eight runners fled in the first few kilometers. But the presence in this group of adventurers capable of obtaining victory alone such as Søren Kragh Andersen (winner of two stages in the 2020 Tour) and Kasper Asgreen, another Danish rider, well placed in the general (eleventh to 1.49 of Tadej Pogacar), ended this attempt.
Neither the sprinter teams nor the favorites left more than a minute to this escape. After 30 kilometers, the platoon caught up with the escapees. Belgian Greg Van Avermaet (AG2R Citröen) present on the first escape attempt, went on a counterattack. He had up to 2’30 of advantage over the peloton and received the support of the German Roger Kluge (Lotto Soudal). The two men resisted until they were three kilometers from the finish line.
The longest stage of the Tour is coming
Tomorrow, July 2, for the seventh fraction of this Tour, the riders will have to travel 249 km between Vierzon and Le Creusot.
The longest stage of this edition and an unusual distance on the Tour. It has been 21 years since we have seen such a long journey on the ‘Grande Boucle’. In addition, it will have five mountain prizes.
Will the adventurers in the platoon manage to prevail in Le Creusot (such as Thomas de Gendt, Greg van Avermaet)? Or will some of the late favorites (such as Miguel Ángel López or Richie Porte, for example) attempt a strategic coup to reduce the difference with Tadej Pogacar?
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source https://pledgetimes.com/with-his-second-victory-cavendish-confirms-to-be-the-fastest-van-der-poel-remains-leader-of-the-tour/
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