In this paper the race on Wednesday Jura mountains tomorrow, Stage 6 represents the last chance for the sprinters to shine this side of the Alps.
The longest stage of the race at 227.5km, therefore, destined to follow the usual pattern of the previous two days, where the stage was a long gap staggered closer to the finish.
"Yesterday was very emotional, and today I'm really happy," said Cavendish after his victory. "As always, the guys did a great job working hard all the way to finish, and I can not thank them enough for that.
"HTC-Colombia is not a group of eight guys and me. I'm just the last rider in a block of nine people," he added.
Michael Rogers has made some really good work in the final kilometers, and then I went with Mark Renshaw in the end, the Isle of Man went on: "followed by a train a team to another. Finally, all I had to do was finish my team is good work, giving it all, with 200 meters to go.
Almost immediately after the flag was discontinued at the end 7.1km neutral zone Mathieu Perget (Caisse d'Epargne) attacked. He was quickly joined by Sebastian Lang (OmegaPharma-Lotto) and Ruben Perez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) and the trio had a falling away day.
18 km point 3 riders leadership 6'50 ", their lead reached a maximum 8 minutes after 53km, when HTC-Columbia sent the former world time trial champion Bert Grabsch on the front, and he began to descend.
Perget obviously designs on peas mountains jersey, passing compatriot Jerome Pineau (Quick Step), as he led a group on each of the 4 categories in the stage of ascent.
As in the previous stages, he was on HTC-Columbia team Cavendish to withdraw three fugitives riders, with the Belgian time trial champion Maxim Montfort move forward to help Grabsch. As before, though, the American team was aided by Stuart O'Grady, from Saxo team race, Fabian Cancellara of the bank.
As the race entered its final 25 kilometers, with a gap in the leading riders up to a minute, a former French champion Dmitri Champion (AG2R-La Mondiale) attacked peloton on the lower slopes of the final climb at Cote de la Croix-de-L'Arbre. When he came up with three riders behind him, Anthony Charteau (Bbox Bouyges Telecom), and he too joined in the front of the race, when they crossed the top of the climb.
The fresh legs of Champion and Charteau break, which now number five, was a new impetus, but with teams of sprinters' tends not to miss your chance on this side of the mountains, this gap had narrowed to just 21 seconds at 15 km to go banner.
It certainly turned away from its south easterly course to go to a more southerly direction, a fair wind, that breakaway was used during most of the day was a crosswind. Many of the major contenders race began to move forward to avoid being caught for the possibility of a split, the first Lance Armstrong brought his team to RadioShack, Alberto Contador came up with some teammates in Astana, and then world champion Cadel Evans was brought to the BMC Racing Team USA and competed in George Hincapie.
Exposed to the road passed without incident, although the yellow jersey contenders fell back pursuers green again.
All this maneuvering in the peloton pushed to accelerate further, and with the breakaway riders do not enjoy a fair wind, they were caught with 10 kilometers to go, much sooner than expected.
With no more to worry about separatist groups sprinters began the struggle for control over the front of the peloton. Three-time world champion Michael Rogers (HTC-Columbia), put in a great place before Cervelo TestTeam took over, they too have been usurped Garmin-strong transitions Jurgen Van Summeren.
HTC-Columbia took over again, with Danilo Hondo (Lampre-Farnese Vini) penetrate on behalf of the stage 1 and 4 winner Alessandro Petacchi. It was Garmin-crossings, under the leadership of David Millar, who took the peloton in the final stages, though, with team-mates Julian Dean and Robbie Hunter on the wheels in the Scotsman.
Hidden behind three riders Argyle though he was Hondo, Mark Renshaw (HTC-Colombia) Cavendish shepherding him. Along with individual trains team riders Sky, with Juan Antonio Flecha leading Geraint Thomas and Edvald Boasson Hagen.
Garmin-transition team successfully negotiated the corners of meandering a few hundred meters to go, but hesitated for Hunter, Dean stopped because their sprinter Tyler Farrar was in the crowd, which builds on the wheel in Cavendish. This is a small quiet pace was the signal for Renshaw to speed up and start Manx missile on the line.
Again, as soon as Cavendish was up to speed no one even looked like catching him, and he took something like an easy victory. Farrar, continues to sprint with a broken wrist and elbow bandaged took his best result of the tour until the second place. Petacchi to put disappointing eighth in yesterday for them to finish third, and a green t-shirt owner's Thor Hushovd (Cervelo TestTeam) only manage disappointing tenth Italian moved within 3 points of him in this competition.
All Peloton seemed to end back together, but a small split and only the first 14 riders were at the same time, Cavendish. The race leader Cancellara and most of the other contenders were caught from behind, but the second place champion UK Geraint Thomas was before the split and gets 3 seconds in the overall standings.
Swiss rider holds on to his race as the race heads to the mountains, he is now only 20 seconds ahead of Welshman though, who will be hoping to take the first ever yellow jersey of his career on the mountain to finish the station des Rousses tomorrow.
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