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Back to 2013 Giro page | Photos from stage 6 (below results and stage maps) |

Stage 6, Thursday, May 9: Mola di Bari - Margherita di Savoia, 169 km

The Race: The day's break of Cameron Wurf and Jack Bobridge was caught before the start of the first of three times across the finish line (about 35 km to go). As that was happening Bradley Wiggins was getting a repair and was being paced back up to the pack by most of his team.

With Sky off the back a massive crash blocked more than half the field and it seemed like an eternity (actually about a minute) before the stopped riders could get going again. It looked as if the lead group didn't press its advantage while many of the contenders chased. with 20 km to Go the Sky (and lots of others) riders made contact. A lot of other riders (such as Filippo Pozatto) still had to chase as the peloton started to speed up in anticipation of the sprint.

In the sprint Argos-Shimano went too soon, giving a perfect leadout to Omega Pharma and Mark Cavendish, who delivered a flawless sprint.

Results:

1. Mark Cavendish (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) 3hr 56min 3sec. 42.957 km/hr
2. Elia Viviani (Cannondale) s.t.
3. Matthew Harley Goss (Orica-GreenEdge) s.t.

4. Nacer Bouhanni (FDJ) s.t.
5. Mattia Gavazzi (Androni Giocattoli) s.t.
6. Manuel Belletti (Ag2r) s.t.
7. Davide Appollonio (Ag2r) s.t.
8. Giacomo Nizzolo (Radio Shack) s.t.
9. Matti Breschel (Saxo-Tinkoff) s.t.
10. Roberto Ferrari (Lampre-Merida) s.t.
11. Edwin Alcibiad Avila (Colombia) s.t.
12. Kenny Dehaes (lotto-Belisol) s.t.
13. Adam Blythe (BMC) s.t.
14. Iljo Keisse (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) s.t.
15. Ioannis Tamouridis (Euskaltel) s.t.
16. Stefano Pirazzi (Bardiani-CSF) s.t.
17. Francisco Ventoso (Movistar) s.t.
18. John Degenkolb (Argos-Shimano) s.t.
19. Arnold Jeannesson (FDJ) s.t.
20. Pavel Brutt (Katusha) s.t.
21. Luca Paolini (Katusha) s.t.
22. Sacha Modolo (Bardiani-CSF) s.t.
23. Giairo Ermeti (Androni Giocattoli) s.t.
24. Gert Steegmans (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) s.t.
25. Koen De Kort (Argos-Shimano) s.t.
26. Robert Hunter (Garmin-Sharp) s.t.
27. Gert Dockx (lotto-Belisol) s.t.
28. Dirk Bellemekaers (Lotto-Belisol) s.t.
29. Cadel Evans (BMC) s.t.
30. Michele Scarponi (Lampre-Merida) s.t.
31. Paolo Longo Borghini (Cannondale) s.t.
32. Giampaolo Caruso (Katusha) s.t.
33. Lars Ytting Bak (Lotto-Belisol) s.t.
34. Dalivier Ospina (Colombia) s.t.
35. Daniele Bennati (Saxo-Tinkoff) s.t.
36. Alessandro Vanotti (Astana) s.t.
37. Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) s.t.
38. Przemyslaw Niemiec (Astana) s.t.
39. Steve Morabito (BMC) s.t.
40. Mauro Santambrogio (Vini Fantini) s.t.
41. Alex Dowsett (Movistar) s.t.
42. Filipe Oliviera (Radio Shack) s.t.
43. Tanel Kangert (Astana) s.t.
44. Peter Stetina (Garmin-Sharp) s.t.
45. Oscar Gatto (Vini Fantini) s.t.
46. Sonny Colbrelli (Bardiani-CSF) s.t.
47. Francesco Checchi (Vini Fantini) s.t.
48. Diego Rosa (Androni Giocattoli) s.t.
49. Guillaume Bonnafond (Ag2r) s.t.
50. Ivan Santaromita (BMC) s.t.

GC after Stage 6:

1. Luca Paolini (Katusha) 23hr 52min 42sec
2. Rigoberto Uran (Sky) @ 17sec
3. Benat Intxausti (Movistar) @ 26sec
4. Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) @ 31sec
5. Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Sharp) @ 34sec
6. Bradley Wiggins (Sky) s.t.
7. Giampaolo Caruso (Katusha) @ 36sec
8. Sergio Henao (Sky) @ 37sec
9. Mauro Santambrogio (Vini Fantini) @ 39sec
10. Cadel Evans (BMC) @ 42sec
11. Thomas Danielson (Garmin-Sharp) 2 42sec
12. Robert Gesink (Blanco) 2 45sec
13. Yury Trofimov (Katusha) 2 46sec
14. Ivan Santaromita (BMV) s.t.
15. Pieter Weening (Orica-GreenEdge) @ 54sec
16. Robert Kiserlovski (Radio Shack) @ 1min 0sec
17. Fabio Aru (Astana) @ 1min 15sec
18. Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel) @ 1in 18sec
19. Steven Kruijswijk (Blanco) @ 1min 19sec
20. Michele Scarponi (Lampre-Merida) @ 1min 23sec
21. Przemyslaw Niemiec (Lampre-Merida) s.t.
22. Rafael Valls (Vacansoleil) @ 1min 25sec
23. Rafal Majka (Saxo-Tinkoff) @ 1min 34sec
24. Franco Pellizotti (Androni Giocattoli) @ 1min 37sec
25. Michal Golas (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) s.t.
26. Carlos Alberto Betancur (Ag2r) @ 1min 41sec
27. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ag2r) s.t.
28. Steve Morabito (BMC) @ 1min 49sec
29. Jorge Azanza (Euskaltel) @ 1min 52sec
30. Danilo Di Luca (Vini Fantini) @ 2min 15sec
31. Peter Stetina (Garmin-Sharp) @ 2min 18sec
32. Wilco Kelderman (Blanco) @ 2min 21sec
33. Diego Rosa (Androni Giocattoli) @ 2min 24sec
34. José Rodolfo Serpa (Lampre-Merida) @ 2min 32sec
35. Damiano Caruso (Cannondale) @ 2min 38sec
36. Juan Manuel Garate (Blanco) @ 2min 42sec
37. Evgeni Petrov (Saxo-Tinkoff) @ 2min 46sec
38. Arnold Jeannesson (FDJ) @ 2min 48sec
39. Tiago Machado (Radio Shack) @ 2min 53sec
40. Manuel Francesco Bongiorno (Bardiani-CSF) @ 2min 55sec
41. Rory Sutherland (Saxo-Tinkoff) @ 2min 57sec
42. Darwin Atapuma (Colombia) @ 2min 59sec
43. Francis de Greef (Lotto-Belisol) @ 3min 3sec
44. Cayetano Sarmiento (Cannondale) @ 3min 4sec
45. Stefano Pirazzi (Bardiani-CSF) @ 3min 6sec
46. Andres Duarte (Colombia) s.t.
47. Enrico Battaglin (Bardiani-CSF) @ 3min 7sec
48. Francis Mourey (FDJ) @ 3min 9sec
49. Petr Ignatenko (Katusha) @ 3min 18sec
50. Tanel Kangert (Astana) @ 3min 20sec

Points Competition:

1. Mark Cavendish (Omega Pharma-Quick Step): 58 points
2. Elia Viviani (Cannondale): 52
3. Luca Paolini (Katusha): 35
4. Nacer Bouhanni (FDJ): 31
5. John Degenkolb (Argos-Shimano): 30

Climber's Competition:

1. Giovanni Visconti (Movistar): 14 points
2. Stefano Pirazzi (Bardiani-CSF): 11
3. Robinson Chalapud (Colombia): 9
4. Willem Wouters (Vacansoleil): 9
5. Danilo Di Luca (Vini Fantini): 5

Young Rider:

1. Fabio Aru (Astana) 23hr 53min 57sec
2. Rafal Majka (Saxo-Tinkoff) @ 19sec
3. Carlos Alberto Betancur (Ag2r) @ 26sec
4. Wilco Kelderman (Blanco) @ 1min 6sec
5. Diego Rosa (Androni Giocattoli) @ 1min 6sec

Team Classification:

1. Katusha: 70hr 55min 0sec
2. Sky @ 24sec
3. Astana @ 45sec
4. BMC @ 1min 19sec
5. Garmin-Sharp @ 1min 48sec

Stage 6 map

Stage 6 profile

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Photos from Stage 6:

Sir Wiggo reads the morning paper

Just some bikies hanging out waiting for the ride to start.

The classification jersey wearers before the stage start, from left: Luca Paolini, Giovanni Visconti, Fabio Aru, John Degenkolb

Euskaltel motorhome and team cars.

Panorama

Jack Bobridge leads Cameron Wurf

Cameron Wurf and Jack Bobridge (hidden) couldn't make their break stick.

Here's the biggest reason why. Omega Pharma-Quick Step wasn't going to let this one slip away.

Out in the country

Luca Paolini is riding a really smart race. He stays up front and out of trouble. Tomorrow has some heavy roads and stage 8 is a time trial. It will be a surprise if he's in pink at the start of stage 9.

Mountains leader Giovanni Visconti. This was taken before he got torn up in a crash late in the stage.

The pack rounds a corner

Filippo Pozzato had to chase a long time after the crash, but he did rejoin the main group.

Christian Vande Velde after the stage finished

Vladimir Karpets is still turning the pedals

Samuel Sanchez

That makes two Giro stage wins this year for Cavendish

Luca Paolini is still the leader.