Boonen clings on to Yellow Jersey, despite no stage win

Robbie McEwen shows class in stage six

Stage 6, Tour de France

The 189km sixth stage from Lisieux to Vitre ended in a bunch sprint to the finish, with as many as 147 out of the 171 riders clocking the same time. Robbie McEwen, the Australian sprinter racing for Davitamon produced a splendid finish in the face of stiff competion from Daniele Bennati and the leader Tom Boonen. The finish mirrored the reason why many consider McEwen among the finest finishers in contemporary cycling. It is his third stage victory in this tour, and sets him up nicely in the race for the green jersey, his main objective here at the Tour de France.

Tom Boonen finished third on the stage, but enough for him to slip into the yellow jersey for a fourth successive day without winning a single stage. Boonen will do well to enjoy his time in it, as the pecking order is set to change tomorrow; the time trail will showcase the more realistic contenders for the final honours. The first meaningful breakaway happened at the 9km mark with Auge cutting loose from the peloton. He was joined by four others, but their party did not last long as they were reigned back by the 32nd kilometre. After a period of subdued cycling, Auge and Vaugrenard set themselves free and were later joined by a host of riders including Boonen as they approached the 50 kilometre mark.

However, this group came apart and were reduced to just the threesome of Backsted, Brard and Geslin. They built up a lead of just over 3 minutes as they cycled 90 km into the sixth stage. The peloton was content riding in the knowledge that the trio at the front were within striking distance. As the race progressed, the leaders were giving away time, with twenty to the finish they had a mere minute to show for their adventurous work. The peloton turned on the heat by now, cutting the lead down to 25 seconds. There were just ten kilometres left to the finish. The setting was just right for the sprinters to take over. The escape group melted back into the peloton with 4km left to end the stage. The riders from Lampre and Quickstep did everything they could to control the final stretches, but could not match the brilliance of Geert Steegmans, who set up McEwen’s burst to the finish to perfection. McEwen was liberal in his praise for his teammate at the end of the race, but he better be. He owed his 11th career stage victory as much to his own finishing skills as to the tireless work of Steegmans. The end of the first week will be marked by a time trial on Saturday.