2017 Tour de France Stage 6 Results & Recap
Stage 6 of the 2017 Tour de France is in the books. The final results and standings are below, followed by our recap of how the race unfolded.
Race Recap
Kittel takes second sprint victory of Tour de France, again ahead of Démare
by Evan Hartig
Marcel Kittel (Quick-Step Floors) took his second stage victory of the 2017 Tour de France Thursday on a hot day in Troyes.
The big German sprinter came from behind to best Frenchman Arnaud Démare (FDJ) and compatriot André Greipel (Lotto-Soudal) who took second and third, respectively. Kittel didn’t make his final move until 75 meters out, the headwind final making a sprint from behind advantageous.\nFirst of all I want to say I am very proud of my team,” Kittel said. “It was a very different sprint than in Liège. It was really important to bring me to the front at the key moment, and keep me there. I had a good wheel, first from Démare, and then I had to go at 250 up to the front. It went perfect. I was in great position, a little bit behind so I could see where others went. I feel good at the moment.”
After an intense summit finish on yesterday’s Stage 5 to La Planche des Belles Filles, the peloton rolled out slowly from Vesoul for Stage 6.
The day seemed to function as a rest day for many of the GC riders and their teams going into this weekend’s mountain stages. It was going to be a day for the sprinters, with two Category 4 climbs on tap along with a perfectly flat run into the town of Troyes.
It would be a more open race in the the absence of Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data), another chance for the sprinters who missed out on the chaotic finish in Vittel.
Perrig Quemeneur (Direct Energie) was the first aggressor after the neutral flag dropped. Frederik Backaert (Wanty-Groupe Gobert) and Vegard Stake Laengen (UAE Emirates) were in tow, and the trio quickly distanced themselves from the field. Their gap rose to over four minutes by kilometer 30, as behind, the main field took lunch and conversation.
The sprinters’ teams wouldn’t have a day completely in the absence of work, however, with Nacer Bouhanni’s Cofidis squad and Kittel’s Quick-Step Floors teammates taking control of the chase. FDJ and Lotto-Soudal – working for sprinters Démare and Greipel — also took part in the chase.
There was one intermediate sprint at 135 kilometers into the stage, taken by Backaert within the breakaway. Behind in the field it was a battle of the sprinters and the 13 points for fourth across the line were taken by Démare – bolstering his lead in the green jersey points competition. Michael Matthews (Sunweb) and Greipel took 11 and 10 points, respectively.
With 20 kilometers remaining, the gap was under one minute. The pace in the peloton picked up, and a crosswind began to force diligent positioning for the riders in tow.
At eight kilometers out, the gap was under 30 seconds and the catch was inevitable. Quemeneur, Backaert, and Stake Laengen were finally caught at under three kilometers to the finish as world time-trial champion Tony Martin and his Katusha-Alpecin teammates arrived at the front and took a turn of speed for teammate Kristoff.
Quick-Step Floors moved up as a unit with Kittel at the back of their blue train and dropped him off into the last kilometer in perfect positioning. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Dimension Data) started his sprint from 500 meters out and functioned as a lead out for the men behind him. It looked to be Greipel’s race at 100 meters out, but Kittel, from behind, sling-shotted out of the draft and overtook Greipel and Dèmare for the win.
Kittel took the win, but Dèmare retains the green jersey, leading the competition with 170 points to Kittel’s 143.
“The green jersey is in my focus, but what is most important is to get points in stage victories, that is what counts,” Kittel said. “For the rest I will try in the intermediate sprints, and then we will see.”
There was no change in the general classification, meaning Chris Froome (Team Sky) retains the maillot jaune. Adam Yates (Orica-Scott) stays in the white jersey of best young rider, and Fabio Aru (Astana) will spend another day in the polka-dot jersey as King of the Mountains.
“As far as the Tour de France goes, it was as relaxed as it gets for us GC guys,” Froome said. “You just try to stay out of the wind, stay in the wheels and save as much energy as you can for the days coming up.”
Asked if Team Sky intends on defending the yellow jersey all the way to Paris, Froome said not necessarily — depending on which riders slip up the road.
“I wouldn’t mind giving the jersey up to a breakaway of guys with 15 or 20 minutes who don’t worry us too much about the GC,” he said. “I wouldn’t be too happy to give it up to any one of my rivals.”
Link: https://cyclingtips.com/2017/07/kittel-takes-second-sprint-victory-tour-de-france-ahead-demare/
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CAS court rejects Bora-hansgrohe’s appeal against Sagan’s Tour de France disqualification
by Shane Stokes
Troyes, France (CT) – Finally issuing its ruling two days after the Bora-hansgrohe team appealed Peter Sagan’s disqualification from the Tour de France, the Court of Arbitration for Sport has rejected the action.
It announced the ruling on Thursday afternoon, hours after the team told CyclingTips that it had lodged such an appeal.
“The Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) issued a decision rejecting an urgent request for provisional measures filed by the Slovak cyclist Peter Sagan and the Denk Pro Cycling team in the afternoon of 5 July 2017,” it said in a brief release.
“The rider and team appealed the exclusion of the rider by the UCI Commissaires Panel on 4 July 2017 following an incident during the sprint phase at the end of the 4th stage of the 2017 Tour de France (Mondorf-les-Bains to Vittel).
“Accordingly, Peter Sagan remains disqualified from the 2017 Tour de France.”
Speaking prior to the stage 6 start in Vesoul on Thursday, team press officer Ralph Scherzer told CyclingTips about the action.
“We appealed yesterday morning at the CAS because in the UCI rules, as far as we understood, there is no chance of an official appeal as the penalty was less than 200 Swiss francs,” he said. “Of course there is the possibility to go to CAS, and we hoped that CAS would decide on that case before the start [of stage 5].
“Peter was ready to race. He was not far away. So we just hid him a little to give him some quiet time, but he was there. But CAS unfortunately didn’t decide before the start, so we couldn’t put him on the line. We will still wait for the decision of the CAS.”
Asked if any decision against the Tour jury was purely symbolic, Scherzer disagreed. Indeed, he floated the possibility that the rider could be reinstated, even though he would have missed at least two stages of the race.
“I have no idea what will happen if the CAS says the decision was wrong because there were formal mistakes or anything. Because then it would mean that Peter is allowed to race.
“But how to put him in the race again…I have no idea. You would need to ask the UCI or lawyers or whatever. But officially [after such a decision], then he would be allowed to race.”
Following the CAS decision, this now will not happen. However it is possible the team may take alternative legal routes, seeking financial compensation in the courts for the rider’s exclusion from the race.
The Tour is the biggest platform for sponsors such as Bora and hansgrohe, and not having Sagan in the event means they will get less of a return for their investment. However it remains to be seen if the CAS decision will complicate any such move.
The court has not yet released its reasoned decision, and so it is unclear on what basis the appeal was rejected. Contacted by CyclingTips, Scherzer said that the team would not comment until it receives CAS’ explanation.
In a statement issued prior to the CAS decision, the team laid out its arguments as to why it felt the original decision was wrong.
“The team and Peter Sagan would like to reiterate their position that Peter Sagan did not cause, let alone deliberately, the fall of Mark Cavendish on the last 200m of the fourth stage on July 4, 2017. Peter Sagan stayed on his line and could not see Mark Cavendish on the right side.
“Although the UCI cycling regulations provide unambiguously that it is mandatory to hear a rider before any disciplinary decision is taken (Rule 12.2.006: ‘The Commissaires Panel may judge the matter only if the offending party has had a chance to defend his point of view […]’), Peter Sagan has not been given an opportunity to explain to the ‘Commissaires Panel’ his point of view.
“If the motion to suspend, on which the CAS will have to decide now, is granted, Peter Sagan will immediately re-engage in the Tour and, together with the team Bora – hansgrohe, compete for a successful Tour de France 2017.”
That possibility has now been extinguished, meaning Sagan must wait until next July before aiming for his sixth green jersey.
Speaking after winning stage 6, the day’s winner Marcel Kittel gave his thoughts on the original disqualification.
“The jury took a decision now. Of course there are people who support the decision. There are also people who do not,” he said.
“I see it a little bit like a decision which you have in football. When the referee makes his decision, this is a choice that we have to accept. That is at least what I do.
“I will concentrate now on what I must do and on my racing.”
He added that chasing what would be his first green jersey classification victory is a big goal. Previously he had said that he would only be able to do so if Sagan were out of the race.
Link: https://cyclingtips.com/2017/07/cas-court-rejects-bora-hansgrohes-appeal-sagans-tour-de-france-disqualification/
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