Things are turning around, finally, for Marcel Kittel. He managed to deliver once again for Katusha-Alpecin as he took the sixth stage of Tirreno-Adriatico, beating Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) into second despite another big crash that tore up the peloton with 8 kilometres to go before the finish.
The day started with a breakaway of Jacopo Mosca (Wilier-Selle Italia) Artem Nych (Gazprom-Rusvelo, Marcus Burghardt (Bora-Hansgrohe), and the previous escapee Krists Neilands (Israel Cycling Academy).
They built an advantage of 3 minutes over the peloton by 30 kilometres. Burghardt was first over the climb of Ostra whilst Jacopo Mosca (Wilier-Selle Italia) took the intermediate sprint at Jesi to cement his hold on the points jersey. Burghardt was too powerful for his rivals on the Ostra climb and went for a solo foray, whilst the trio of Neilands, Nych and Mosca swapped turns in a bid to try and reel back the German champion. However they were going nowhere fast, and it was up to Phlippe Gilber, stretching his legs for Quick-Step, to make sure that he was in top form for San Remo whilst also making sure that Fernando Gaviria had the best chance possible of taking a stage win.
There were isolated incidents such as a puncture for Adam Yates, a comedown from his fantastic win yesterday for Mitchelton-Scott, and then again for Jakub Mareczko (Wilier-Selle Italia), August Jensen (Israel Cycling Academy) and Jan Polanc (UAE-Team Emirates).
The circuit came and with it the tantalising prospect of three bonus seconds, with BMC and well to deny Sky’s Michal Kwiatkowski any bonus seconds thanks to the enterprise of Greg Van Avermaet and Paddy Bevin, who denied the current Magalia Azura any more bonus seconds.
Etappe 6 🏁
1🇩🇪 Marcel Kittel (Katusha)
2🇸🇰 Peter Sagan (Bora)
3🇦🇷 Max Richeze (Quick-Step)
Rapport📝▶️
📺 RCS
There was an anticipated bunch sprint as Burghardt was caught and with plenty of time too; Geraint Thomas, on the other hand, had another awfully timed mechanical with just before 10 kilometres to go on the stage; After that was the second big crash of the race – which this time, took down Fernando Gaviria, the man that Quick-Step had been working so hard for on the front. Peter Sagan just managed to avoid the crash, although several were not quite so lucky, and with three kilometres to go Sagan as well as others, took up the reins in the crucial front of the race.
Sagan cut his way thorough the bunch as Katusha went right towards the front, soon to be joined by a flood of teams who were aiming to their their best riders in prime positioned for the flat run in.
It would be Quick-Step, not un-ironically, that would lead the field into the straight, but Marcel Kittel would prove too strong for the field and take a second win.
Result:
1 Marcel Kittel (Ger) Katusha-Alpecin 3:49:54
2 Peter Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe
3 Maximiliano Richeze (Arg) Quick-Step Floors
4 Sacha Modolo (Ita) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale
5 Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Quick-Step Floors
6 Jens Debusschere (Bel) Lotto Soudal
7 Marco Canola (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini
8 Simone Consonni (Ita) UAE Team Emirates
9 Eduard Grosu (Rom) Nippo Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini
10 Rick Zabel (Ger) Katusha-Alpecin
General classification:
1 Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Team Sky 25:21:22
2 Damiano Caruso (Ita) BMC Racing Team 0:00:03
3 Mikel Landa (Spa) Movistar Team 0:00:23
4 Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky 0:00:29
5 Rigoberto Uran (Col) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale 0:00:34
6 Adam Yates (GBr) Mitchelton-Scott 0:00:36
7 Davide Formolo (Ita) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:00:37
8 Tiesj Benoot (Bel) Lotto Soudal 0:00:39
9 George Bennett (NZl) LottoNL-Jumbo 0:00:41
10 Jaime Roson (Spa) Movistar Team 0:00:47