Tour de France 2024: Groenewegen conquered stage 6 in an electrifying sprint and Egan Bernal remains strong

Dylan Groenewegen He took the victory in a very fast fraction that was decided in an electrifying final package with the photo finish. Tadej Pogacar keep leading, Egan Bernal He maintained his tenth position in the general classification and Fernando Gaviria was in the top 5.

The long stage was designed for sprinters. On Thursday, all eyes were on the British rider. Mark Cavendish, who won the fifth fraction, surpassed the historical record of Eddy Merckx and could go for a new victory.

Fruitless escape

The 163.5km flat stage started in the town of Macon, and the peloton faced the long route to the finish line in the city of Dijon, where a thrilling ending was expected.

Jonas Abrahamsen and Axel Zingle They were the first to try to break away from the peloton and launch the breakaway of the day. Both riders managed to ride 45 seconds ahead of the main group at the start of the race, but everything would soon fade away.

The peloton picked up the pace and did not allow the breakaway to have any chance of survival. The teams began to adjust their strategies, Visma tried to cover Pogacar who was seen alone, and the UAE Team did not appear with its leader.

Pure strategy

The stage was calm for Colombian Egan Bernal, who got scared after 100 kilometres due to a rival’s manoeuvre. The Ineos rider was asking for calm with his hands.

Back, the record man Mark Cavendish He was losing ground to the peloton after a mechanical problem. But the Briton picked up the pace and rejoined the pack.

The group rolled in a single block, packers like Fernando Gaviria, Mark Cavendish, Jasper Philipsen and Biniam Girmay They had a great opportunity to win the stage, the final decision was going to be between the best sprinters in the world.

With 10 kilometers to go to the finish line, the Astana He was the one who set the pace and deployed the tactics to launch the attack for victory. The scare came when a group of cyclists fell to the ground and almost triggered a chain fall.

The fast stage reached its final stretch, the dangerous curves before the finish line arrived and the cyclists were going over 60 kilometres per hour. Each team made its own strategy.

Fernando Gaviria seemed covered and four sprinters launched themselves for the victory, but it was the Dutchman Dylan Groenewegen who took the victory with a photo finish.

HAROLD YEPES

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