Live Comments
16:25 - Congratulations to Thor Hushovd, and thanks for following today's coverage of stage 6 of the Tour de France here on eurosport.yahoo.com. Log in tomorrow for more coverage of stage 7, as we head into the high mountains.
16:20 - We've yet to receive confirmation of exactly where Cavendish finished, but in any case he keeps the green jersey - it's being presented to him at the moment.
16:15 - A run-down of the top 6: 1. Hushovd, 2 Freire, 3 Rojas, 4 Ciolek, 5 Pellizotti, 6 Pozzatto.
16:15 -
Pozzatto's running out of steam, Freire moves out of his wheel, BUT HERE COMES THOR HUSHOVD!!!! HUSHOVD TAKES THE STAGE!!!16:15 - 0.2km - Freire finds himself on the front now, but it's too early, and Pozzatto is coming storming through on the right hand side!
16:15 - 0.4km - Roman Kreuziger hits the front with 400 metres to go, though I can't see Bennati anywhere - maybe he's trying to set it up for Pellizotti!
16:15 - 0.7km - Romain Feillu hits the front now for Agritubel - he's certainly a punchy rider who could upset a few of the favourites.
16:14 - 1.3km - Millar is caught and passed as Tony Martin hits the front!
16:14 - 1.3km - Kurt-Asle Arevesen moves to teh front, and Millar is about to be caught!
16:13 - 1.5km - Menchov has been dropped again we are hearing! Incredible!
16:13 - 2.4km - 20 seconds the gap now - it's a nail-biting finish!!
16:12 - 3km - Gerald Ciolek and Oscar Freire have moved to the fore. Both of them will be viewing this as an ideal stage in which to record a stage victory - if it comes down to a sprint - that is.
16:10 - 4km - It looks like Millar is beginning to tire, and the gap is now down to 30 seconds! It looks like the advantage si with the peltoon now, especially with the final climb to come at the finish.
16:10 - 4.5km - Millar goes under the 5km barrier as Milram continue to work away at the front with Brett Lancaster!
16:08 - 6km - 40 seconds the gap now. Millar is down in his time-trial position, eeking every last drop of energy out of his body.
16:07 - 6.5km - Another crash! Tom Boonen's down along with others!!! That's his chances gone!!
16:06 - 7km - 47 seconds is the latest split, it's steadily coming down as they go past the Arc de Triomphe.
16:05 - 8km - A crash in the peloton!! Fumiyaki Beppu is down, as are Laurens Ten Dam and four or five others!! These wet roads have caused a lot of problems today!
16:05 - 9km - The sprinters' teams are really struggling to haul Millar back in. He looked in superb form in the TTT on Tuesday, and is showing it again today. Now Rabobank have moved forward to take up the chase.
16:03 - 10km - Even Caisse d'Epargne are on the front now. Perhaps they're planning something - they are after all a Franco-Spanish team.
16:03 - 11km - It's Quick Step and Milram who are doing the work on the front of the peloton at the moment. Katusha are bringing men forward too.
16:02 - 11km - At just 1'07" down on Fabian Cancellara, David Millar could also be forgiven for dreaming of the yellow jersey, though the peloton is quickening, and is about to swallow Txurruka and Pauriol.
16:02 - 12km - Meanwhile, race radio is suggesting Millar is extending his lead - it's up to 1'12" with 12km to go.
16:00 - 13km - The riders are arriving into Barcelona via Badalona. They are already into the urban area now, and the final climb to the finish as Montjuic is 1.7km at 3%.
15:57 - 15km - There's a long way to go, but Millar has given himself a chance. He's by no means favourite, but a rider of his time-trialling ability is very, very difficult to bring back in.
15:55 -
15.5km - The peloton are now 1'08" behind Millar, while Pauriol and Txurruka are 46" back, and these gaps are growing!!!15:55 - 16km - Pauriol has caught Txurruka! A great effort from the Cofidis man! Meanwhile, Astana are back on the front of the peloton.
15:53 - 18km - Pauriol is struggling to gain much time on the peloton. The likes of Cervelo and Rabobank are still desperate for this sprint finish.
15:50 - 20km - A very nervous descent of the Côte de la Conreria for both Millar and Txurruka, but the little Spaniard is coping better with the conditions, and is now just 10 seconds behind the Scot. Meanwhile, Chavanel and Augé have been caught, and Remi Pauriol has attacked from the peloton.
15:45 - 23km - Txurruka is 25 seconds behind Millar, while Chavanel and Augé are 40 seconds back.
15:40 - 26km - Amets Txurruka attacks too! He leaves Chavanel and Augé behind on a climb, and grits his teeth as he looks to catch Millar.
15:37 - 28km - None of the other three can follow the Scot, whose excellence as a time-triallist will no doubt stand him in good stead here.
15:35 - 29km - The peloton have closed to within 50 seconds...AND MILLAR ATTACKS FROM THE BREAKAWAY!!! He's going for it from a long way out!
15:35 - 30km - A fall at a roundabout in the peloton! AND HEINRICH HAUSSLER IS DOWN TOGETHER WITH TYLER FARRAR! A disaster for them, especially as they could be targeting a stage win today!! He seems okay. Michael Rogers is another who has gone down.
15:30 - 33km - The young riders classification is unlikely to be affected today. The white jersey is still on the shoulders of Columbia-HTC's Tony Martin. For the full white jersey standings click here
15:25 - 37km - The green jersey standings are also likely to be affected if and when these four leaders are reeled back in. The green jersey standings as they were before the stage are here
15:20 - 39km - We know for certain that the polka dot jersey will be changing hands today, from Jussi Veikkanen to Stéphane Augé.
15:20 - 40km - Of the leaders, David Millar is best-placed on the general classification at 1'07", while Sylvain Chavanel is 55th at 3'23". Stéphane Augé is 93rd at 4'40", and Txurruka is 95th at 4'49". Click here for full GC standings.
15:15 - 43km - Apparently the Katusha team sponsors have been travelling by yacht along the Mediterranean, following the race. This is of course the last stage finish they will be able to follow by boat before we head off into the Pyrenees tomorrow. A little pressure on Pippo Pozzato then to repay some of that hefty wage they're paying him. It's his kind of finish, though the likes of Freire, Ciolek and Hushovd will be thinking pretty much the same thing - as will Tom Boonen.
15:10 - 46km - Rabobank and Cervélo have moved back to the head of the peloton now, and have allowed th gap to the lead quartet to extend out to 1'45".
15:05 - 49km - The last man to join the breakaway today was Amets Txurruka, who looks positively tiny on his bike next to the tall figure of David Millar. The 26-year-old Basque, riding for Euskaltel, made his Tour debut in 2007, and was part of a long break alongside Pierrick Fedrigo that was caught less than a kilometre from the line. He was named the most combative rider of the entire Tour, though is yet to record any professional wins, though finished 8th on the GC at the Vuelta a Asturias this year.
15:05 - 51km - Fabian Cancellara is arm in arm with Tommy Voeckler, having a friendly chat as the roll their way back up to the peloton after dropping back to their team cars.
15:00 -
55km - The lead quartet are continuing to work away well, though the peloton remain well within striking distance at 1'30".14:55 - 60km - To be fair, he's unlikely to side with Armstrong after the two had a verbal spat earlier in the year. The Frenchman said he hoped Armstrong would stay away from the Tour, and that Contador would give him "a beating" if he did show up, to which Armstrong retorted: "What a wnker. Five Tour de France wins doesn't buy you any common sense."
14:55 -
61km - Here's Bernard Hinault's thoughts on the whole Armstrong-Contador sage. "If I were Contador, I would attack Armstrong tomorrow in the climb to Arcalis to set the record straight and show him who's the boss."To me, Contador is the natural team leader. He won the last three big Tours he entered and we don't know what Armstrong is really worth. We'll know tomorrow but for the time being, I believe Contador is stronger."14:50 - 64km - Augé has already had the polka dot jersey on his shoulders once before - in the 2007 Tour. He won it on the 3rd stage from Waregem to Compiègne (where you may remember Fabian Cancellara won the stage in a thrilling last kilometre) and he kept it for three days. Cofidis' Tour ended under a cloud that year as the whole team were forced to abandon due to Crisitan Moreni's positive test for testosterone after stage 17.
14:45 - 70km - The other member of the original breakaway trio is Stéphane Augé. The 34-year-old is something of a breakaway specialist. He turned pro with the Festina team in 2000, and after short stints with Jean Delatour and Crédit Agricole, has been with Cofidis since 2005. This is his seventh appearance in the Tour de France, and he is yet to record a stage win. His best overall placing was in 2002, when he finished 115th on the GC.
14:40 - 70km - Cadel Evans has a puncture, and five of his Silence-Lotto team drop back to pace him back up to the peloton.
14:35 - 71km - Augé takes the four points at the top of the Collsacreu, followed by Chavanel (3 points), Millar (2 points), and Txurruka (1 point) who has now joined the leaders. We now have a quartet out front.
14:35 - 74km - Amets Txurruka (Euskaltel) is still trying to bridge the gap to the three leaders, and is now just 30 seconds behind them, with the peloton at 1'30".
14:35 - 74km - Stéphane Augé now has the virtual polka dot jersey on his shoulders. The Cofidis man has moved to ten points, one more than Jussi Veikkanen.
14:30 - 77km - Amets Txurruka, the small Euskaltel rider, has broken away from the Astana-led peloton and is off in pursuit of the three leaders.
14:30 - 77km - Next up in our look at the three escapees is Sylvain Chavanel. The Frenchman is a three-time French national time-trial champion, and took his maiden stage victory in the Tour de France last year in Montluçon. His brother, Sébastien rides for the Française des Jeux team, though is more of a sprinter than an all-rounder. Chavanel raised eyebrows in his home country in the Winter when opting to join the Belgian Quick Step squad, moving away from Cofidis. His results this year have been solid, the highlight being his impressive 3rd place in Paris-Nice.
14:30 - 78km - The three breakaway riders are taking it very easy on the descent of the Sant Vincenc. The last thing they want is for a fall to hamper their progress further.
14:25 -
84km - Today's poll focusses on the stages we have seen so far. It has been one of the most exciting starts to a Tour de France in years, with even seemingly innucuous flat stages producing fierce racing and great excitement. Which stage have you enjoyed the most? Click here to vote14:25 -
85km - Yesterday's poll produced some interesting results. Click the following link to view your thoughts on who should lead the Astana team: Poll results14:20 - 85km - The peloton are now at the foot of the Sant Vicenc de Montalt - a third-category climb. It's 3.3km at 5.2%.
14:20 -
86km - The rain has eased off a little, but it's still a cloudy day here in Northern Spain, as Astana move to the front to string out the peloton.14:15 - 89km - More falls in the peloton! David Le Lay (Agritubel) and Pierrick Fedrigo (Bouygues) have gone down, but fortunately are fie to get straight back on their bikes. Le Lay has a few problems with his bike though, and drops back to change his wheel.
14:10 -
92km - The gap has dropped again. The pressure of Cervelo and Rabobank has brought it down to 2'10".14:10 - Let's take a closer look at these three breakaway riders, starting with Britain's David Millar. The outspoken Scot has certainly had an eventful career, and shot to prominence in 2000 by winning the first stage of the Tour de France at Futuroscope, and thus taking the yellow jersey for a few days. In 2004 he admitted to using EPO, and returned from a two-year ban in time for the Tour de France in 2006 with the Saunier Dival team. He moved to Garmin-Slipstream in 2008, and was part of the American squad who won the opening TTT at the Giro d'Italia last year.
14:05 - 95km - Millar picks up the six points at the intermediate sprint, followed by Chavanel (4 points) and Augé (2 points).
14:00 - 100km - We're just 4km from the second intermediate sprint of the day at Sant Pol de Mar (KM95,5). After that, the breakaway will reach the feeding zone at Can Villa (KM88).
14:00 - Gonzalo Ramirez (Agritubel) has also succumbed to the wet road surfaces and has fallen, though he's back up on his bike and away before long.
13:55 - Miller, Augé and Chavanel have seen their advantage cut to 2'50". Perhaps a few too many teams have an interest in a sprint finish for a break to succeed today.
13:50 - It will be interesting to see what kind of reception awaits Lance Armstrong in Barcelona today. The Spanish press have portrayed Armstrong more or less as the devil himself, undermining Contador's position as team leader. The situation was aggravated yet further when Armstrong, Zubeldia and Popovych worked to extend their group's advantage over Contador's group after the split in the peloton on stage 3
13:45 - 3'20" is the latest split from Augé, Millar and Chavanel back to the peloton.
13:40 - The Rabobank, Cervélo and Milram teams are doing the work at the front of the peloton at the moment, working for Oscar Freire, Thor Hushovd and Gerald Ciolek respectively. The uphill stage finish to Montjuic means it is far more difficult - though by no means impossible - for Mark Cavendish, so perhaps a chance for another sprinter to grab a stage win.
13:35 - Sylvain Chavanel crosses the line first at the intermediate sprint at Lloret De Mar first and picks up the six points. Stéphane Augé is second and picks up four points, while Millar takes the remaining two.
13:30 -
As mentioned earlier, Rabobank's young Dutch star Robert Gesink has had to abandon after breaking a bone in his arm, but team boss Erik Breukink backed his man to return stronger. Click here for full interview.13:25 - Bernhard Eisel, Mikel Astarloza and Ryder Hesjedal have fallen on the descent toward Tossa de Mar. Leonardo Duque has also gone down, and seems to have hurt his wrist. The wet roads are making for slippery conditions.
13:20 -
2'20" is the latest gap from the lead trio back to the peloton, who seem content to let them go, abeit on a reasonably tight leash.13:15 - Stéphane Augé takes the three points at the summit of the Côte de Tossa de Mar, followed by Chavanel (2 points) and Millar (1 point).
13:10 - And listen to LIVE commentary from David Harmon and Sean Kelly (this is Eurosport International not British International)... here
13:10 - The Tour de France is LIVE NOW on British Eurosport (Sky 410 / Virgin Media 521) and is also available on your PC via the Eurosport Player click here to subscribe
13:05 - Stéphane Augé has managed to get back on level terms with David Millar and Sylvain Chavanel, and the three have 1'00" over the peloton.
13:00 -
The average speed over the first hour of racing was a fairly hectic 46.8km/h. Which is the reason why is took so long for a breakaway to form.12:55 - Millar, Chavanel and Augé manage to break clear on the descent towards Tossa de Mar, though Augé is unable to keep pace. Millar and Chavanel - both strong rouleurs - now have 55 seconds on the peloton.
12:55 - Carlos Sastre hits the tarmac!! The defending champion have dropped back to pace him back to the fast-moving peloton. I suppose accidnets were inevitable given the strength of the rain that started to fall in the last few minutes.
12:50 - The rain is really starting to come down now in Northern Spain. Heavy showers are lashing the roads, raising the chances of falls in the pack.
12:45 - A group almost goes clear containing Oscar Freire and David Millar, but they can't gain much time on the peloton, and are swallowed again before long.
12:40 - The riders will now hug the Mediterranean coastline for almost 70 kilometres until they reach Caldes d'Estrac. They will be able to enjoy sights of the beaches of the Costa Brava.
12:35 - Zabriskie tries an escape on the ascent of the Côte de Sant Feliu de Guixols, but is struggling to go clear. At the summit of the Côte: 1. Botcharov 3 pts, 2. Zabriskie 2 pts, 3. Txurruka 1 pt.
12:30 - More and more attacks are coming now, but thus far nobody has been able to distance themselves from the peloton as they approach the first climb of the day, the Côte de Sant Feliu de Guixols.
12:25 - The three intermediate sprints of the day are at Lloret de Mar (KM 64), Sant Pol de Mar (KM85,5) and Cardedeu (KM132,5).
12:20 - After around 15 kilometres the peloton is still together.
12:15 - And the highlights of yesterday's stage are available here.
12:10 - Missed yesterday's stage? Check out our Tour de France barometer of who was hot and who was not: TdF barometer
12:05 -
"Twelve months ago, I expected that - and this is a confession, I expected it to be easier," Armstrong said.
"And as it has been reported in the press, I was disrespectful to Carlos Sastre, Christian Vande Velde - the guys who were a presence in last yearÂ’s Tour, and that was not correct."12:00 -
An interesting snippet of news from yesterday. Carlos Sastre revealed that Lance Armstrong apologised to him after declaring the 2008 Tour de France "a bit of a joke".
"He apologised for his comments and for what he said about my victory last year," the Cervelo leader said. "It was important, as he won back the respect that I had always held for him."11:54 -
The commissar waves his flag and the start is given on stage 6 of the Tour de France! Unfortunately, Robert Gesink has not taken the start. The Dutchman was the victim of a heavy fall yesterday, and x-rays confirmed he has fractured his radius (that's the bigger bone in your forearm, for all those weren't paying attention in Biology lessons at school). So just 177 riders left in the race.11:40 - First on the agenda is the Côte de Sant Feliu de Guixols (cat 4) - 2km @ 5.4%. After that is the Côte de Tossa de Mar (cat 4) - 3.8km @ 4.2%. Then follows the Côte de Sant Vicenc de Montalt (cat 3) - 3.3km @ 5.2 %. Then the Collsacreu (cat 3)- 4.1km @ 5.2 % and last of all the Côte de la Conreria (cat 4) - 4.7km @ 4.5%.
11:40 -
It's a pretty bumpy stage today. No major climbs, but five smaller ones that will certainly put a few of the bigger riders into difficulty. The link below also contains the stage profile, while the following link allows you to view the stage map.11:30 -
Today's stage visits Spain, and takes the riders 181 kilometres from Girona to Barcelona. Girona has recently become the chief haunt for much of the European peloton. A gorgeous old town within striking distance of the Pyrenees, but still maintaining a warm climate, makes it an ideal training base for cyclists. For more information on the departure and arrival towns, click here11:30 - Welcome to eurosport.yahoo.com's live text coverage of stage 6 of the Tour de France.
This site is Copyright © 2009 Yahoo! and Eurosport. All rights reserved.
- Terms of Service
- Updated Privacy Policy
- Copyright/IP Policy
- Remarks and Suggestions
- Corporate info
- Jobs at Eurosport
Notice: We collect personal information on this site. To learn more about how we use your information, see our Privacy Policy.
Comment 80 - 99 of 99
wow!!!! even armstrong know two day must win the climbing stage. too take yellow jazzi, from kevin omondi okello
for me Inow armstrong must win the tour de france GOD Blesse amstrong
great mem win great battles and race to the finish
Re. Scott Robertson - Post 48
Because they respect freedom of speech, I suppose. Sounds like you belong behind some Iron Curtain...
As far as doping, just because someone hasn't been caught, doesn't mean they haven't done it. That's a simply ludicrous comment - perhaps as idiotic as the baseless accusations you condemn. What IS a fact is that this sport, like so many others, is rampant with doping/cheating, and has been for decades (if not from the very start). Many have been caught, but some have only admitted it themselves after the fact (in some cases years after the fact when they've retired and written books). Heck, one guy they only found out when he got KILLED during The Tour (they discovered amphetamines on him and then later in his blood after the autopsy). If he hadn't been killed his "juicing" might not have been discovered.
So your assertion is just patently wrong; as far as your arrogant insults go, it sounds to me like the pot calling the kettle black...
ALL CY CLING ON INTERNET
2345
ALL CICLYNG ON WEB:
Great site - shame the animation stops working every day!
Stage is over - shows 21km still to go!!
Holy Cow!! Did you see that?!? Armstrong and Contador got into a fist fight after crashing 0.8K from the finish!! Unbelievable....
Any danger of you idiots updating the feed?
Wished that Millar would have won and taken Yellow. He is a good rider, and although he would have most likely lost the jersey tomorrow, his effort would have been rewarded.
go lance
fantastic effort by Millar. This type of finish is by far the most exciting
gutted for David Miller....great ride all the same.
thank you scott robinson,
that makes perfect sense.
arghhhhhhhhhh....the peloton will catch him in the last 500 metres.
C'MON DAVID....PUSH FOR SCOTLAND
Even if Millar wins the stage and takes yellow he'll very likely lose it to one of the main contenders tomorrow when they get into the steep hills, so nobody will be too bothered if Millar gets yellow or not.
The pack are on the hunt. Millers hurting and as much as I'd like to see him win a stage alas the peloton are going to easily catch him.
Ouch.....boonen just gone down...he looks sore...he's had no luck this tour
Is David Millar effectively in the yellow jersey on the road right now? He's only down by about a minute I think...
Bernie Hainault doesn't care much for Bob (Bobke) Roll much either. Back when Bernie and Gregg were discussing who should be the leader in 1986, Greg won a mtn stage, I think it was d'Huez. They were flying the riders off the mtn with military helicopters and Bob sat down beside Gregg and congratulated him on kicking some French butt. When his eyes adjusted he saw Bernie glaring at him from across the cabin.
Please login to post a comment
Not already a Yahoo! user ? Sign up to get a free Yahoo! Account