This stage is made for an escape artist in the style of Laurent Jalabert - or whoever takes his place in this year's peloton - who was able to push hard enough on the climbs to get away. The finish is atop Cote de la Croix-Neuve, a brutally steep climb of 10.1% for 3.1km after climbing the Cote de Chabrits, a cat 3 short climb of 1.7km with a tough 7.1% gradient. Michael Boogerd and Alexandre Vinokourov could both be in the mix for a win on this stage within the Massif Central - look for some shuffles on GC as riders tire after 10 days of climbing, and the final selection is made before the race against the clock.
TOPICS
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As it happened: The sprinters take the day after a crosswind hit stage 6 at the Giro d'Italia Women
A welcome relief with another flat stage where the sprinters could shine on 160km route from Ala to Brescello -
Giro d'Italia Women: Fourth victory for Elisa Balsamo on stage 6
Maggie Coles-Lyster tries to go early but overtaken by points leader as Van der Breggen continues in race lead -
Giro d'Italia Women GC standings – Maglia rosa stays put as sprinters battle on stage 6
Anna van der Breggen continues in the lead of the Italian Grand Tour -
Lorena Wiebes spotted along Giro d'Italia Women route despite bike weight disqualification
'We are going to hold the UCI liable and have hired a lawyer' says SD Worx team manager
