Groenewegen wins by a half-wheel margin.
At around 11 p.m. Beijing Time on July 4, the 2024 Tour de France Stage 6 (Mâcon to Dijon) concluded with a thrilling finish. As the route was flat, the riders stayed together in a peloton for most of the race until the final five kilometers, where the sprint battle unfolded. Groenewegen triumphed with a narrow half-wheel advantage. Let’s review the action-packed race.
Pre-race Highlights
KWATT Legs. Cavendish set a new Tour de France record in Stage 5, but unfortunately, his Shimano chain couldn’t handle the strain and disengaged 10 meters before the finish line. Some domestic media sources claimed that “sprinters’ feet stopping after the line, combined with the freewheel’s momentum, can cause chains to be flung forward, which is a normal occurrence.” (PS: Enthusiasts in the comments section are invited to test this theory.)
Rumor Mill. On July 3 at 4 p.m. local time, Cyclingnews reported that Chinese brand XDS had invested in Astana team, but no details were disclosed. Neither party has officially confirmed or denied the news. Intriguingly, an XDS representative attended the event as a guest of the Tour de France organization and met with the team manager. Let the speculation continue.
TACX. To celebrate Cavendish’s milestone, Astana’s water bottle supplier TACX rushed to release a limited edition 35-win bottle. Coincidentally, Astana was invited to participate in the Tour of Lake and Tour of Guangxi. Domestic cycling enthusiasts might want to keep an eye out for the team’s support cars for potential souvenirs.
The Race Route. The 177.4 km course started in Mâcon in southeastern France and headed north, featuring one climb and one intermediate sprint point. With it being a flat sprint stage, teams focused on the final five kilometers for their sprinters’ showdown.
Amidst the cheers from the crowd in Mâcon, the race began. Abrahamson (Uno-X Team) and Sindre (Cofidis Team) attempted to break away for the climb points, then rejoined the pack after collecting their points. The intermediate sprint saw Philipsen and Pedersen battling for points.
Due to the flat terrain, the peloton maintained speeds of 55-60 km/h, making it challenging for any breakaway attempts. Riders mostly rode together until the last five kilometers.
In the final five kilometers, teams formed their lead-out trains to give their leaders an edge. Cavendish, following the peloton through several tight turns, found himself in an unfavorable position and asked his teammate Boasson Hagen to take over. Philipsen, with Van der Poel’s help, briefly held a favorable position, but his move to close on Van Aert was deemed illegal, resulting in his disqualification from second place. Groenewegen seized the opportunity, attacking from the left side of the peloton to win by a half-wheel.
In a post-race interview, Groenewegen said, “I was frustrated with myself yesterday, but the team still believed in me. When I saw Philipsen (Alpecin-Fenix Team) and Kristoff (Uno-X Team) fighting side by side, I knew my chance had come. I attacked from their left using my favored side-by-side sprinting style, which gives us even more confidence for the upcoming stages.”
After the race, Pogačar took the yellow jersey, Girmay claimed the green jersey, Abrahamson wore the polka dot jersey, Evenepoel the white jersey. Stage 7 (Nevers to Saint-Germain-en-Laye Individual Time Trial) will take place on July 5, stay tuned.