Laengen grabs most aggressive rider award on stage six of Tour de France

UAE Team Emirates’ Vegard Stake Laengen put up a thrilling attacking display during stage six of the Tour to win the award for the most aggressive rider (photo Bettini) of the day and will go into stage seven wearing the red numbered bib. A breakawat specialist, the Norwegian – who is competing in his first Tour de France – formed part of the three-man breakaway group that went on to head the race for over 210 km. The group were eventually caught just 3 km from the finish.

The riders fought with temperatures of over 30 degrees throughout the stage, which finished in the French town of Troyes, with Marcel Kittel (Quick-Step Floors) producing a sensational sprint finish to win his second stage of the Tour.

Speaking after the stage, Vegard Stake Laengen, who was the largest men in the three rider breakaway group, said: “It was a hard stage, almost totally flat. It was hard to believe that the breakaway should arrive to the finish. Hopefully later in the Tour I will try on stages with more climbs. I’m taking more wind than the others, but I have a good position on my Colnago bike and I had good legs, so it was ok today“.

Stage seven is again suited to the sprinters, with just one categorised climb on the 213,5 km course.
The peloton will leave Troyes where the race will likely see a breakaway heading to Nuits-St-Georges. However, the breakaway group will expect to be drawn back in during what is anticipated to be hard fought 50 km sprint finish.

Stage results
1 Kittel Marcel (Quick-Step Floors) 5h05’34”
2 Démare Arnaud (FDJ) s.t.
3 Greipel André (Lotto Soudal ) s.t.
25 Meintjes Louis (UAE Team Emirates) s.t.

General classification after stage 6
1 Froome Chris (Team Sky) 23h44’33”
2 Thomas Geraint (Team Sky) 12″
3 Aru Fabio (Astana) 14″
13 Meintjes Louis (UAE Team Emirates) 1’24”