Tour de France Stage 6 News Update

Tour de France Stage 6: Hushovd out sprints Freire for win in rainy Spain

Thor Hushovd of the Cervelo Test Team avoided several crashes and survived torrential conditions to win today’s stage from Girona to Barcelona.

Spaniard Oscar Freire of Team Rabobank nearly delivered, but ran out of gas near the line allowing Hushovd to take the win in a finish that left the peloton in tatters.

A four man breakaway that included Garmin Slipstream’s David Millar, led for most of the race. Given the treacherous conditions posed by massive rain, this break proved safe haven from crashes and other weather related tortures. Backsplash from rear wheels hurls dirty water into the faces of rides off the back, further jepoardizing safety.

GC favorite Michael Rogers of Team High Road HPC suffered a nasty crash while going through a roundabout that left him on the ground with Garmin’s Tyler Farrar. Farrar remounted his machine but Rogers, who crashed out of last year’s Tour, appeared to struggle with an apparent injury to his right arm or wrist.

With 25K to go, Millar attacked the trio in the breakaway and stormed off with the authority as the great time trial specialist he is. Millar’s tenure with Slipstream comes after a two year doping suspension which he served with aplomb. No excuses, no whining–he served the suspension as a champion would, and proved today that one can race without the benefit of drugs.

Despite Millar’s incredible effort, the peloton, fractured from crashes, swept him up and delivered the sprinters to the line. And despite the efforts of Rabobank and the Cervelo Test Team, there were no victories for Spain in the rain.

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