Another border crossing today, switching former Yugoslav republics again. We start in Dubrovnik, Croatia and finish in Podgorica, Montenegro. A hilly stage again, but another downhill finish.
Three riders in the break: Pernsteiner Hofland Scarponi
They have three minutes with 150 kilometers to go. Pernsteiner took both early category four climbs.
The break is about to multiply in size due to three KoM-veterans joining in on the action: Gebrezgabihier (1st, 65 pts) Paulus (2nd, 48 pts) Logar (7th, 25 pts)
Main attraction to them is the Goli Vrh of first category, which is near the end of the stage. They think the breakaway will survive until then.
But they will even fiercely battle on a climb of the fourth category, where there are just five points available. Paulus wins by a bike throw over Gebrezgabihier, thus closing the gap to fifteen points. The intermediate sprints on the other hand are not contested. Hofland, Logar and Scarponi would each get one for free. The gap never got above four minutes, T-Mobile controlling the gap very carefully.
Nothing really noteworthy happening until halfway up the Goli Vrh. Gebrezgabihier can no longer follow the pace, together with Logar. That's good news for Paulus, with 16 points available he could become virtual leader by one point if Gebrezgabihier doesn't pick up anything. There's another fourth category climb towards the end, but the break might be caught by then.
T-Mobile's hard pace continues up the climb. Battaglin, Buchmann, McCutcheon and Wöhrer completely empty themselves, and succeed in forming a split. Here's who made the cut: De Bie Beltran, Vakoc Bobridge Gastauer Skujins Ulissi Bakelants Ginanni, Konrad Mohoric Flügel Kinoshita Sagan Lutsenko Yates Preidler, Van Garderen Trofimov
Logar also in this group as he just got caught, but that will only be temporary. Gebrezgabihier 30 seconds up the road but would soon be caught as well.
The second peloton, containing Schreurs, Dyrnes and Caruso already at two minutes. Klemme sacrificing himself for his team leader but the damage seems done.
The breakaway understands Paulus and his mission and thus let him have the sixteen points at the top of Goli Vrh. Thereby he becomes KoM leader since Gebrezgabihier won't take points, as he's caught by the favorites group.
At 2'30 from the breakaway, the group of favorites crosses the top. Since there are no real helpers left, the favorites have to do the work themselves. Bakelants currently setting the pace with Bobridge and Sagan behind. De Bie and Skujins at the back after doing some work. Group Schreurs at two minutes still with Euskaltel having some riders left to chase.
Five riders got caught behind on the descent, and they are some big names: Skujins, De Bie, Ulissi and Beltran together with Gebrezgabihier. Logar and Konrad fell off earlier. But wow, these are riders you expect to relay at the front, not at a gap at the back.
Zingle attacks the Schreurs group, a tough mission with a gap of 2'30, but the timing is also very strange, as his team leader Caruso is actually dropped from his group. Also makes you wonder why they set such a high pace to get back in the first place if it costs their leader even more time in the end.
The group Skujins and the deserting Zingle would be picked up by group Schreurs, which still doesn't get any closer to the Van Garderen group. Caruso at 1'30 behind this group.
You'd almost forget there's a breakaway. Paulus wins the final mountain sprint to extend his newfound lead by a slight bit. The gap to E2 has come down to 1'30 with 20 kilometers to go.
Trofimov launches an attack, as first of the favorites to get things going. It's up and down until the end, but the finish in downhill. A response is drawn from Mohoric, Flügel, Lutsenko, Bobridge and Bakelants, who form a chasing group behind the Russian.
At the same time Pernsteiner decides to take off solo from the breakaway, having saved energy by not going for mountain sprints. Trofimov nearly caught up to this group, while Sagan, Kinoshita and Van Garderen also attacked in pursuit of group Bakelants/Bobridge. The latter might be in danger of losing the GC lead again.
The moment Van Garderen joins that group, Bakelants, Bobridge and Lutsenko attack again. The American doesn't have the firepower to respond, in fact struggling to stay in touch with the rest. Twelve kilometers to go.
The trio joins up with Trofimov to pass the former breakaway, with Pernsteiner still ahead. Flügel, Kinoshita, Mohoric and Sagan merge with Hofland, Paulus and Scarponi. And Van Garderen?
Van Garderen is in trouble ladies and gentleman, 30 seconds behind group Kinoshita together with Gastauer, Ginanni, Vakoc and Yates. One minute behind group Bakelants/Bobridge, he will be out of the jersey again.
Eight kilometers to go, Pernsteiner with a minimal 20 second lead. Then a group of ten riders, because Bakelants, Bobridge, Lutsenko and Trofimov merged with the former breakaway and Flügel, Mohoric and Sagan. Kinoshita at 30 seconds, only marginally ahead of group Van Garderen.
Lutsenko, Bobridge, Bakelants and Mohoric attack at six kilometers to go, right when Pernsteiner is caught. Trofimov and Sagan chased them back. Group Van Garderen/Kinoshita at one minute in the meantime.
The Kazakh again with a minor move at two kilometers to go. Trofimov and Bobridge leading the chase. At least much better racing than in the previous downhill stages.
A small lead under the banner, can he hold on? Trofimov, Bobridge and also Mohoric start their sprint, hoping to still be able to catch and pass him.
But the deficit was too big. Alexey Lutsenko wins the sixth stage for PCT team Reddit. Great result for them.
Mohoric sprints to second place ahead of Trofimov, Bobridge, Flügel and Sagan. They did not overtake Lutsenko but they did close the gap, as they are given the same time as the winner.
Pernsteiner holds on to seventh place ahead of an empty Bakelants, who won't take the GC lead as he's given at 28 seconds from Bobridge, with whom he was tied before.
Scarponi, Paulus and Hofland finish ninth to eleventh, after a successful day in the break. Paulus will climb the podium as new KoM leader.
We have to wait another minute before we see the next group. Gastauer, Yates, Ginanni, Vakoc and outgoing race leader Van Garderen. That title now belongs to Bobridge, by four seconds over Lutsenko and 28 over Bakelants. Van Garderen dropping to sixth.
Kinoshita even finishing behind this group, he really went backwards in the final ten kilometers.
Then at 3'03, the next group led by Kratochvila. But there's no major name in this group.
At 3'20 we have Beltran in another small group, but where are the other riders from the top twenty who were left behind?
Ulissi can be found rolling over the line in 45th place, at 4'53, guided by teammate Tanovitchii.
And here's the group of remaining favorites: Skujins, De Bie, Schreurs, Dyrnes. Losing 5'14 today, thus dropping a lot of places in the GC. Whatever happened to them is unclear, maybe they just had a very bad day.
Caruso lost even more time, finishing in a shocking 97th place at nine minutes from the winner.
