Stage 6: Moûtiers to Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc 130.1 km
The stage starts in Moûtiers located in Tarentaise Valley, at the banks of Isère (river), between the Vanoise massif and Beaufortain Massif. The town has a population of about 3500 people.
From Moûtiers we will follow the valley some 30 km northeast up to Bourg-Saint-Maurice before turning left into the mountains climbing Cormet de Roselend, and after the downhill no rest as we start the 2nd climb Col des Saisies immidiatly.
After a 15 km descent we reach a false flat still riding in the mountains at about 1000 meters above sea level, then the 2nd downhill to the small town of Domancy, where we start the final Mont Blanc climb. The total length of the climb is about 12 km, but it is officially split into two cat.1 climbs, first the short steep Côte des Amerands, then a downhill followed by the 7 km long summit finish up to Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc ski resort.
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Climbs:
Cormet de Roselend (cat.1) after 46.0 km
Col des Saisies (cat.1) after 83.4 km
Côte des Amerands (cat.1) after 121.5 km
Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc (cat.1) (summit finish)
27°C and partly clouded, winds 4-6 km/h in the lowlands, almost no wind in the mountains.
The Race
Today stage will be only for the best stage racers and climbers, anyone with a dislike of mountains roads should find a group of likeminded and focus on the time limit
Moûtiers
The morning breakaway was initiated by Prado, a group of six riders, not far behind, Aru in front of Vasyliv, Vermote, Berhane, Ssabagwanya and Godoy
It is mostly what we could call the 2nd tier leaders or climbers trying their luck today, Berhane most prominent off course as top 15 climber and ISA – Hexacta team leader.
Also Aru, eBuddy leader.
What Vermote is going in this group is questionable, same goes for Ssabagwanya
It is not over with that, we see wave after wave of smaller a larger groups attacking and laying distance to the pack, and after 21 km out on the route we have got a 21 rider breakaway with the addition of Bernard, Boswell, Brenes, Jacobsen, Jaramillo, Koshevoy, Lammertink, Lilovski, Monsalve, Robov, Rucigaj, Sepulveda, Tarvis and Wirtgen
Again, many strong 2nd tier climbers, with special mention of Indosat Ooredoo leader Brenes and Isostar – LimeBike leader Jaramillo, but even more prominent Farfetch Pro Cycling’s leader Monsalve, another Top 10-15 climber that just like Berhane have lost a bit more time than expected and now going all-in to take some of it back.
Again also a few riders like Lammertink and Lilovski that seeming ended in a breakaway where their chances are very slim on this profile
Hanging between the breakaway and the pack it is Katrasnik
In the pack we see Grieg – Maersk working hard, as they have no clear favorite here, likely duo to frustration with the fact that they did not get anyone in the breakaway and will attempt to launch a rider before it is too late.
There is about 4 km left before the breakaway will start Cormet de Roselend
And here we go, just as the slopes start to get hard, we get the attack from Grieg – Maersk’s Laengen leading a trio with Ji and Bongiorno.
They need to close a gap of 1’41”
13 km left to the top and the mentioned trio have joined the breakaway, 24 riders now lead the stage.
Goncalves leads the pack on this part of the climb, losing a little time but still holding the gap close to 2 minutes.
Vasyliv is leading the breakaway also holding a steady pace and the weakest riders are starting to get dropped.
10 km to the top, Vermote first to drop is now almost swallowed by the pack, further up the road Bernard and Jacobsen painfully trying to avoid the inevitable. While Rucigaj and Lilovski is already more than a minute behind the stage leaders.
First Bongiorno and later Prado lead the breakaway over the next 5 km.
The pace was also too much for Lammertink and Boswell both fallen back to join Bernard and Jacobsen in a four riders group sitting at 1’29”
Prado leads the 17 riders left in the break
Lammertink, Boswell, Bernard and Jacobsen was reeled in.
Ssabagwanya was dropped from the breakaway.
1.9 km to the top and Prado makes a move, Bongiorno attempt to go with him.
Prado take the KoM right in front of Bongiorno.
37” later Godoy 3rd in front of Berhane, Tarvis, Brenes and Ji
Sepulveda was dropped over the top.
Cormet de Roselend 19.3 km at 6.0%
Castroviejo, Dunbar and later Helme leads the pack on the last 3 km of the climb.
The pack with race leader Sicard, U25 leader Kudus and points leader Van Stayen passes the top at 3’47”
KoM leader David have been dropped now more than 2 minutes behind the peloton.
There was a split in the pack over the top where Henao Montoya, Kirsch, Bibby and points leader Van Stayen lost time.
Henao Montoya took responsibility and closed the gap on the downhill.
The breakaway starts the 15 km climb to Col des Saisies with 2’44, Ssabagwanya still sitting alone between the break and the pack at 46”
The pack is back to more than 90 riders, all the better climber reunited, only KoM leader David in a group 1’32” behind the pack.
Shifting rider work in the breakaway first Tarvis then Sepulveda, Tarvis (again), then Brenes
Higher pace from Brenes, took the last air from Sepulveda he was dropped.
10 km to the top, just to confirm who is in the breakaway and the order they are sitting in. Brenes, Koshevoy, Prado, Tarvis, Bongiorno, Laengen, Vasyliv, Aru, Monsalve, Wirtgen, Jaramillo, Berhane, Ji, Robov and Godoy
At 58” Sepulveda
At 2’30 the pack 85 riders led by Helme, just reeled in Ssabagwanya
15 riders left in the breakaway
Brenes swing of, Koshevoy take the lad in the breakaway. Mai leading the peloton.
5 km to the top Helme back to lead the pack, again Brenes now upping the pace in the breakaway, over the next two km the powerful pace set by Brenes split the breakaway, first Tarvis and Jaramillo, then Wirtgen and lately Robov forced to let go.
Pack at 3’01”
Henao Montoya taking a turn in the pack, afraid the gap will grow too much.
Brenes with a very early acceleration from 2.2 km, attempting to thin the breakaway further.
Immediately dropping Ji, Koshevoy and later Godoy
Vasyliv and Laengen droped on the last km.
Monsalve with the final kick from 600 meters, now from a 6-rider group, takes the KoM
Berhane 2nd at 13”
Aru 3rd, Bongiorno 4th Prado 5th Brenes 6th all at 33”
Vasyliv takes the last KoM points in front of Laengen both 1’05” behind the stage leader.
Col des Saisies 15.1 km at 6.4%
Dekker leads the pack over the top, 35 riders, 3’44 behind the stage leader.
After the first 14.5 km downhill reaching the false flat, six riders have united to form the leading group Monsalve, Berhane, Aru, Bongiorno, Prado, Brenes
At 24” Vasyliv and Laengen
At 1’58” Ji, Koshevoy, Godoy, Tarvis, Jaramillo, Wirtgen and Robov
At 3’00” the favorite group Dekker, Velits Koch, Salinas, Sicard Galta Morton, Smith Shapira, Wellens Yates Bibby, Kangert, Madrazo, Vervaeke Brown, Gesink Affonso, Boily Hirt Castroviejo, Kudus Bevin, Herklotz Novikov Guldhammer, Henao Montoya Talansky
The leading group, 32 km left
Bibby is pulling the favorites forward on the false flat.
Vasyliv and Laengen close the gap to the leading six riders
On the 2nd downhill after the false flat group Ji was swallowed by the favorites, extending this group to 35 riders.
The breakaway start the short but extremely steep Côte des Amerands with a lead of 2’05.
The favorite group start Côte des Amerands with Henao Montoya setting a brutal pace, knowing we got another 10 km uphill on hard slopes it not looking to good for the breakaway considering what is behind them.
Brenes opens the KoM sprint from 1.1 km and although that may seem a bit early, he kept the lead winning the KoM at Côte des Amerands, Aru 2nd, Berhane 3rd, Laengen 4th, Bongiorno 5th, Prado 6th and Monsalve takes the last KoM points.
Côte des Amerands 2.7 km at 11.2%
Aru attempts an attack over the top trying to get a little advantage on the downhill, but was reeled in.
The breakaway starts the climb to the summit finish at Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc with a gap of 2’16”, 7km at 7.7%
Vasyliv was dropped from the breakaway.
Smith attack from the favorite group.
Salinas close the gap to Smith, but we immediately get a counter attack from Hirt and Guldhammer
With 1.8 km to the finish the duo make contact with the breakaway, the yellow jersey group now just 11 riders at 32”
Guldhammer first under the red kite, leading a mix of riders from the breakaway and the Yellow jersey group.
Guldhammer seemingly used a bit too much too early, now falling back, instead it is Morton leading with just 600 meters left.
Seemingly nothing can be done to out-perform Sicard with the form he is in right now, setting in a huge kick from 200 meters, having time to celebrate before he reaches the finish line, winning at Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc.
Morton 2nd in front of Madrazo 3rd they lose 7”
Berhane 4th and Wellens 5th at 17”
Kudus 6th, Velits 7th, Hirt 8th all at 32”
Herklotz 9th and Guldhammer round of top 10, both at 53”
Criterium du Dauphine Libere 
