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Attacks are flying out the bunch, and eight riders have gone clear, among them Quinn Simmons
The riders are currently climbing a 6km hill to Recanati, averaging 6%
One non-starter today: Maciej Bodnar, who might have been a handy domestique for TotalEnergies leader Peter Sagan, if the Slovak were to show any form today
It will be interesting to see what riders attempt to make it into the early break. With its parcours, it suits the puncheurs, most of whom are now far enough down on GC to no longer be considered threat, and therefore should be given freedom to get up the road
193KM REMAINING
And they’re off!
Here were the four leaders at the start of the neutralised zone – João Almeida in white as best young rider, Roglič in blue as overall leader, Jasper Philipsen in ciclaminoas points leader and Giulio Ciccone in green as mountains leader (although the latter two are wearing the jersey on behalf ofRoglič, who leads both classifications)
The riders are in the neutralised zone and making their way towards the official start
Osimo is the host of the start of today’s stage, and the town will be returned to later in the day for a series of circuits
The riders will be setting off in around ten minutes time, and the difficulty will begin almost immediately, with the first of many unclassified climbs about five kilometres into the stage
Yesterday had been expected to be a more decisive day in the GC, but strong winds helped prevent many time gaps. Ultimately, 17 riders made it to the top of the Sassotetto mountain together, after a block headwind prevented the stronger climbers from breaking away.
Tao Geoghegan Hart, who sprinted for second behind Roglič and Giulio Ciccone, described it as one of the strangest mountain finishes he’d ever taken part in
Stage 6 will be the traditional Tirreno-Adriatico stage of the ‘Tappa dei Muri,’ a parcours without a major mountain climb, but multiple steep ‘walls’ to disrupt the race and cause carnage.
Every year this stage is a highlight, with attacking racing and (if you’ll excuse the pun) wall-to-wall action. Today promises to be even more eventful, with so many riders still in contention for overall victory
Primož Roglič became the new overall leader of the race following his second successive stage win yesterday, but the GC remains wide open, with 15 riders all still within one minute of the Slovenian.
That makes today’s stage, with its constant ups and downs, an especially thrilling prospect. Brace yourself – this has the potential to be one of the most exciting days of racing so far this season
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of stage 6 of Tirreno-Adriatico.
