Just as Mark Cavendish was taking his second stage win at the Tour de France, André Greipel (HTC-Columbia) was matching his big rival and teammate with his second in the Österreich-Rundfahrt. The big German outsprinted compatriot Robert Förster (Milram) and Briton Ben Swift (Team Sky) after 231.8km, between Deutcshlandsberg and Laxenburg.
"It was a very tough win for me," said Greipel at the finish, "a very long stage, over 230 kilometres and extremely tough because of the very hot weather, and then an extremely difficult finish with a lot of corners in the last kilometre. I only just got the victory, but it was really close.
“Fortunately Marcel Sieberg and Leigh Howard gave me a brilliant lead out,” he added in tribute to his teammates, “and I was able to go for the win."
The stage was dominated by a four-man breakaway, which escaped almost immediately at the beginning of the long stage. Thomas Kvist (Quick Step), David Gutierrez (Footon-Servetto), Josef Benetseder (Vorarlberg-Corratec) and Michael Singer (Arbö-KTM-Gebrüder Weiss) managed to get a lead of 2 minutes.
The peloton led by the HTC-Columbia team of Greipel and the Ceramica Flaminia-bossini Docce team of race leader Riccardo Riccò allowed them no more and they were recaptured with 12km remaining. Greipel found himself badly positioned with 1km to go, but with the help of teammates managed to take the sprint ahead of Förster and Swift.
Riccò finished safely in the peloton and holds onto his race lead, 1’44” ahead of nearest rival Emanuele Sella (Carmiooro-NCG) with just tomorrow’s 26.3km time trial and Sunday’s short stage to the Austrian capital Vienna to come.
Result stage 6
1. André Greipel (Ger) HTC-Columbia
2. Robert Förster (Ger) Team Milram
4. Ben Swift (GBr) Team Sky
5. Danilo Napolitano (Ita) Team Katusha
6. Nikolas Maes (Bel) Quick Step
7. Martin Reimer (Ger) Cervélo TestTeam
8. Leigh Howard (Aus) HTC-Columbia
9. Graeme Brown (Aus) Rabobank
10. Simon Zahner (Swi) BMC Racing Team
Standings after stage 6
1. Riccardo Riccò (Ita) Ceramica Flaminia-Bossini Docce
2. Emanuele Sella (Ita) Carmiooro-NGC @ 1’44”
3. Sergio Pardilla (Esp) Carmiooro-NGC @ 1’48”
4. Morris Possoni (Ita) Team Sky @ 4’17”
5. Tiago Machado (Por) Team RadioShack @ 4’36”