Cadel Evans (BMC Racing) won the sixth stage of Tirreno-Adriatico between Ussita and Macerata after outsprinting the rest of the race’s top riders at the top of the precipitously steep climb to the finish. Italian champion Giovanni Visconti (Farnese Vini-Neri) followed the former World champion over the line, with Michele Scarponi (Lampre-ISD) in third at the end of the rolling 182km stage.
The race’s big favourites sparred with one another on the final climb to the finish but it was the Australian who was able to deliver the knock out punch.
"I'm feeling very happy," said Evans after his victory. "Yesterday was one thing to take the [blue leader's] jersey, but to win a stage in the jersey makes me really, really happy."
The 2009 World champion’s stage win increases his lead slightly over his rivals, giving him a little more breathing space ahead of the final, flat 9.3km time trial stage.
"My main thing – and the first plan today – was not to lose any seconds," he explained. "Of course, if there was any opportunity to gain seconds, that's always an advantage going into tomorrow. We're still riding only a 10-kilometer time trial but it's always a bigger advantage than a lesser advantage."
Evans was protected by BMC Racing teammates Alessandro Ballan and George Hincapie in the latter stages as the other teams attempted to put him under pressure.
"The whole team was fantastic and Alessandro and George were really, really exceptional today," he said. "Thanks to them for putting me in the right position, I just had to finish it up in the last kilometre."
The usual break gets away on the rolling roads, but never too far
The beginning of the stage was ridden at a very fast pace, preventing anybody from breaking free of the peloton; after 44km though, Borut Bozic (Vacansoleil-DCM) managed to escape and was allowed to build an advantage of 4’50” after just 15km.
After 89km Bert Grabsch (HTC-Highroad) escaped in pursuit of Borut, catching up with the Slovenian in the space of 5km, and the two of them worked to increase their lead to 6’05” by the intermediate sprint in Filottrano after 105km.
BMC Racing was working on the front, on behalf of race leader Evans, to prevent the gap from growing too wide. Lampre-ISD and Liquigas-Cannondale came forward to assist BMC Racing and the two leaders’ advantage began to steadily come down.
With 50km to go the gap was 5’40”; with 40km to go it had been reduced to 4’16”; and as Borut and Grabsch crossed the line at the top of the steep climb to the finish, to start the two 14.9km circuits, the two riders still led by 3 minutes.
Mid way around the first circuit, with 20km to go and Lampre-ISD firmly in control of the front of the peloton, the leading duo’s advantage had been reduced to just 1’25”. Borut was visibly tiring now, having to be physically encouraged to take the front by Grabsch.
With a number of teams taking to the front of the peloton, including OmegaPharma-Lotto, Acqua & Sapone and RadioShack, Borut and Grabsch were caught with 16.4km to go on a steep climb on the approach to the final ascent to the finish line.
The break is over so the attacks begin
Lampre-ISD took control once more, with Przemyslaw Niemiec lifting the pace on the steep slopes with Michele Scarponi on his wheel. The rest of the riders at the top of the standings were lined out behind the blue-fuchsia pair though, and it was still a sizeable group that crossed the finish together line with 14.9km to go.
On the rolling section at the beginning of the final lap Alessandro Ballan and George Hincapie came to the front of the peloton on behalf of Evans. The Australian was comfortably tucked in behind his two teammates with the other race favourites swarming behind him.
With 8.6km to go Peter Velits (HTC-highroad) put in a big attack, the Slovakian only managed to get a few seconds ahead though, and was quickly chased down by the BMC Racing team. Visconti’s Farnese Vini-Neri team tried to take control inside the final 5km but Ballan and Hincapie were having none of this and pulled to the front once more.
Job done, Ballan sat up with 4.5km to go, leaving Evans with just Hincapie for support.
With 2km to go Damiano Cunego (Lampre-ISD) accelerated and Scarponi took his wheel and after a few hundred metres Scarponi took over; Evans was glued to his back wheel and the Italian sat up. The acceleration for was too much for a number of riders though, with Andy Schleck (Leopard Trek) among those to lose contact.
Suddenly, with just 1.4km remaining, Angel Madrazo (Movistar) launched himself from the lead group and managed to get a visible gap between himself and the rest. Michele Albasini (HTC-Highroad) tried to follow, with Simon Clarke (Astana), Evans and Scarponi, and the rest of the favourites right behind him.
The last steep kilometre sees the sparring begin
As they passed under the red kite, marking the final kilometre, Tiago Marchado (RadioShack) set off in pursuit of Madrazo; he too managed to get a few metres clear but the rest reacted to his attack and he was soon brought back.
Scarponi forced the pace once more, but found himself shadowed by yesterday’s stage winner Philippe Gilbert (OmegaPharma-Lotto, Evans and Ivan Basso (Liquigas-Doimo).
Next to go was Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Doimo) with just Scarponi for company but neither rider could maintain the pace on the gradients of up to 18%. Madrazo found himself overtaken though, as the big men of the race swept past him like he was standing still.
As the two of them were caught, Visconti made his move; after following the attacks of the others though, Evans decided that this was his time to move, and the Italian champion found himself with the race leader for company as he entered the final few hundred metres.
Evans and Visconti took the last corner side by side and the Australian, who’d timed his final burst to perfection in a manner reminiscent of his victory in La Flèche Wallonne last year, sprinted away from the rest. The others struggled to come to terms with Evans’ final acceleration, with Visconti coming closest and Scarponi overcoming a fading Nibali to take third place.
Nevertheless, Evans still had time to sit up and, in his tradition of understated victory celebrations, act as if to wipe the sweat form his brow.
With the 10-second time bonus for his stage victory, Evans tightens his slender grip over the race leader’s pale blue jersey with just tomorrow’s individual time trial to come. 4 seconds for Scarponi sees him leapfrog over teammate Cunego, who lost a little time, and Basso to move into second place overall.