Marczynski wins stage six as Froome retains La Vuelta lead

Tomasz Marczynski took the honours on stage six of La Vuelta yesterday as overall leader Chris Froome saw nearest challenger Tejay van Garderen slip down the standings.

Lotto Soudal rider Marczynski, who had never claimed a stage win in a Grand Tour event, pipped fellow Pole Pawel Poljanski (BoraHansgrohe) and Spaniard Enric Mas (Quick-Step Floors) to the line following a sprint finish on the streets of Sagunto.

The trio finished the 204.4kilometre stage from Vila-Real in a time of four hours, 47 minutes and two seconds, with the pairing of Leon Luis Sanchez (Astana) and Jan Polanc (UAE Team Emirates) completing the top five as they crossed the line eight seconds later.

Overall leader Froome, meanwhile, was part of an 18-strong body of riders that finished next, 26 seconds back. That group included many of Froome’s biggest rivals at the top of the classification – but not Van Garderen.

The American started the day 10 seconds behind Froome in second place overall, but the BMC Racing rider crashed twice in the closing stages and now lies 30 seconds adrift of the leader in fourth place.

That means Froome’s lead at the top of the standings increases marginally to 11 seconds – the gap to Colombian Esteban Chaves of Orica-Scott – as he stays on course to become just the third man to win the Vuelta and Tour de France in the same year

Ireland’s Nicolas Roche (BMC) moves up to third ahead of Van Garderen.