Omega Pharma Quick Step's Jan Bakelants took his first win of the season with victory on the sixth stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné.
Another baking hot day for the riders who embarked on a 178,5km stage from Grenoble to Posiy.
Stephan Denifl of IAM Cycling and Luca Wackerman of Lampre-Merida abandoned early as an eight man break was pulled back. But with 130kms left, a new break formed. Two got away first and in the end, sixteen riders in Simon (Cofidis), Keukeleire (Orica-GreenEdge), Erviti (Movistar), Westra (Astana), Paulinho (Tinkoff-Saxo), Péraud (Ag2r-La Mondiale), Ligthart (Lotto Belisol), Saramtins (IAM Cycling), Bodnar (Cannondale), Voigt (Trek Factory Racing), Bakelants, Stybar (Omega Pharma-QuickStep), Damuseau (Giant-Shimano), Conti (Lampre-Merida), Tankink (Belkin) and Benedetti (NetApp-Endura) were clear and soon took a five minute lead.
Their lead over the peloton which included race leader and points leader Chris Froome was out to 5.33 with 41.7kms to go.
The intermediate sprint with 29kms to go went unchallenged so Ligthart, Bakelants and Westra went on the attack.
With the gap at 3.34, Erviti tried to join the three up front. Ligthart, dropped back slightly but with 7.7kms to go, Chris Froome had a crash along with Vincenzo Nibali and Geraint Thomas had to pace him back into a peloton which had slowed to wait for him.
Bakelants, who was 6.03 down on Froome's time and Westra took the penultimate categorised climb of the day as their lead went out to four minutes and then five minutes going into the final three kilometres.
The climb into Polsy had a 15% climb and Westra was ahead but Bakelants was with him.
Westra went with 300ms to go and just on the line, Jan Bakelants snatched the win in 4.07.22 with Stybar in third. Lighthart fourth and Keukeleire fifth and Voigt sixth.
The peloton finished 3.54 down with Froome thanking the riders around him. Froome keeps his yellow jersey going into stage seven which will be another one for the climbers.