Team Sky's Edvald Boasson Hagen won the sixth stage of the Tour De France today.
A rainy day saw the sixth stage start in the historic town of Dinan and made its way along a 226.5km course to Lisieux which was being a stage town for the fourth time.
Lieuwe Westra of Vacasoleil was the first escapee and he was soon joined by FDJ's Anthony Roux, Jonny Hoogerland (Vacansoleil), Cofidis' Leonardo Duque as well as Adriano Malori from Lampre.
At one stage, the escapees, were ten minutes and ten seconds ahead but with a King Of The Mountain climb and Intermediate Sprints coming up, the peleton closed that gap by a couple of minutes.
Jonny Hoogerland was first over the Côte de Saint-Michel de Montjoie and took two points to take the King Of The Mountains jersey off the shoulders of Cadel Evans.
The sprint was at Vassy and saw Anthony Roux take the twenty points with yesterday's stage winner Mark Cavendish winning the bunch sprint and taking ten points.
Roux also took the Category 3 climb at Côte du Bourg d'Ouilly to give him two points but Hoogerland was second to give him four points in the competition.
The gap dropped right down to just over a minute and a half with 60kms left
Malori and Westra went away from the other three with the rain coming down and Westra took the King Of The Mountains Climb at the Category 4 Côte du Billot.
Today's finish was on Avenue Jean XX111 and was 400m long after 1.4km rising false flat and a 1.3km climb. Adriano Malori was out in front but despite the wet roads, he was being chased down at a frightening pace.
HTC and the sky blue shirts of Astana were setting the pace. Jurgen Vandenert tried to attack, but out of nowhere came Thomas Voeckler. David Millar got to the front of the peleton with 1.3km to go along with Geraint Thomas.
About fifty riders were in the frame as they went under the flame rouge, Edvald Boasson Hagen had been brought up to the front by Thomas and he was first over the line in a tome of 5hr 13 mins and 37 seconds. Matt Goss was second with yellow jersey wearing Thor Hushovd in third (the first ever time in the TDF that two Norwegians have finished in the top three).
Photo credit ©Pool/Tim De Waele
Geraint Thomas who keeps his white jersey, praised his team mates with Ben Swift sacrificing a chance of victory to get Thomas into a position where Boasson Hagen could win.
The riders, teams, and the whole entourage that travels with the Le Tour now transfer to Le Mans for tomorrow's stage from Le Mans to Chateauroux which is 218kms long.