Barcelona Thunderstruck...Hushovd Takes Stage, Millar Captures Hearts - 96th Tour de France Stage 6

It's a common occurrence in the sport of cycling, the person(s) who makes the race often doesn't win it. Such was the case yesterday on the 181.5 km Stage 6 from Gerone to Barcelone. Garmin-Slipstream's David Millar made the race, but Thor Hushovd (Cervelo Test Team) finished it.

Thursday's course, lumpy with a relatively flat run into the finish, and the weather, overcast and stormy, beckoned to those who might seek their fortune away from the comfort of the gruppo. Several attempts by various riders failed early on. But as the skies began to open up, Millar, Sylvain Chavanel (Quick Step) and Stéphane Augé (Cofidis) were finally able to break free of the peloton’s constraints.

Millar would quickly find himself alone, tete de la course, as Chavanel and Augé ultimately relented to those intrusive inner voices that spoke to the futility of their attempted endeavor.

In the finale, it seemed as if the cycling gods had finally conspired to carry Millar on to victory. Slick roads and a tortuous entry into Barcelona sent chasing riders to the pavement; speeds fluctuated.

But, destiny's call proved to be a siren song for Millar. Just meters away from the flamme rouge, he would succumb to the angry and furious spinning of the sprinters' wheels. Chief among them was Hushovd, who powered by a pair of Spaniards eager to win on home soil.

The sport of cycling is, on any given day, as elating as it is crushing, as beautiful as it is cruel. But what is most remarkable about cycling is the fact that legendary efforts are sometimes lauded more than the victories that oversahdowed them at the time.

The win may have gone to Hushovd, but hearts and minds were with Millar.

Stage 6 Results
1. Thor Hushovd (Nor) Cervelo Test Team
2. Oscar Freire Gomez (Spa) Rabobank
3. Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne

General Classification After Stage 6
1 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Team Saxo Bank 19:29:22
2 Lance Armstrong (USA) Astana
3 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana 0:00:19
4 Andreas Klöden (Ger) Astana 0:00:23
5 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Astana 0:00:31
6 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Garmin - Slipstream 0:00:38
7 Tony Martin (Ger) Team Columbia - HTC 0:00:52
8 Christian Vande Velde (USA) Garmin - Slipstream 0:01:16
9 Gustav Erik Larsson (Swe) Team Saxo Bank 0:01:22
10 Maxime Monfort (Bel) Team Columbia - HTC

Jersey Leader's After Stage 6
Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Team Saxo Bank


Mark Cavendish (GBr) Team Columbia - HTC


Stéphane Auge (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne


Tony Martin (Ger) Team Columbia - HTC


Next: Stage 7 - Barcelone to Andorre Arcalis (224km)
The first day in the mountains should offer up the first true selection.