Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team kept up their fighting spirit at the Tour de France, blowing up the race in the crosswinds in the final kilometers, surprising the peloton with a late race attack by Michal Kwiatkowski in the white jersey, and leading out Mark Renshaw in case Kwiatkowski was caught at 194km Stage 6 on Thursday.
Kwiato almost made it to the line after he attacked at the Flamme Rouge, but was caught by a field that was drastically reduced due to the high pace set by OPQS in the prior kilometers. Renshaw was waiting behind in case of the catch and finished 4th. Andre Greipel (Lotto-Belisol) won the stage, with Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) 2nd and Samuel Dumoulin (AG2R - La Mondiale) 3rd.
All of OPQS deserves credit for their aggressiveness, going full gas in the crosswinds that the Belgian based squad loves so much. The last rider of the original four-rider breakaway was caught long before the finish line, leaving the peloton to fight for position in a high pace caught out several riders.
Kwiatkowski remains 4th in the GC (+50").
OPQS looks next to a somewhat flat stage that will be the last for about a week: 234.5km Stage 7, from Epernay to Nancy. The stage is the second longest of the Tour, and features two Category 4 climbs near the end of the race. The finish is very slightly uphill.
"We risked it in the crosswind and went full gas with the echelons," Kwiatkowski said. "We didn't look back. We were trying to go to the finish in good position and maybe even a few less guys in the peloton. In the final we tried something different. Matteo was on my wheel and on the last corner he slowed down, and I went with everything I had to the finish. Unfortunately it was a long way — a little longer than I anticipated. But we tried something new, and Mark still placed in the top five of the stage. I think it shows what Omega Pharma - Quick-Step is capable of. We will always fight and even get a little creative with the strong team we have."
"There were a lot of roundabouts going in with the wind," Renshaw said. "So it was very hectic. We had most of the team in the front, so it was perfect with the guys there in the final. We tried something with Michal and it was a planned move. We're trying, and that's all we can do. We will not give up always fighting with the strong team we have. We're for sure one of the best teams on the flats and the sprints, you can see it in how we are always there in control on the front. We will keep going, and now we head into the small climbs to try our chances with those stages. The mood is good here and we carry that into the next part of the Tour."
