Zdenek Stybar of Etixx-Quick Step has won Stage 6 of the Tour de France in Le Havre, but his team mate Tony Martin, wearing the yellow jersey today of race leader, may be out of the race after crashing inside the final kilometre and betraying the tell-tale signs of a collarbone fracture.
The German was helped across the line by his team mates, and with the crash taking place inside the final 3 kilometers, will not lose any time; whether he will be fit enough to take to the start tomorrow is another question entirely.
With most of the peloton held up by that crash on the uphill drag to the finish of the 191.5km stage from Abbeville, Peter Sagan of Tinkoff-Saxo finished second, with Bryan Coquard of Europcar third.
Stage 6 winner Zdenek Stybar of Etixx-Quick Step
I have mixed feelings after winning this stage because Tony Martin crashed. When I caught up with him at the award ceremony, he only congratulated me and told me to enjoy the moment but he didn't say how much he was injured.
It's an amazing feeling to win a stage at the Tour de France, probably on the same level as my first victory at the cyclo-cross world championship in Tabor.
I've had a hard time changing from cyclo-cross to road cycling. I got some results with winning the Strade Bianche and the Eneco Tour overall.
The last 10 kilometres were kind of crazy. I received great info from the team car but to make it real wasn't easy. Together as a team, we did well in the last downhill.
I was thinking of taking Mark Cavendish to the front but he was in difficulty. I was in the wheels of Kristoff, Sagan and van Avermaet, but they were in trouble too. So I just tried all or nothing. I went for it and the outcome was really great.
Etixx-Quick Step doctor Helge Riepenhof on Tony Martin’s injury
Unfortunately, the collarbone is a lateral fracture. The collarbone is in lots of pieces, so it was a major impact. One of the pieces came through the skin, which means it's an open fracture.
Therefore, even if it was Tony's wish to start tomorrow, I have to say he is not allowed to. Riders always want to race. Tony especially. He's shown in the last years that even with broken bones that he will race if possible.
But this is a medical situation where this is impossible. He needs surgery straight away, and that is why we are going to the hospital now. We will fix the collarbone there.
He is already on antibiotics. It's a serious injury, and that is why we can't risk anything and why he cannot be at the start tomorrow.
Tony Martin, who joins Fabian Cancellara in leaving the race through injury while in the yellow jersey
I can't remember exactly what happened. The team put me in a really good position. On the last kilometre no one had the energy left to continue the speed. Everything slowed down, everyone was waiting.
Then suddenly I hit the rear wheel of the rider in front of me. I thought I almost could stay upright, but then I went into a rider of Giant-Alpecin and I had no balance anymore. I crashed at relatively low speed, with my full weight on the left shoulder.
I felt directly that something was broken. We went to make an x-ray directly after the finish because i was thinking 'OK, maybe I am wrong. Maybe I can start tomorrow.'
But now it is confirmed my clavicle is broken. This has been like a movie, an emotional roller coaster at this Tour. Now I am really sad. The team gave everything to protect the jersey today.
Chris Froome, second overall, and race leader if Tony Martin pulls out overnight
I took a knock on my knee bone and there was a little bit of blood there, but nothing more than that, I'm absolutely fine. I had to wait on the roadside as my rear wheel was buckled and I couldn't ride on.
Until the finish today's stage was definitely the most straightforward we've had so far. We had good weather, no crazy winds, and the pace of the racing was a little more relaxed. For me, it was about staying out of trouble and the guys did a good job in keeping me towards the front of the bunch.
I'm really happy with how things have gone up to this point and couldn't have asked for any better. Hopefully we can keep that.
15 thoughts on “Tour de France Stage 6: Zdenek Stybar wins, but team mate Tony Martin crashes in yellow jersey”
He looked very shaky, I’d be
He looked very shaky, I’d be surprised if he makes it to the start line tomorrow which would be a massive shame. He’s got nobody to blame for that pileup but himself, still I’ll be hoping he continues.
Kadinkski wrote:… He’s got
Not sure about that. From the overhead it looks like the Europcar rider (Coquard?) starts coming across him just as they go under the flamme rouge and then completes the move with a jink to the left catching the front wheel of Martin, possibly as he accelerates away?
looked like a broken collar
looked like a broken collar bone to me
Yep, confirmed broken collar
Yep, confirmed broken collar bone. Gutted for him.
Just came in from work and
Just came in from work and watched the final 5k, absolutely gutted for him after he’s worked so hard to get the yellow jersey and then putting himself out to help Cav.
I thought Sagan in particular
I thought Sagan in particular was pathetic today. Styler took his chance but the rest of the sprinters refused to race. Not the first time Sagan has done this before and shows a big lack of ambition from him.
Remember he could be the highest paid cyclist in the world
Sagan doesn’t need to do
Sagan doesn’t need to do anything, he can get up climbs that the other green jersey’s cant, he’ll soon be in that jersey, in the mean time, he holds the white jersey. Which I’m sure is good enough for Mr Tinkoff
Sagan isn’t a sprinter. He’ll
Sagan isn’t a sprinter. He’ll win green again this year and that’ll be 4 years on the trot. He’s only 25 as well so has years to carve out whatever career he ends up going for in the peloton. Lack of ambition my arse.
Segan, lack of
Segan, lack of ambition???
Not this time – he knew he could have chased down Stybar, but he would have lead out everyone else, and he would have finished well down the order.
Instead he waited, and took second, and a hatfull of points of the Green jersey. The problem Cav has had so far has been sprinting early, and leading out the other sprinters. Sagan was just refusing to make the same mistake.
so just collects the points
so just collects the points and like last year fails to win a stage on the way to Green. rather boring for a multi million pound cyclist who is better than that (or should be).
BTWI like Sagan, I thought his ToC win was one of the best cycling displays in years but he does lack a killer instinct you associate with winners.
ianrobo wrote:so just
If stage wins were what was necessary for him to win thats what he’d go for. The fact is, he’s got it all wrapped up already – incredibly intelligent riding and he’s very much showing exactly why he’s so well paid.
ianrobo wrote:BTWI like
..or perhaps he goes about winning in a more intelligent manner then you, or I, might ? Killers aren’t always blatant, far from it….
The entire point of the green
The entire point of the green jersey is to reward consistency. If he finishes top 10 every stage or whatever he wins, and good for him. That’s a totally different thing to someone like greipel who will win a few stages here and there and then come 97th on a whole bunch of the mountain stages.
He’s not just doing that,
He’s not just doing that, he’s protecting AC like an older brother. Did you see how he pulled the peleton back to the front group on the cobble stage?
Either way you’ve got to feel
Either way you’ve got to feel for him, get well soon I say.