Sergey Chernetskiy of Russia pressed hard in a final sprint to win the sixth stage of the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya on Saturday, while Richie Porte of Australia retained the overall lead.
Chernetskiy just edged Julian Alaphilippe of France in a photo finish to claim the first UCI WorldTour win of his career, while Maciej Paterski of Poland came in third on the same time.
“I am not a sprinter and this stage has been very hard, but today is my day,” Chernetskiy said.
Photo: EPA
“My victory is big, it’s a WorldTour win and I am very happy,” he said.
After a group of 13 riders had broken away from the chasing peloton in the final downhill stretch, a tense tactical race developed among the leaders.
Alaphilippe sprinted forward and looked to have secured the stage, but he eased off as he looked back and was caught by Chernetskiy, forcing a race for the finish.
Porte was leading overall by five seconds from Domenico Pozzovivo of Italy, who was seven seconds ahead of third-placed Alberto Contador.
The race was marred by a heavy fall involving four riders who went into a protective barrier on the side of the road due to a crush in the peloton.
LottoNL-Jumbo rider Laurens ten Dam of the Netherlands was taken to hospital in an ambulance.
The race was due to end yesterday with a 127km seventh stage that was to start and finish in Barcelona.
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