Stage 6 saw Endura Racing place a different rider into the top 10 overall as Rob Partridge was 5th on the stage and now 9th overall.
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The stage today saw the riders race from Domfront to Villers-Bocage (156 km) Â under lovely blue skies and very quickly a break went clear with yesterday’s winner Erick Rowsell and Scott Thwaites (both Endura Racing).
The break though was chased down and soon a new break went clear which saw the team on the front with Europcar to bring it back. Halfway stage in the race and onto yet another tough finishing circuit and the gap to the leaders was still over 4 minutes. A 20 kilometre lap later and the gap was closing but slowly and with 40k to go, still over two minutes.
The pace of the chase was having its toll and the peloton was splitting with Endura still well represented with Scott Thwaites, Rob Partridge, Erick Rowsell and Rob Partridge at the front chasing the break.
After the break had come back, there was no rest and another went this time with Endura Racing represented by Rob Partridge, winner of a round of the Halfords Tour Series in 2011, quite a bit different to this type of racing!
Would the Endura Racing team have another win? Sadly not as Jean Marc Bideau got away with teammate Johan Le Bon and the two of them drove it home to win the stage 1-2 for the Bretagne Schuller Pro Conti team while Partridge was third in a four up sprint for third place.
Simon Yates had another top 10 as well with 9th on the stage.
STAGE 6
1. Jean Marc Bideau Bretagne Schuller 03:39:27
2. Johan Le Bon Bretagne Schuller @ same time
3. Dylan Van Baarle Rabobank Continental Team 00:26
4. Jasper Stuyven Bontrager Livestrong Team @ same time
5. Rob Partridge Endura Racing @ same time
6. Kanstantin Klimiankou Continental Team Astana @ same time
7. Mathieu Desniou Cc Nogent-sur-oise 00:33
8. Steele Von Hoff Chipotle – First Solar 00:36
9. Simon Yates 00:39
10. Ruslan Tleubayev Continental Team Astana @ same time
14. Jonathan Mcevoy Endura Racing @ same time
29. Erick Rowsell Endura Racing @ same time
34. Scott Thwaites Endura Racing @ same time
46. Michael Cumings Rapha Condor Sharp @ same time
49. Christopher Jennings Rapha Condor Sharp @ same time
58. Richard Handley Rapha Condor Sharp @ 1.34
66. Alistair Slater @ 1.58
87. Richard Lang Rapha Condor Sharp @ 5.41
97. Alexandre Blain Endura Racing @11.08
101. Thomas Moses @ 11.08
105 Owain Doull @ same time
108. Ian Wilkinson Endura Racing @ same time
110. James Mccallum Rapha Condor Sharp 14:01
117. Daniel Mclay Lotto – Ridley Espoirs 14:11
OVERALL
1. Jérôme Cousin Europcar 16:18:47
2. Guillaume Malle Team Véranda Rideau-U 00:08
3. Alexandr Pliuschin Leopard TREK 00:21
4. Ruslan Tleubayev Continental Team Astana 01:24
5. Gael Malacarne Bretagne Schuller 01:31
6. Johan Le Bon Bretagne Schuller 01:43
7. Jean Marc Bideau Bretagne Schuller 01:58
8. Dylan Van Baarle Rabobank Continental Team 02:09
9. Rob Partridge Endura Racing 02:20
10. Michael Olsson Team CykelCity.se 02:22
13. Erick Rowsell Endura Racing 02:25
17. Jonathan Mcevoy Endura Racing @ same time
28. Simon Yates @ 2.34
31. Scott Thwaites Endura Racing @ 2.35
38. Michael Cumings Rapha Condor Sharp 02:42
44. Christopher Jennings Rapha Condor Sharp 02:49
51. Alistair Slater @ 3.59
73. Alexandre Blain Endura Racing 13:03
76. Thomas Moses 13:07
87. Richard Handley Rapha Condor Sharp 15:12
96. Richard Lang Rapha Condor Sharp 18:57
97. Owain Doull 19:29
102. Ian Wilkinson Endura Racing 24:06
114. James Mccallum Rapha Condor Sharp 34:45
120. Daniel Mclay Lotto – Ridley Espoirs 37:00
