Tom Boonen (Quick Step-Innergetic) sprints to another stage win, and regains the Green Jersey; Fabian Cancellara (CSC) holds lead and the Yellow Jersey. As the pack caught the solo breakaway of Bradley Wiggins (Cofidis) and with 3.4km to go the speed picked up, with Quick Step taking control. Although there was really no team that took complete control of the sprint lead out. Causing a very large group of riders contesting the final sprint.

The Quick Step-Innergetic star burst from the right side of a scrambled sprint, took the front, then drifted left and right, keeping second-place finisher Oscar Freire (Rabobank) at bay. German Eric Zabel (Milram) was third on a day when the bunch spent 5:20:59 in the saddle.

Boonen was rewarded for his hard work, blasting across the line to take the convincing stage win.

Boonen’s bike-length win was his 10th of the year and fifth at the Tour, consolidating his place atop the green-jersey standings. Earlier in the day he jumped ahead of Zabel by earning second-place points at the first and second intermediate sprints.

Boonen now has 141 points, with Zabel second (130) and Freire third (114). Last year’s green-jersey winner Robbie McEwen (Predictor-Lotto) is a distant sixth with 97 points.

“I don’t read the papers anymore, so that takes away all the pressure,” said Boonen when asked if he’d been feeling the heat lately. “There’s no stress or motivation because I have to feel I have to win. It’s better to ride your bike because you’re having fun. That’s the best way to win races.”

It was the same as the days before, but now I found some room to start,” explained Boonen of the final kilometer. “Like every day, the guy who found the room to do his sprint won. Freire was strong, but everything went fine. I had some bad luck with my derailleur when someone crashed into it. But in the last 250 meters I had an opening on the right, I think someone braked completely, I had to start again. From that moment on it was just trying to go as fast as possible.”

Stage 6 Results
1 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quickstep-Innergetic
2 Oscar Freire (Spa) Rabobank
3 Erik Zabel (Ger) Milram
4 Sébastien Chavanel (Fra) Française Des Jeux
5 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Crédit Agricole
6 Daniele Bennati (Ita) Lampre-Fondital
7 Robert Förster (Ger) Gerolsteiner
8 Robert Hunter (RSA) Barloworld
9 Romain Feillu (Fra) Agritubel
10 Murilo Fischer (Bra) Liquigas
FULL RESULTS — Cyclingnews

General classification after stage 6
1 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Team CSC 29.49.55
2 Andreas Klöden (Ger) Astana 0.33
3 Filippo Pozzato (Ita) Liquigas 0.35
4 David Millar (GBr) Saunier Duval – Prodir 0.41
5 Oscar Freire Gomez (Spa) Rabobank 0.43
6 George Hincapie (USA) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team
7 Vladimir Gusev (Rus) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 0.45
8 Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Caisse d’Epargne 0.46
9 Erik Zabel (Ger) Team Milram 0.48
10 Mikel Astarloza Chaurreau (Spa) Euskaltel – Euskadi 0.49
FULL RESULTS BY Cycling News

FULL REPORT by Cycling News
THE FINAL 2 km — Versus
STAGE 6 VIDEO RECAP by Versus
GRAHAM WATSON PHOTOS
PHOTOS by CYCLING NEWS

Next up at the Tour de France is the first big mountain affair, the 197.5km Stage 7 ride from Bourg-en-Bresse to Le Grand Bornand. This will be the first chance to see who will truly challenge for the final yellow jersey.