Giro d'Italia Stage 6: Rubiano takes solo win on tough day in the Marche, Malori in maglia rosa

Colombian rider Miguel Rubiano of Androni Giocattoli-Venezuela attacked and soloed his way to victory in what was a tougher than expected Stage 6 of the Giro d’Italia through the hills of the Marche region. The day saw a number of riders abandon including BMC Racing’s Thor Hushovd and Garmin-Barracuda’s Tyler Farrar. Lampre-ISD's Adriano Malori won the sprint from three other survivors of the day's break to take second place and takes over the maglia rosa as race leader.

Pink lipstick, pink jersey for Malori (pic Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse/RCS Sport)

The 27-year-old Rubiano had got away from the peloton in a group of 15 riders some 25km into today’s 210km stage from Urbino to Porto Sant’Elpidio, whittled down to nine men as it approached the day’s biggest climb, the Passo della Capella, just after the halfway point.

Break on the day's section of strada bianca (pic Daniele Badolato/LaPresse/RCS Sport)

The Androni-Giocattoli rider attacked his fellow escapes and crested that summit alone, and though seven of them would subsequently rejoin him, the Colombian would attack again on the short but tough 18 per cent climb of Montegranaro 35km from the end of the stage and that would be the last they saw of him as he rode to the biggest victory of his career.

Behind him, there was drama among his fellow escapees on the descent from the Passo della Capella as Pablo Lastras of Movistar crashed on the gravel road, Garmin-Barracuda’s Jack Bauer braking hard behind him, flying through the air and ending up 10 metres down a roadside ditch.

The New Zealander survived unscathed and was able to remount and continue, but Latsras was less lucky, the Spaniard taken to hospital with a suspected broken collarbone.

Giro over for Movistar's Pablo Lastras (pic Daniele Badolato/LaPresse/RCS Sport)

Other riders who abandoned during today’s stage included former world champion Hushovd, his BMC Racing team citing “fatigue,” Garmin-Barracuda's Farrar, and Vacansoleil’s Romain Feillu.

Also experiencing a torrid day was Farrar’s team mate, Ramunas Navardauskas, who had taken the maglia rosa following Wednesday’s team time trial. The Lithuanian, dropped on the Passo della Capello, somehow got back on to the back of the peloton with the help of Garmin Barracuda colleague, Robbie Hunter.

Hunter and Navardauskus dropped (pic Daniele Badolato/LaPresse/RCS Sport)

Each time the road headed uphill after that, the maglia rosa again lost contact with the group but managed to rejoin it. Finally, however, shortly before one of the day’s shorter ascents, but perhaps the most challenging, the climb to Montegranaro, he was distanced again and this time there was no coming back.

Navardauskas suffers on the climbs (pic Daniele Badolato/LaPresse/RCS Sport)

By that time, Rubiano was on his way to a fine victory, and on the road behind another member of the breakaway, Adriano Malori of Lampre-ISD, was chasing hard to try and swap the pink and blue jersey of his team for the lighhter pink of the maglia rosa.

Rubiano crossed the line 1 minute 10 seconds ahead of second-placed Malori, who did however get 12 bonus seconds to take the overall lead from Navardauskas. The main peloton came home 41 seconds further back, with Orica-GreenEdge’s Daryl Impey taking the sprint for 5th place.

Malori takes second place (pic Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse/RCS Sport)

Giro d'Italia Stage 6 Result

1  RUBIANO Miguel         AND  5:38:30
2  MALORI Adriano         LAM  at 1:10
3  GOLAS Michal           OPQ
4  DYACHENKO Alexsandr    AST
5  BENEDETTI Cesare       APP
6  IMPEY Daryl            OGE  at 1:51
7  POZZATO Filippo        FAR 
8  SABATINI Fabio         LIQ 
9  VENTOSA Francisco      MOV 
10 KWIATKOWSKI Michal     OPQ
11
 SOUPE Geoffrey
 
        FDJ
 
 

12
 VISCONTI Giovanni
 
     MOV
 
 

13
 BAKELANTS Jan
 
         RNT
 
 

14
 FELLINE Fabio
 
         AND
 
 

15
 BAK Lars 
 
             LTB
 
 

16
 HESJEDAL Ryder
 
        GRM
 
 

17
 COLBRELLI Sonny
 
       COG
 
 

18
 PAUWELS Serge
 
         OPQ
 
 

19
 SMUKULIS Gatis
 
        KAT
 
 

20
 LAGUTIN Sergey
 
        VCD
 


Overall Standings after Stage 6

1  MALORI Adriano         LAM 20:25:28
2  GOLAS Michal           OPQ  at 0:15
3  HESJEDAL Ryder         GRM     0:17
4  RUBIANO Miguel         AND     0:30
5  VANDEVELDE Christian   GRM     0:32
6  RODRIGUEZ Joaquin      KAT     0:36
7  STETINA Peter          GRM     0:37
8  MORENO Daniel          KAT     0:39
9  GASPAROTTO Enrico      AST     0:39
10 ROBERTS Luke           SAX     0:41

Start village in Urbino (pic Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse/RCS Sport)

Peloton sweeps through Le Marche (pic Daniele Badolato/LaPresse/RCS Sport)

Blue skies today (pic Daniele Badolato/LaPresse/RCS Sport)