Israel Start-Up Nation had to settle for 14th place, with Rick Zabel as the team’s best finisher on stage 6 of the Tour de France.
Thursday’s 160 km-long stage from Tours to Châteauroux was always going to be a day for the sprinters to fight for victory. ISN was planning on going for André Greipel in a finish where the fast German previously had made top 3 in the Tour de France.
Unfortunately, the team lost each other a little bit on the final kilometers. Zabel finished just outside of the top 10, while Greipel crossed the line shortly after.
Tomorrow brings about the longest stage of the race. At 249 kilometers with an undulating second part, this seems like a good day for a breakaway to make it all the way.
Rick Zabel: “We lost each other a little bit at the end. Luckily, I could come back to André again with about 3 km to go but then a crash occurred and we had to spend energy moving back to the front part of the race once more. After the last turn, I dropped off André in a good position but after all the efforts we had done prior, moving up 2-3-4 times already, staying in the wind, he told me that he didn’t have much power left in the legs.”
