Giro d'Italia 2024 Stage 6

May 9, 2024 With 3 sectors of sterrato on the menu, a break would be hard fought due to the chances of it making it to the finish. The first hour was ridden at nearly 52KM/h but no break was able to get away. The riders hit the fourth category climb of the Volterra at 109KM to go and over the top, Julian Alaphilippe of Soudal Quickstep, Filippo Fiorelli of Bardiani CSF-Faizanè, and Aurélien Paret-Peintre of Decathlon AG2R had a gap over the peloton of around 15 seconds. A large group of more than 20 riders caught the 3 leaders but it was too large and UAE was closing in on them from the peloton. A new group of 6 formed out of the larger group consisting of Alaphilippe and Firoelli again, Kaden Groves of Alpecin-Deceuninck, Pelayo Sánchez of Movistar, Luke Plapp of Jayco AlUla, and Matteo Trentin of Tudor Pro Cycling with 84KM remaining. Andrea Vendrame of Decathlon AG2R was able to bridge at 77KM making it 7 at the front. Their advantage at that point was nearly 2 minutes. The break hit the first section of sterrato at 49.5KM to go with 3 minutes 15 seconds lead. Sánchez, Alaphilippe, and Plapp got rid of the others on the second gravel section but their lead to the peloton had been cut to 90 seconds, still with 39KM to go. The leading trio hit the final gravel sector with 17KM to go and a 1 minute and 45 second advantage. On the final steep climb through the narrow streets of Serre di Rapolano, their lead had been cut only 35 seconds. In the peloton, Romain Bardet of DSM-Firmenich was first to attack but couldn't shake the others. Andrea Piccolo of EF-Education EasyPost countered out of the peloton to try and bridge the 20 seconds to the front but the leaders went under the 1KM banner and he wouldn't make it. In the sprint, Plapp led it out, Alaphilippe came around him quickly at 175M but Sánchez was able to get passed Alaphilippe 50M from the line to take the win in his first Grand Tour. Alaphilippe took second place, Plapp third and Piccolo had enough time on the peloton to take fourth place.