Giro stage 6: Golas 3rd in stage, 2nd in overall

Giro stage 6: Golas 3rd in stage, 2nd in overall

Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team rider Michal Golas was one of the riders who animated the 6th stage of the Giro d`Italia. Golas and 14 other riders escaped early from the bunch and built up a 9 minute lead. Several riders dropped out the lead group, eventually 5 riders battled for the stage win. Golas ended 3rd in the stage and is now 2nd in the overall rankings.

"The team rode really good today," Sports Director Davide Bramati said. "The riders understood this morning that it was a stage where it was possible to fight for the win and for the pink jersey. We went into the race motivated and Golas chose the right breakaway. Michal did his best today. We knew that we should have to attack Malori to take the jersey, but everybody was at the limit in the last kilometers. It was a really hard stage, it was really hot and the riders used a 28 gear. In general the team was really strong. Cataldo had a flat tyre at about 50 km to go but Vermote and Maes gave their best to bring him in the peloton. Now we are second in the GC and second in the special classification for the white jersey. We will try again in the next stages."

Early in the stage a group of 15 riders with Michal Golas took off from the front of the peloton. They quickly gained a comfortable lead. On the gravel roads the lead group split up, 4 riders dropped and 11 escapees stayed ahead. In the hilly part of the stage the breakaway split up again. Only 5 riders with Golas stayed in the front of the race, with the peloton 5 minutes behind them with 40 kilometres to go.

Migual Angel Rubiano took off at a steep climb. The Colombian rider took a minute advantage on his companions and took the stage win after a great solo. Golas battled for the resuming podium spots and finished 3rd behind Adriano Malori, who took over the lead in the overall. Golas is now in 2nd place, only 15 seconds behind Malori. Michal Kwiatkowski finished 10th in the stage, 1 minute and 51 seconds behind the stage winner. The Polish Omega Pharma - Quick-Step rider is now standing 11th in the overall classification.

"The breakaway began after only 10 kilometers," Golas said. "This morning in the technical meeting we decided to attack immediately. The parcour was really really hard and in the front group, we lost some guys along the road. At the end there were only five of us. I knews that in the final it would have been a fight with Malori for the Pink Jersey. I tried to pull as much as I could. I tried to drop him but we were at the same level, there were no big difference between us. At 15km to go I had also a flat tire and I had to change the bike and chase the guys in front of me. I couldn't do more then that, really. After the race I was really disappointed. Now I've realized that I did a great race. I was so close to the pink jersey that I don't want to give up. Tomorrow I will do my best to get another good result for me and for the