Chris Anker Sorensen (CSC) has won Stage 6 of the Dauphine Libere. Sorensen, the sole survivor of a 22-man breakaway, crossed the finish line in 6:15:53. Pierrick Fedrigo (Bouygues Telecom) finished second at 1:02, and Levi Leipheimer (Astana) took third at 1:10. Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne) remains the yellow jersey.
The break of the day formed at 48 km, when 21 riders sallied off of the front. They were Mario Aerts (Silence), Jose Luis Rubiera (Astana), David Lopez (Caisse d'Epargne), Juan Jose Oroz (Euskaltel), Patrice Halgand and Pierre Rolland (both from Credit Agricole), Jurgen Van de Walle and Carlos Barredo (both from Quick Step), Vladimir Efimkin and Stephane Goubert (both from Ag2r), Juan Antonio Flecha and Peter Weening (both from Rabobank), David Moncoutie and Amael Moinard (both from Cofidis), Sebastian Lang (Gerolsteiner), Jerome Coppel and Remi Di Gregorio (both from Francaise des Jeux), Thomas Voeckler and Stef Clement (both from Bouygues Telecom), Charles Wegelius (Liquigas), and Sorensen. Mikel Astarloza (Euskaltel) bridged up to the move later. At 72 km, the break led the bunch by 3:15.
At 119 km, the break split into two groups. Thirteen riders formed the lead group. Ten km from the summit of the Col de la Croix de Fer, 12 of the riders were still together. They were Rubiera, Lopez, Halgand, Rolland, Van de Walle, Flecha, Moncoutie, Moinard, Di Gregorio, Efimkin, Goubert, and Sorensen.
At 191 km, with the bunch 2:00 behind the break, Astarloza and Oroz rejoined the lead group. Twenty-two km later, with Rabobank leading the peloton to within 0:55 of the break, Sorensen made his move. With nine km remaining, Sorensen led Di Gregorio, Astarloza, and Lopez by 1:30 and the bunch by 1:50.
Behind, the battle for the yellow jersey was fought. With five km left, Evans attacked. One km later, Leipheimer bridged up to the Australian. The two forged a 0:25 lead and might have taken Valverde out of the yellow jersey if they had cooperated, but they failed to do so. Valverde caught the pair at the one-km banner.
In the overall, Valverde leads Evans by 0:39 and Leipheimer by 1:24. Stage 7, the final stage of the 2008 Dauphine Libere, will give Evans and Leipheimer one more chance to trip up Valverde. The 128-km ride from Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne to Grenoble will feature the Category 1 Col du Granier and Col de Cucheron before the racers breast the Category 2 Col de Porte and descend into Grenoble. Will Valverde withstand Evans's and Leipheimer's attacks? Check in at www.roadcycling.com and find out!
