Tour de France 2009: Stage 6 preview

• Tuesday, 23 June 2009
• Andrew McGrath
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Tour de France 2009 stage 6 preview logo

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When Thursday July 9
Where Girona - Barcelona
How long 181.5km

IMPACT ON CLASSIFICATIONS
Yellow Jersey: 1/5
Green Jersey: 3/5
Polka-Dot Jersey: 2/5

STAGE DESCRIPTION
The Tour heads over the border into Spain. Leaving from Girona, a hub for English-speaking pro cyclists for the last decade, the riders encounter five categorised climbs before a finish on the short-but-steep Montjuïc hill in Barcelona. With a rise of 70 metres in the last two kilometres, including a long section at 6.6%, this stage is better-suited to an Ardennes Classics puncheur than a pure sprinter. Spanish riders will be highly motivated to win in the Catalonian capital, while Tour contenders will have to make sure they stay at the head of affairs, so as not to lose precious seconds. 

STAGE FACTS

• The race has visited both Barcelona three times before; in 1957, René Privat won a road stage finishing on the Montjuïc, while Jacques Anquetil won the following day's time-trial. In 1965, José Perez-Frances sent the home crowds wild with solo victory.
• The Montjuïc hill also has a castle and the Olympic stadium on top.
• The Tour first visited Spain in 1906.