1. Leon van Bon
2. Markus Zberg
3. Emmanuele Magnien

16.36 - The New Overall Top 3
Alberto Elli will wear the yellow jersey for tomorrow's seventh stage. The new top 3 overall is: 1. Alberto Elli (Telekom); 2. Fabrice Gougot (CA) @ 12"; 3. Marc Wauters (Rabobank) @ 1'17".

16.33 - McEwen Leads The Peloton Home
The winner of the final stage of last year's Tour, Robbie McEwen has led the peloton home to take 13th place.

16.32 - Peloton In Final Kilometer
The pink train of Mercatone Uno has chased right through to the final kilometer. The peloton is now in the hunt for 13th place...

16.30 Elli In Yellow

Alberto Elli has taken over the yellow jersey of race lead with his effort today. He began the day in 21st, 2'15" behind Jalabert. Jalabert is yet to finish the sixth stage.

16.28 Dutch Glory For Stage Six

The national champion of Holland, Leon van Bon has been able to fly the red, white and blue jersey of Dutch national champion to claim his second stage win. The Swiss champion, Zberg took second place.

16.26 Rabo One & Two...

Van Bon has won the sixth stage ahead of Zberg. Emmanuele Magnien was third in the sprint.

16.25 A Win For Rabobank

Leon van Bon was given the lead-out of a lifetime by Markus Zberg to win his second Tour de France stage.

16.25 Van Bon Takes The Day

Leon van Bon has come from the shadow of Zberg to take the stage win.

16.24 Zberg leads it out

Zberg is racing at the line...

16.24 Arrieta Attacks

Arrietta has gone down the right hand side...

16.23 Final Kilometer

The 12 are still together with 1km to race. Wauters leads with Elli and Gougot on his wheel.

16.22 Knaven Attacks; But Is Reeled In...

Servais Knaven has attacked. He was joined by Chanteur and now the 12 are all together again. 3km remain in today's stage.

16.20 Wauters A Winner In Last Year's Paris-Tours

Marc Wauters was the winner of the late-season Classic Paris-Tours at the end of the 1999 season... He is in the 12 man break today.

16.19 4km To Go

The 12 leaders are now in the final four kilometers of the stage.

16.19 12 Lead By 7'56"

The 12 leaders have an advantage of 7'56" at the front of the race.

16.18 Zberg Also Working With 5km To Go

Zberg has now done a turn at the front... The 12 continue to work together while individuals wait for the right moment to attack... Or will it be a 12-up sprint? There are 5km To Go.

16.16 Rabobank Holds The Advantage

There are three Rabobank riders in the leading 12. Zberg has been resting at the back of the bunch for a while now. His team-mates are van Bon and Wauters.

16.15 Elli & Gougot In Contention For Yellow Jersey

The break is well clear of Jalabert's group. The two riders who will challenge for the yellow are Elli & Gougot. Elli began the day at 2'15" while Credit Agricole's Gougot was at 2'25".

16.13 8km To Go

The 12 leaders are still all together with 8km to go to the finish in Tours.

16.12 2 Riders 7'47" Clear

Despite their cat-and-mouse games at the front, the lead of the 12 is still well clear of the peloton. The latest time check has them 7'47" ahead of the peloton.

16.12 Wauters Reels Durand In

Wauters has worked hard at the front of the 11 riders to reel Durand's efforts back.

16.11 Durand Again

With 10km to go, Durand has attacked again. He is now clear of his 11 fellow escapees.

16.10 12 All Together

The leaders are now all looking at who might try the next attack. They are still all together, but the finishing itch is obviously waiting to be scratched.

16.09 Wauters Now...

Marc Wauters has lifted the tempo at the front of the race. He and Chanteur are playing around at the front of the 12 man break. Neither have been able to get clear.

16.07 Durand Attacks

Jacky Durand has attacked his 11 fellow day-long escapees. His efforts have already amounted to nothing. The 12 are all together again.

16.06 Four French In Leading Group

France hasn't won a stage of the Tour since stage eight in 1998 (when Durand was the victor). There are currently four French riders in the group of 12 at the front of the race.

16.04 Recapping The 12 Up Front

The 12 riders up front are: Arrieta (Banesto), Leon van Bon, Marc Wauters, Markus Zberg (Rabobank), Alberto Elli (Telekom), Pascal Chanteur (AG2R), Arvis Piziks (MCJ), Jacky Durand (Lotto) Emmanuele Magnien (FDJ), Servais Knaven (Farm Frites) and Fabrice Gougot (CA).

16.01 12 Riders Likely To Stay Clear

With the 12 leaders now within the final 15km their advantage is still about 7'33". They continue to share the workload up the front of the sixth stage.

16.01 O'Grady To Visit Hospital Tonight

O'Grady got off the road after his fall holding his collarbone. He is one of the riders who is in the Australian team for the Sydney Olympics, and he will visit the hospital tonight for an x-ray because of the injuries sustained in his fall at 112km.

15.58 O'Grady Suffers Because of Fall at 112km

The rider who has finished in 2nd, 5th and 8th in the road stages of this year's Tour, Stuart O'Grady, is well off the back of the peloton after a fall at the 112km mark. The Australian began the day in fourth place in the green jersey competition.

15.56 Three Former Tour Stage Winners In 12 Man Break

There are three former Tour stage winners in the 12-man break. They are Jacky Durand, Leon Van Bon and Salvatore Commesso.

15.54 Lead Dropping Slowly

The latest check gives the 12 leaders a 7'42" advantage on the peloton.

15.53 Peloton Has 30km To Go

The peloton has just gone through the town of Langeais. They have 30km still to race. The leading 12 are within the final 24km.

15.48 25km To Go

The 12 leaders have 25km to race. Their advantage is 7'56".

15.48 Lead Under 8 Minutes

The 12 leaders have lost some of their advantage. The latest time check for Elli's group is 7'54.

15.46 30km To Go

As the leaders pass through the town of Langeais, they have just 30km left to race. The latest time check has them 8'15" ahead of the peloton.

15.40 Lead Drops Slightly

The latest time check has the 12 leaders 8'20" ahead of the peloton.

15.34 Lead Still Impressive

Despite the efforts of the Mercatone Uno and ONCE teams, the leading 12 still have an advantage of 8'39".

15.26 Results of Hommes Sprint

The result of the third intermediate sprint of the day at Hommes (154.5km) is: 1. Salvatore Commesso (Saeco) 2. Jose Luis Arrieta (Banesto) 3. Alberto Elli (Telekom).

15.25 Leading 12 Now 8'40" Clear

The chase of the Mercatone Uno team is having little effect on the peloton's deficit to the leading 12. Elli's group is now 8'40" clear.

15.25 Pantani Working In The Chase

The slight figure of Marco Pantani is also involved in Mercatone Uno's pursuit of the 12 leaders. The 1998 Tour winner began the day in 79th place overall, 5'26" behind Jalabert's lead. His Mercatone Uno team are now all up front of the chase. Behind them are Jalabert's ONCE team.

15.19 ONCE & Mercatone Uno Lead Chase

The chasing peloton is now dominated by the pink jerseys of Mercatone Uno and the grey & yellow of ONCE. The latest time check has them 8'20" behind the 12 leaders.

15.18 Next Sprint Due Soon

The 12 leaders have about 51km to race. The 3rd (and final) intermediate sprint of the day is due at 154.km in the town of Hommes.

15.16 Elli's Best Tour Finish

The rider who is currently the virtual race leader, Alberto Elli, has ridden 10 Tours de France before this year. His best place was 7th overall in 1994 when he was with the GB-MG team.

15.14 Lead Back Up Over 8 Minutes

With about 54km still to race, the leading 12 have pushed their advantage back up to 8'11".

15.10 ONCE Resume Chasing Duties

Nicolas Jalabert of the ONCE team is now leading the chasing peloton. There are several other ONCE riders now up front of the peloton. They are 7'58" behind Elli's group.

15.07 Olano Also Up Front of Chasing Peloton

Abraham Olano is behind the two Mercatone Uno riders who are leading the chasing peloton 7'55" behind the 12 escapees.

15.05 60km To Go

The 12 leaders have 60km to race. There is still no news about O'Grady who fell - along with Jaan Kirsipuu at the 112km mark.

15.04 Two Mercatone Uno Riders Up Front Of Peloton

There are two riders from Mercatone Uno now at the front of the chasing peloton. They are behind the 12 leaders by 7'55".

15.00 Third Hour Average

The average speed for the third hour of racing is 45.6kph. The total for the first three hours is 44.0kph.

15.00 Two Mapei Riders Helping Bettini's Return

The polka-dot jersey of Paolo Bettini is being nursed to the back of the main peloton by two of his Mapei team-mates.

14.57 126km Raced Now

The 12 leaders are now at the 126km mark. Their lead is 7'39"... there is no news about the fallen riders.

14.55 Peloton 7'50" Behind 12 Leaders at 124km

With the main peloton being split to pieces because of the fall at 112km, the 12 leaders have a lead of 7'50" at the 124km mark.

O'Grady

14.53 O'Grady Suffering

After his fall, O'Grady has lost contact with the race. He is the last rider on the road at the moment. There is no time check for him.

14.52 Second Group Coming Back

The split in the peloton is now being reeled in by the dropped riders. The latest check has Julich/Zabel/Bettini and company off the back by 20".

14.49 Leading 12 Advantage Now 7'54"

The 12 leaders are now 7'54" ahead of the first peloton. The second group - including Julich, Zabel and Bettini is 30" further behind.

14.48 Bonjour Driving The Chase

The 12 riders who broke free are still up the road (by 7'54"). The Bonjour team is driving the chase and their efforts are breaking up the peloton.

14.47 Bettini And Zabel Also Off The Back

Other riders who are in the second peloton are Paolo Bettini and Erik Zabel. They are 40" off the back of the main chasing peloton.

14.46 Other Riders Involved in Fall

Some of the other riders involved in the fall are David Moncoutie (Cofidis), Rafael Mateos (Polti) and Jann Kirsipuu (AG2R).

14.45 Split In The Peloton

There have been a few riders losing contact with the peloton. One of the riders to drift back is USA's Bobby Julich (CA).

14.44 O'Grady Appears To Be Okay

After his fall O'Grady has taken some time out to wait for a new bike. The Australian rider is in pain, but is now chasing the peloton.

14.40 O'Grady In Pain

Stuart O'Grady is holding his collarbone and appears to be in a lot of pain. But the Australian Credit Agricole rider is now back on a new bike and chasing the peloton.

14.40 Fall In Peloton

There has been a fall in the peloton! One of the riders involved is Kirsipuu another is Stuart O'Grady...

14.39 Piziks Is The In Break

Of the 12 riders up front, there are three national champions, Rabobank's Leon van Bon and Markus Zberg of the Netherlands and Switzerland. The other rider in the break is Arvis Piziks of Lativa.

14.36 Lead Now 9 Minutes

The peloton hasn't slowed down through the feedzone. The latest time check has the 12 leaders ahead by 9'00".

14.34 Polti & Bonjour Chase Taking Effect

The latest time check has the peloton 9'12" behind the 12 leaders. The Polti and Bonjour teams are doing most of the work in the chase. They are joined at the front of the bunch by a few Postal riders as well as some Mapeis.

14.31 Two National Champions In Break

Both of Rabobank's national champions, Leon van Bon (Netherlands) and Markus Zberg (Switzerland) are flying the colors of their national champions' jerseys in today's 12-man break. Rabobank is the only team with more than one rider present. They have three riders up front.

14.29 Polti & Bonjour At The Head of The Peloton

The Bonjour and Polti teams are at the head of the peloton. The latest time check has the bunch 9'50" behind the 12 leaders.

14.26 Lead Under 10 Minutes

The 12 riders have slowed down through today's feedzone. The latest time check has Elli's group 9'50" ahead of the peloton.

14.25 Durand A Winner In Paris-Tours In 1998...

One of the riders in today's break, Jacky Durand, won the late-season one-day Classic, Paris-Tours in 1998. He is also the last Frenchman to win a solo stage of the Tour de France.

14.22 12 Leaders Working Well Together

After breaking clear at the 14km mark of today's 198.5km stage, the 12 leaders continue to share the workload in their quest to give the 2000 Tour de France its first non-bunch sprint for a road stage. Their lead is currently 10'20".

14.20 10'20" Advantage For 12 Leaders

The 12 leaders have an advantage of 10'20" as they approach the feedzone at Montigne-les-Rairies (107km).

14.13 Average Speed For Second Hour

The average speed for the second hour of racing was 46.3kph. The total average for the first two hours was 43.25kph.

14.13 Lead Under 11 Minutes With 100km To Race

The latest time check has the 12 leaders 11'40" ahead of the peloton. There are 100km still to race before the finish in Tours.

14.10 Maximum Advantage Reached At 68km

The 12 riders up front appear to hve reached a maximum advantage of 12'57" (at 68km). At this stage, the US Postal team joined forces with the Bonjour and Polti teams at the head of the peloton. The lead is down to 11'22" at the latest check.

14.05 11'22" Lead Now

Just after the second intermediate sprint of the day, the 12 leaders were 11'22" ahead of the peloton.

14.04 80km Raced By 12 Leaders

15H04 - Results of 2nd Intermediate Sprint The 12-riders have passed the 2nd sprint today. The results at Daumeray (89.5km) are: 1. Salvatore Commesso (Saeco) 2. Alberto Elli (Telekom) 3. Fabrice Gougot (CA). 13.56 80km Raced By 12 Leaders

14H56 - With their advantage still hovering around the 12 minute mark, the 12 leaders have just passed the 80km point of today's 198.5km stage.

13.51 Lead Down To 12'03"

The 12 riders are now 12'03" ahead of the peloton. The Elli group has just passed the 77km mark.

13.42 Advantage Begins To Drop

The 12 leaders have begun to lose their advantage. The latest check has the group of Alberto Elli 12'25" ahead of the peloton at the 65km mark.

13.39 Posties At Front of Peloton

The US Postal team has joined the Polti and Bonjour riders at the front of the peloton. They are now almost 13 minutes behind the 12-man escape.

13.37 ONCE Didn't Intend To Defend

At the end of yesterday's fifth stage, the ONCE team of Laurent Jalabert said that if a break went up the road today, they wouldn't try and defend his overall lead. They would prefer to save their strength for the more important mountain stages which come later in the Tour.

13.35 Lead Still Growing

The 12-man break has an advantage of 12'57" after 68km of racing.

13.34 Elli Best-Placed Today

Alberto Elli is the best placed rider in the 12-man break today. He started the day in 21st 2'15" off the lead of Jalabert. Last year, the Telekom rider finished the Tour in 17th overall - 33'39" off Armstrong's winning margin.

13.23 Rain On The Stage Six Parade

At the 51st kilometer, rain has started to fall.

13.23 Not A Good Day For Bonjour

The Bonjour duo have returned to the peloton. There are now 12 riders at the front of the race. The 12 are: Arrieta, van Bon, Wauters, Zberg, Elli, Chanteur, Commesso, Knaven, Durand, Magnien, Piziks and Gougot.

13.20 The Situation At 47km

The 12 rider break is now 12'08" ahead of the peloton. The two counter-attackers, Derame and Beneteau, are 2'08" ahead of the peloton. The leaders have raced 47km.

13.18 Two Former Tour Stage Winners Amidst 12 Leaders

Leon van Bon and Jacky Durand are the two riders in the 12-man leading group who have previously won a stage of the Tour de France. Durand was, in fact, the last French rider to win a stage - back in stage eight of the 1998 Tour.

13.14 Sixth Stage Finish In Tours

This stage will be the sixth time the Tour has had a stage finish in Tours. The last time was in 1992 when Thierry Marie was the stage winner in a sprint finish.

13.11 12'37" Lead For 12 Escapees

As the peloton passed the site of the first sprint at 39km, the 12 leaders had a lead of 12'37". The Bonjour duo (Derame & Beneteau) were at 8'15".

12.59 First Hour Average Speed

The average speed for the first hour of racing was 40.2kph.

12.59 Derame Joins Beneteau

The two chasing riders, Walter Beneteau and Pascal Derame (both from Bonjour) are now together in pursuit of the leading 12.

12.55 Results of Quelaines-Saint-Gault Sprint

At the 39km intermediate sprint, the results are: 1. Jacky Durand (Lotto) 2. Salvatore Commesso (Saeco) 3. Fabrice Gougot (CA).

12.55 First Sprint Due Soon

The 12 riders are about to contest the first intermediate sprint of the day at Quelaines-Saint-Gault (39km).

12.53 Elli In Virtual Lead

At this early stage of the 198.5km stage, Alberto Elli is the virtual overall leader after starting the day 2'15" behind the overall lead of Jalabert. Next best-placed of the 12 riders at the front of the race is Fabrice Gougot (CA) who started the day in 23rd place (2'25" off the pace).

12.49 12 Now Over 6 Minutes Clear

The 12 riders are now 6'15" ahead of the peloton.

12.46 One Rider In Pursuit of Break

Walter Beneteau (Bonjour) is in between the 12-man break and the peloton. The 12 riders are 4'20" clear of the peloton. Beneteau is 3'13" behind the 12 leaders.

12.45 The 12 Riders Present In Break

The 12 riders up front are: Jose Luis Arrieta, Leon van Bon, Marc Wauters, Markus Zberg, Alberto Elli, Pascal Chanteur, Salvatore Commesso, Servais Knaven, Jacky Durand, Emmanuel Magnien, Fabrice Gougot and Arvis Piziks. Their lead is 4'20".

12.42 Rabobank Slowing The Chase

With three of their riders represented in the break, the Rabobank team of van Bon, Wauters and Zberg, has come to the front of the peloton to set a false tempo in the chase.

12.39 Lead Growing Quickly

The 12 riders have a lead of 2'08" at the 25th kilometer. They began their break at the 14th kilometer.

12.37 12 Riders 1'17" Clear

With Alberto Elli the highest-placed overall rider in the break (in 21st at 2'15"), the 12 riders have been allowed to gain a quick advantage. The latest time check has them 1'17" clear at the 24km mark.

12.36 At 23km Now

The peloton has eased the pursuit of the 12 escapees at the 23km mark.

12.35 10 Teams Represented In Break

There are 10 teams represented in the 12-man break. The Rabobank team is the strongest with three riders present - Van Bon, Wauters and Zberg. The latest time check has them 45" clear of the peloton.

12.32 20km Covered - 12 Riders Are 31" Clear

The 12 escapees have a lead of 31" at the 20km mark.

12.29 18" For 12 Riders

The 12 riders on the attack are: Arrieta (Banesto), van Bon, Wauters, Zberg (Rabobank), Elli (Telekom), Chanteur (AG2R), Commesso (Saeco), Knaven (Farm Frites), Durand (Lotto), Magnien (FDJ), Piziks (Memory Card) and Gougot (CA). Their lead is 18".

12.24 12 Riders Clear

At the 14th kilometer there are 12 riders who have tried to break free of the peloton's grasp.

12.23 ONCE Controlling Peloton

With Durand still clear, but no time check yet available, the ONCE team of Jalabert is in charge at the front of the peloton.

12.22 Durand Attacks... Yet Again

Jacky Durand of the Lotto team has tried to break clear of the peloton. The former Tour stage winner tried to break free on just about every flat stage of last year's Tour de France.

12.20 Swedish Attack Shortlived

Sweden's Magnus Backstedt of the French Credit Agricole team has attacked the peloton at the 10th kilometer. He was caught one kilometer later.

12.16 Peloton All Together At 9km

The peloton is all together at the 9th kilometer of today's 198.5km stage.

12.16 Stage Six Goes Through Four Departments

The sixth stage travels through four of France's 95 regional 'Departments' today. The departments of today's stage are Ille-et-Vilaine, Mayenne, Maine-et-Loire and Indre-et-Loire.

12.12 Pantani Has A Mechanical Problem

Four riders from the Mercatone Uno team have dropped back to assist their team leader, Marco Pantani back to the peloton. The 1998 winner went back to his team car with a mechanical problem. At the 5th kilometer. He is now back with the bunch.

12.08 All Together at 5km Mark

The peloton is all together after 5km of racing in today's sixth stage.

12.07 Ivanov Sacked By His Farm Frites Team

One of the three riders to return a hematocrit reading above the allowed 50 per cent before stage one, Sergei Ivanov, has been sacked by his Farm Frites team. The other two riders who didn't start the Tour were Andrei Hauptman (Vini Caldirola) and Rossano Brasi (Polti).

12.02 Small Change In Jalabert's Time

The yellow-clad Laurent Jalabert (ONCE) finished yesterday's fifth stage in 59th position - 10" behind the 30 riders who were given the same time as the winner, Marcel Wust. He now leads the general classification by 12" (ahead of team-mate David Canada) and 14" ahead of Lance Armstrong.

11.57 Racing in Stage Six

The sixth stage of the Tour de France officially began at 11.56am. There were 177 riders at the start in Vitre.

11.50 No Climbs Today

With another four stages to go before the Tour's roads head toward the skies with the climb to the summit of Hautacam in stage 10, the sprinters of the peloton will relish today's course. Today's trek from Vitre to Tours is pancake-flat with no categorized climbs in the 198.5km route.

11.45 Blue Skies Greet Today's Sixth Stage

After five days of what has been essentially overcast conditions, with intermittent showers, today's sixth stage will be raced under clear blue skies. The forecast maximum is 24 degrees (C).

11.42 Stage Six Due To Start At 12.50pm

The 198.5km sixth stage of the 2000 Tour de France is scheduled to leave Vitre at 11.50am. There is a 2.1km neutral zone before the race to Tours, in the Indre-et-Loire region, officially begins.