Giro stage 6 Backstedt
Sixty kilometers into today’s shortened* stage, Magnus Backstedt joined a breakaway of 11. The group built their gap on the peloton to 12 minutes in less than 40 km. With little reaction from the peloton, the breakaway’s lead grew and then held at about 12 minutes.

Coming into the final kilometers, two in the group launched an attack that Maggy attempted to catch, but couldn’t. Finishing nearly 12 minutes in front of the peloton and the maglia rosa, six of the riders in the break took over the top six places in the general classification, putting Vande Velde in 11th.

Slipstream Results Stage 6
1. Matteo Priamo 5:24′49″

9. Magnus Backstedt +43″
75. Christian Vande Velde +11′48″
121. Ryder Hesjedal +12′42″
142. Pat McCarty +12′42″
145. David Millar +13′04″
162. Julian Dean +13′58″
180. Danny Pate +16′53″
182. Chris Sutton +16′54″

Slipstream GC
1. Giovanni Visconti 27:14′04″
2. Matthias Russ mt

11. Christian Vande Velde +9′23″
76. David Millar +12′40″
86. Ryder Hesjedal +15′42″
125. Magnus Backstedt +27′57″
170. Pat McCarty +44′54″
172. Julian Dean +45′38″
180. Danny Pate +52′21″
186. Chris Sutton +58′57″

*Recognizing the overall fatigue of the peloton after an intense and somewhat chaotic start in Sicily, the Giro d’Italia organizers shorted today’s stage by 30 kilometers.