Bahrain Merida riders cruise

Manama : Three of Bahrain’s Merida Pro Cycling team riders enjoyed good results yesterday after completing the sixth stage of the 104th Tour de France over 216km on a flat course between Vesoul and the city of Troyes.

The stage winner was Germany’s Marcel Kittel of the Quick-Step Floors team who completed the distance in five hours five minutes and 34 seconds, as did 120 riders overall of the 193 still in the race, including Bahrain’s Borut Bozic (23rd, Slovenia), Janez Brajkovic (73rd,Slovenia) and Sonny Colbrelli (84th, Italy).

The other five Bahrain riders classified were - Yukiya Arashiro (131st, Japan, +0:52 seconds off the lead), Ondrej Cink (132nd, Czech Republic, +0:52), Tsgabu Grmay (157th, Ethiopia, +1:22), Grega Bole (168th, Slovenia, +2:13) and Javier Moreno (173rd, Spain, 2:26).

Bahrain’s ninth team member Spaniard Ion Izaguirre retired during the opening stage in Dusseldorf, Germany after suffering a lumbar fracture of the lower spine.

The tour began with 22 teams comprising 198 riders racing 21 stages over 3,540km in varying terrains such as flat courses, hills and the mountains, with the final stage on 23 July covering 103km over a flat course from Montgeron to the Champs-Elysees in Paris.

Today, the seventh stage takes the remaining (193) riders from Troys to Nuits-Saint Georges in the wine country region over 213.5km on a relatively flat course. 

Bahrain Merida Classifications Positions:

39. J Brajkovic (SLO, +4:33) 

45. O Cink (CZE, 5:23)

105. Y Arashiro (JPN, +14:56) 

112. S Colbrelli (ITA, +16:05) 

133. G Bole (SLO, +19:18)

134. T Grmay (ETH, +19:19) 

148. J Moreno (ESP, 21:27)

177. B Bozic (SLO, +26:55)