Alan Marangoni spent stage six of the Giro d’Italia in a five rider escape group that was overtaken 14 kilometers from the finish in Castiglione della Pescaia. Initially, only two riders slipped away from the peloton. Cannondale-Garmin assumed responsibility at the front to peg back the leading duo and allow Marangoni an opportunity to bridge across to the breakaway.
 
“We saw today as an opportunity for some of the guys who spend most of the time working very anonymously for other people to have a chance to ride their own race and go for a result,” explained Sport Director Charley Wegelius. “As a group, we thought Alan really deserved this one. He works so hard all the time for other people.”
 
Although stage six was earmarked as a stage for the sprinters, the hills mid-stage gave a small chance of success for the breakaway. Wegelius concluded it was an opportunity worth taking.
 
“This was something we could do for Alan,” Wegelius noted. “Today’s stage was shorter than stage seven, and it offered a better chance for the break to succeed. He deserved a chance and we took it.”
 
Marangoni and his breakaway companions gained a maximum advantage of five minutes in advance of a peloton led by teams with an interest in the sprint.
 
“We were hoping perhaps the sprinter teams would have to ride a steady pace in the middle section where the climbs were,” said Wegelius. “Then they would have limited time at the end to catch the break. Unfortunately the wind picked up quite a bit more strongly than was forecasted. That spelled the end of the break.”
 
“Although the break was nullified, I think the message was really good,” Wegelius added. “It was a chance for our worker bees to have a day of their own, and we wanted them to take full advantage of that.”
 
The bunch sprint was marred by a huge crash that impacted a large portion of the field. Most of the Cannondale-Garmin team was caught behind fallen riders. None hit the ground.
 
Stage seven is another day well-suited to the fast finishers. The 264km begins in Grosseto and ends in Fiuggi. It is the longest stage of the 98th edition of the Giro d’Italia.