It was an explosive stage 6 in Friday’s Critérium du Dauphiné with another wearer of the leader’s jersey emerging from the pack. Following an attack initiated by Tony Gallopin with 3,8 km to go, 2014 Tour de France winner and current Italian champion Vincenzo Nibali scorched the road into Villard-de-Lans, gaining time on all his rivals and securing the yellow jersey.

His aim for the stage win was foiled, however, by former world champion Rui Costa (Lampre-Merida) who snuck up the inside with 300 m to go and pedaled away for the solo victory after 4:29.23. Team Katusha’s Joaquim Rodriguez battled on with many of the favorites and is just outside of the top 10 in thirteenth place at 2.45.

“Sometimes days like this happen in races. A group gets away and stays away. The yellow jersey group were surprised by the attack of the big names in the front and reacted too late. Team Katusha was very attentive from the beginning. We sent Alberto Losada in the break of 19 riders. When the cooperation there fell apart, they went on with ten, including Alberto, but were reeled in. That's a pity, but that's cycling. Our leader Purito felt good today - he is not yet in super condition - and was able to stay with Froome and van Garderen, which is good. He is still on schedule,” said team director José Azevedo.

Nibali (Astana) was second at 5-seconds, while Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) and Gallopin (Lotto Soudal) arrived for third and 4th at 38-seconds. Former leader Tejay van Garderen (BMC) was well down on the group, arriving more than two minutes after the leaders. His yellow jersey went to Nibali who now leads by 29-seconds to Rui Costa after 22-and-a-half hours of racing.

The general classification podium is rounded out with Valverde in third place at thirty seconds with two stages still to come. Joaquim Rodriguez moved up to 13th place in overall classification. Stage 6 began in Saint-Bonnet-en-Champsaur and ended in Villard-de-Lans at 183 km and featured six rated climbs on a rain-soaked day in the mountains. Attacks from overall hopefuls came throughout the day, many of them initiated by Nibali, over and over with groups away and being chased back.

His move at 50 km to go proved to be the most successful, with Gallopin, Costa, Valverde and Tony Martin (Ettix – Quick Step) all part of the action. The gap went well over 3 minutes while BMC chased, but the pressure on van Garderen took too much out of his legs to keep the jersey and Nibali took over on the general classification.

More mountains promise to create plenty of exciting racing action on Saturday’s stage 7. The stage begins in Montmélian and ends in Saint-Gervais atop Mont Blanc at 155 km. It’s the shortest road stage in this year’s race but with everything still to play for, it promises to be long on action and tactics.