Hello and welcome to live coverage of stage 6 of the Giro d'Italia - a 183km ride through Tuscany from Montecatini Terme to coastal town of Castiglione della Pescaia in the province of Grosseto. There's a lumpy segment in the middle, which includes one Cat.4 climb, but otherwise it's a flat affair that should give the sprinters a chance to shine after two three tricky days of undulating terrain.
Giro d'Italia
Stage 6 | Flat | Men | 14.05.2015
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Updated 14/05/2015 at 15:41 GMT
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- Highlights
16:35
CONTADOR UPDATE: The Spaniard was unable to put on his pink jersey on the podium because of an apparent injury to his left arm. He is going to hospital for a check up. Very disturbing news... Check tonight's report for more.
0km
No change in the overall classification, with Contador still 2 seconds ahead of Aru and 20 seconds clear of Porte.
0km
The crash looked to have been caused by a Vini Fantini rider - Daniele Colli - catching the hand or camera lens of a spectator. The rider's arm is horribly twisted - it looks like his shoulder has been dislocated and the limb is bent back in itself. Very nasty.
0km
Contador manages to finish the stage ok. It looks like he didn't come down too heavily in that crash and he has no apparent cuts. Relief for the Spaniard.
0km
Griepel beat out six Italians for the win, with Pelucchi taking second ahead of Modolo, Belletti, Nizzolo, Petacchi and Viviani.
0km
Pink jersey Alberto Contador was one of the riders who came down in that crash...
0km
VICTORY FOR ANDRE GREIPEL!
0.5km
Greg Henderson leads out the sprint for Greipel... Matthews is thre too... and there's a big crash behind!
1km
Hofland being pulled up to the front - and narrowly avoids a spill...
1.5km
It looks like Viviani has pulled up...
2km
It's all Lotto SOudal now on the front for their man Andre Greipel, the big favourite today. Salvatore Puccio is the only Sky rider left for red jersey Elia Viviani.
3km
A collective sigh of relief as the pack breaks the 3-to-go barrier - any crashes now and the time losses will not count.
5km
It looks like most of those tailed off riders have managed to fight back on as the peloton bunches up once again. Lampre and Giant Alpecin are priming themselves, as are Lotto Soudal.
7km
Team Sky are on the left hand side of the road now, working for their men Elia Viviani and Richie Porte. It's the elegant pedaleur de charme Vasil Kiryienka setting the tempo.
10km
Pink jersey Alberto Contador is riding on second wheel, just behind Matteo Tossato, the birthday boy. Basso and Kreuziger are there too. Tinkoff-Saxo really bossing it out there. They know the race won't be won here, but it could be lost so they must stay alert.
11km
Now Etixx-QuickStep come to the front through Tom Boonen and Fabio Sabatini. Tinkoff are right in the mix too, with Astana, Katusha and GreenEdge.
12km
Yes, lots of riders are being tailed off: it's bunched up at the front, with a long single-lane of strugglers stretching back in its wake. Game on. Any rider back there will lose time for sure.
14km
The break are caught as Sky, Tinkoff-Saxo and Astana move to the front. And there are more momentary splits as the pack approaches the coast.
15km
Just 17 seconds now for the five escapees as they pass the 15-to-go banner. The carrots are cooked and it will go into bunch sprint mode.
16.5km
The gaps are opening up on the back of the peloton as Tinkoff-Saxo and Lotto-Soudal combine on the front. A bit of drama at the business end of today's otherwise rather routine transitional stage.