PARIS, July 6 -- German rider Marcel Kittel saw his second victory in the 2017 Tour de France in Thursday's sixth stage, and a relaxed Christopher Froome maintained his yellow jersey with a 12-second advantage.
With 11 career stage wins in hand, Kittel needed one more to equal Erik Zabel for the most wins by a German rider in the tournament.
"I'm very proud of my team. They did a great job. They managed to position me well and keep me there. It was very important for the victory," said Kittel.
A three-man group broke away just into the 216km stage, from Vesoul to Troyes, before the trio were caught by the peloton into the final three kilometers.
Different from other riders' choice of staying on the right side, Kittel kicked off his sprint from the left to build a comfortable lead to cross the finish line.
Frenchman Arnaud Demare, the fourth stage winner, finished second. Kittel's compatriot Andre Greipel took the third position.
An emotional Kittel buried his head deep down with tears almost coming out after the triumph.
After snatching the precious 50 sprint points earned from the top finish, Kittel also cut his deficit against Demare to 27 points for the sprinters' green jersey.
"I saw Demare go first and I had to go at the 150 metres. It worked perfectly. I was a little bit behind when my opponents went. I feel good at the moment.
"The green jersey is within reach but the victory is more important, because they also give you a big advantage for the green jersey," commented Kittel.
Yellow jersey owner Froome experienced a relaxing day, while also suffering scary scenario as a massive beach umbrella was blown by a gust of wind onto the road with about 90km remaining, forcing the British and several other riders into an immediate swerve.
Froome admitted that he was actually scared by the incident.
He still bettered his Sky teammate Geraint Thomas by 12 seconds, with Italian Fabio Aru two seconds further adrift.
Aru kept the polkadot king of the mountains jersey with 10 points, just as Simon Yates did on the best young riders honor. Team Sky stood first on overall team standings.
Friday's 213.5km seventh stage will start from Troyes and finish in Nuits-Saint-Georges, with only one fourth-category climb.
体坛英语资讯:Kenya to bid for 2023 World Athletics Championships
日常用品那些让人大开眼界的用途(组图)
Waiting for the proverbial shoe to drop
Judge From Appearance 以貌取人
国内英语资讯:China Focus: BRICS entrepreneurs pursue dreams in China
体坛英语资讯:Kenyas Obiri, Kipyegon to star at Birmingham Diamond League
国际英语资讯:SADC pledges assistance to mudslide victims in Sierra Leone
怎么给脚包扎绷带
国内英语资讯:Xi calls for enhanced China-U.S. military ties
国际英语资讯:Russia to enhance military position in Central Asia: Defense Ministry
文在寅:川普保证军事打击朝鲜前征求韩国意见
国际英语资讯:World Bank chief hails Chinas fight against poverty
汤姆•克鲁斯拍摄《碟中谍6》意外受伤
在麻省理工上学是什么感觉?
品牌喜好不同,可能会导致分手
艾玛•斯通登顶2017全球最高收入女演员
国际英语资讯:Canadian trade experts blast Trumps trade deficit complaints
国内英语资讯:Beijing solicits opinion on house-renting draft
印度一政府办公楼成危楼 员工带头盔上班防被砸
国内英语资讯:China warns of geological disasters in some regions
英文如何表达“太老套了”?
It Is Not the Time to Give Up 还没到放弃的时候
国内英语资讯:Top legislature schedules bi-monthly session
日本设计出巨大帘幕 让房屋与地震共存
布什父子谴责种族主义,川普解散两顾问委员会
金砖国家正在开启又一个“黄金十年”
国际英语资讯:Venezuelas opposition-held parliament rejects powers voted by ANC
国内英语资讯:China audit finds poverty relief funds idle
国内英语资讯:Chinese premier offers condolences over deadly Barcelona terror attack
印度一政府办公楼成危楼 员工带头盔上班防被砸