Brave David Millar fails to hold on

British cyclist David Millar made a breakaway during yesterday's 181km sixth stage between Girona and Barcelona which almost brought the rider his third career stage win in the Tour de France.

Millar had been part of an early group of three riders who escaped the pack before he pulled clear on his own 29km from the end of the all-Spanish leg. The 32-year-old Scot was overtaken by the peloton with just 1km to go, and the stage victory went to Norwegian Thor Hushovd.

The victory takes Hushovd to within a point of Mark Cavendish in the race to be points leader. Cavendish retained the green jersey with 15th place in the stage, while there was no change in the overall standings, with Fabian Cancellara holding onto the maillot jaune.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
Richard Williams, the Guardian: "It was with 30km to go that Millar divested him of his companions, who faded back into a peloton now thundering along only a minute behind the lone Garmin-Slipstream rider. The lead came down as he raced through the rain-slicked streets of Barcelona's north-eastern suburbs, and two multi-rider crashes, one of them involving Tom Boonen, were too far back in the bunch to hinder the assault. 'Stupidity,' a smiling Millar replied when asked what had prompted the break. 'I rode with the heart rather than the head. I hadn't planned it at all. I've done that coast road so many times in training that I thought, I can have fun here, and before I knew it I was off and away on my own.'"

Brendan Gallagher, Daily Telegraph: "Cavendish, who was always likely to struggle given the demanding nature of the finish which featured a steady uphill drag for 2km, nonethless dug deep to finish 16th claiming 10 precious points and maintain his ownership of the green jersey by one point. Until this season Cavendish probably wouldn't have contested the issue at all in this situation, especially after a demanding first week in the Tour de France leading into a difficult mixed terrain route and on increasingly trecherous roads, but the Manxman is scrapping for every point this year and learning exactly what it takes to defend a jersey."

Jeremy Whittle, the Times: "The crescendo of this Tour de France may peak on the long climb to Andorra on Friday when the peloton’s two heavyweight prizefighters finally get the chance to slug it out. It is only the first round, yet Alberto Contador has it in him to land a killer blow on Lance Armstrong and there is a sense here of months of speculation reaching a climax. It may have seemed reasonable, then, for Thursday to have been something of a breather before the bout begins. However, the all-Spanish stage from Girona to Barcelona brought with it rain, tour-ending crashes and the thrilling sight of a Briton - and not Mark Cavendish - tearing hell for leather in search of a stage win."