Jakub Mareczko  (Wilier Triestina) has struck again with a fifth consecutive victory, ahead of  Martin Laas (Delko Marseille Provence), with Marco Maronese (Bardiani-CSF) third  in Sanya. It makes him the most successful pro rider in 2017 along with  Quick-Step Floors stars Marcel Kittel and Fernando Gaviria, all of them having  won fourteen races. Mareczko remains the overall race leader but the riders face  the all-important mountain stage to Wuzhistan on Friday.

Stage 6 was much more limpid than the  previous one. Alexis Cartier (H&R Block) attacked from the gun, followed by  Mykhaylo Kononenko (Kolss) and Joris Blokker (Monkey Town). Paolo Simion  (Bardiani CSF) tried to bridge the gap but didn’t make it. It wasn’t a fast and  crazy first beginning this time as 40.8km were covered in the first hour of  racing. But the Wilier Triestina team was pacing the bunch around four minutes  behind the leading trio. Kononenko won all three intermediate sprints and  returned to the peloton after the third one at km 129.

Cartier dropped Blokker off to continue  solo with 32km to go while a counter attack was formed by Joab Schneiter (Swiss  national team), Gian Friesecke (Vorarlberg) and Xue Fuwen (Mitchelton-Scott).  Cartier, Schneiter and Friesecke were reeled in with 3.5km to go. Delko  Marseille seized the command of the peloton in the last 2km but Wilier Triestina  took the last curve in a perfect position to deliver a fifth straight victory  with Mareczko.

Post race quotes:

Stage 6 winner and race leader Jakub  Mareczko: “I knew the finish in Sanya very well because I won here two years  ago. It’s nice to win here again. In the meantime I’ve won races in different  parts of the world but mostly in China where I’ve found flat courses that suit  me. I’m happy to reach the same number of victories as Fernando Gaviria and  Marcel Kittel [14] this year but their wins are at a higher level than mines.  Being in a smaller team than theirs [Quick-Step Floors], I take part in other  races than them [except for the Giro d’Italia] but it’s an encouraging  achievement for me and my team, considering that we’re trying to improve also  for more demanding races. Today, it’s been a long stage with a 3-man breakaway.  My team-mates have worked from the first kilometers onwards to control the  escape. The Frenchmen from Delko Marseille have worked for their man [Martin  Laas] in the finale but my lead out train has been perfect. We needed those few  victories to conclude the season on a high note. Tomorrow it’ll be a hard stage  and I’m getting tired because I’ve been racing hard for three weeks. Luckily  there are only three stages left.”

Second placed Martin Laas: “The previous  days I took Jakub Mareczko’s wheel or somebody else’s but today we planned to go  with our train. I thought the way to beat was maybe to launch the sprint in  first position. That’s why we took the command of the peloton but we missed one  guy and we went a little bit early so it was too long and today, I actually  didn’t have the legs to beat Mareczko. He was very good today. When I took his  wheel, I still believed I could pass him but he rode so fast that I didn’t even  consider challenging him in the last few metres anymore.”

Third placed Marco Maronese: “I’m very  happy with this first podium at the Tour of Hainan. As a team, we were close to  make it in the previous stages and we managed to do it today. It’s been a nice  team work. In the first stages, Paolo Simion and I tried both to get a result  because we never know if one has better legs than the other. Today, it went well  for me. We all took the last curve in the first positions and it was hard for  other riders to make it up, so we have several riders in top ranks. Tomorrow,  it’s not a course that suits me but my team-mates are motivated for fighting for  the overall win. We have a few options with three or four different  riders.”

Most aggressive rider Alexis Cartier: “At  the difference of previous days, it wasn’t hard to break away today because many  riders were tired. I made the first attack on the start line and it was the  decisive one. I’m happy. Had I stayed in the bunch, I would have been bored. I  also need to race aggressively to have a chance of winning. I’ll never win a  sprint or an uphill finish. I believed the breakaway could work today because of  the Wilier Triestina riders being tired and the change of direction of wind on  the course. With a tailwind at the end, we had a few more chances than usual. I  believed I could win until 10km to go. The Tour of Hainan is really fun. We came  to Sanya for a week before the race, we stayed next to the beach, we could go  swimming and it’s a very nice area for training.”

King of the Mountain Vitaly Buts: “Today,  it was a more relax day after three demanding stages and ahead of tomorrow’s  queen stage. My team-mate Mykhaylo [Kononenko] rode away to take nine seconds  bonus with stage 7 in mind. We think he and other guys from our team can do well  in the overall ranking. I predict a very hard race tomorrow and I don’t think  Mareczko will manage to retain the lead.”

Best Asian rider Liu Jianpeng: “Yesterday  we had a very aggressive race from start to finish but today, the peloton  remained quiet thinking of the difficulty of stage 7. I also saved energy for  tomorrow. I feel a little bit nervous but I’ll try my best to keep the blue  jersey. I like being here in Sanya. I recommend this place for holidays!”