The Spaniard Juanpe López maintains the pink as leader of the Giro d'Italia after the sixth stage of the route. With the advantage that his exhibition on the Etna volcano gave him, the Sevillian dedicated himself to managing his first place in the table in a day that went from less to more, peaceful in its introduction and its knot and electric in its outcome. The French Arnaud Demare took all the lights after a dizzying final sprint. His victory was so fair that he had to intervene the technology to certify that he raised his fist fairly.

The stage was one of those in which the landscape beats the competition. The cyclists did little to add emotion to the journey, submitted to the beautiful maritime views of southern Italy, the toe of the boot from the sky.

The route between Palmi and Scalea was a 192-kilometre esplanade where recovery prevailed, not overexertion, fear of unnecessary risk and strategies for the grand finale, a five-kilometer straight where, in principle, the sprinters could have a feast.

Indeed, the platoon accelerated, they gritted their teeth, the road narrowed. An entrance of infarction blurred the slow and bucolic stage. The veteran Cavendish lit the fuse and the Frenchman Demare, with the Colombian Gaviria cornered (he ended up being sanctioned for taking his elbow out for a walk), finished it off with his second consecutive victory. The Frenchman snatched victory from Australian Caleb Ewan on the last asphalt plot. The photo finish confirmed it. Cavendish, rowdy, completed the podium