BIRD ISLAND, China, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Eduard Grosu won the sixth stage and claimed the green jersey as well at the Tour of Qinghai Lake for French team Delko Marseille Provence on Friday in a time of 2:52:57.
Covering a distance of 136 kilometers along the fascinating Qinghai Lake from Caka county to Bird Island, the Romanian rider became the stage winner again after his third stage victory out of a a strong sprint, ahead of Imerio Cima (Nippo Fantini) and Siarhei Papok (Minsk Cycling Club).
Colombian rider Robinson Chalapud (Medellin) held onto the yellow jersey for three straight days, expanding his advantage further in the overall standings, totalling a time of 17:02:47, 33 seconds ahead of his teammates Cristhian Montoya and Walter Vargas.
The sixth stage saw a relatively straightforward race with a climb to 3817 meters halfway through the stage. No breakaway occured for the majority of the race with the exception of Andrea Guardini (Bardiani CSF) who's attempt was nullified after the descent.
The sprinter team kept a fast, steady pace and the group was compact. Five kilometers from the finish line, a bad fall of hail occurred and several cyclists were involved in the hit.
Grosu, coming second in this stage last year, was escorted by his teammates to catch up in the last kilometer and sprinted to the first place.
"I know I can win this stage in the last kilometers, because I'm fast on this kind of final," Grosu said.
After crossing the finish line, Grosu excitedly rode with a thumb in his mouth, a celebration for his daughter who is expected to be born in August.
"I want to dedicate the victory to my future daughter who arrives next month," he said to a round of applause from reporters.
Delko Marseille Provence seems to put focus on the Tour victory, which is now in third place in team ranking, 5:23 behind the leading team Medellin as Delko now has taken three wins and Grosu himself has claimed two.
"We will try to win the stages, doesn't matter with whom. Brenton (Jones) led me out perfectly today," Grosu explained, noting the incredible teamwork that Delko is showing at the moment.
"It was a really, really nice stage for us."
The weather on Friday was less windy than the fifth stage, but cold temperatures and hail plagued riders. Grosu claimed his experience in cycle-cross and mountain biking helped him to manage the downhill and wet roads.
"For me it's nice, because I'm a little bit fatter than the other riders," he joked. "When we have that kind of situation it's perfect. I don't suffer in the cold weather."
The seventh stage of 42km time trial in Haiyan county will be in Grosu's favor as he is a national champion at the event.
The reigning Asian best rider Saeid Safarzadeh (Shenzhen Xidesheng Cycling) of Iran had to pull out
of the Tour after suffering a bad crash halfway. Kazak rider Artur Fedosseyev rose up to be the new leader in Asian riders classification in a total of 17:07:47, followed by China's Liu Jiankun (1:36 behind) and Bieken Nazaerbieke (3:01 behind), both from Chinese team Michelton-BikeExchange.
