Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team rider Michal Kwiatkowski tried to defend his 9th position in the overall classification during the 6th stage of the Tour de San Luis. The stage finished uphill on the Mirador del Sol (7 km, 8,75% average).
A lead group of 5 riders animated the stage, but the peloton reeled them in before the final climb. Team Saxobank - Tinkoff pulled up the tempo in the first group in order to get Alberto Contador in the front. On the hard Mirador del Sol several riders lost contact with the first group. With 3 kilometres to go Contador attacked the first group. The Spaniard went on solo, but overall leader Ricardo Diaz bridged the gap in the final kilometre. Contador managed to grab the stage win, Diaz ended second and kept the overall lead.
Kwiatkowski gave it all and only lost 1 minute and 15 seconds on Contador. Kwiatkowski finished 20th in the stage, just in front of his team mate Pieter Serry who ended 29th. In the overall classification Kwiatkowski dropped out of the top-10. OPQS now looks forward to the 7th and final stage from San Luis to Juana Koslay over 154,7 kilometres.