Intro:

Europcar team rider Yohann Gene rode to victory on Stage six of the 2013 Tour of Gabon on Saturday.
The win, coupled with his remarkable consistency, allows Gene to wrestle the yellow jersey - and the overall lead - from Andrea Palini of the Lampre-Merida team into the final stage on Sunday.

Script:

The 2013 Tour of Gabon continued on Saturday with the penultimate Stage.

The riders contesting the event were set to tackle a relatively flat and winding 164-kilometre journey starting from Lambarene, across the equatorial line and finishing up in Kango.

Andrea Palini of the Lampre-Merida team began the Stage in the leaders' yellow jersey with a precipitous eight second advantage over rival Adrien Petit.
Europcar team rider Yohann Gene was quick to seize the impetus from the start and, together with 18 other riders, they upped the pace in the first hour to put Palini under pressure.

After 35-kilometres the lead group had left the Italian in its wake and the battle for the Stage win was truly on.

As the kilometres swept past two riders cruised to the fore: Yohann Gene, who began the day fourth overall, and Moroccan Soufiane Haddi.

Gene crossed the finish line with a time of three hours, nine minutes and 24 seconds and, although unable to catch the winner, the rest of the chasing pack trailed him over the stripe firmly in his wake.

The win means that Gene claims the yellow jersey, with an eight second lead over young Moroccan Haddi and a fourteen second advantage over Belgium's Gaetan Bille.

The race concludes on Sunday with the seventh and final Stage - a 126-kilometre dash from Owendo to the Gabonese capital of Libreville.