Cancellara leads out riders on 6th stage of Tour

Montargis, France :

Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland held the leader's yellow jersey as riders set out on the sixth and longest stage of this year's Tour de France.

Friday's 227.5-kilometer (141.3-mile) route from Montargis to Gueugnon again favored sprinters with another bunched finish expected, but temperatures cooled off after two days of blazing heat.

Defending champion Alberto Contador started the stage in ninth place, while seven-time champion Lance Armstrong was in 18th spot, although both are likely to overtake Cancellara once the Tour hits the Alpine mountains on Sunday.

Among other top contenders behind Cancellara, Cadel Evans of Australia started out in third place.

Barring a crash or mishap, however, overall positions rarely change much on such a flat stage.