Aix-en-Provence to Montpellier

Distance: 176.5 kilometers.

Stage six starts with the first third being mostly down hill, then the sprint followed by the category 4 Col de la Vayède. The sprinters should be out at the front.

Daryl Impey took the Yellow because his teammate, Simon Gerrans, wasn’t able to chase when the group they were in split at the end and he could maintain the team’s hold on the Jersey rather than surrender it to Sky’s Edvald Boasson Hagen.

The riders were having to deal with crosswinds, and André Greipel did it better than anyone else on the stage, taking the win and the Red Numbers for his efforts. Mark Cavendish had to settle for fourth on the stage when he lost time and a bike to a crash 33 km from the finish.

A crash at the finish of yesterday’s race knocked Jurgen Van Den Broeck [knee] and Maxime Bouet [wrist] out of the race. Given the wind-related crashes today, there will probably be more non-starters tomorrow.

Daryl Impey ( RSA – OGE – 185 ) [Yellow] 22h 18′ 17″
Peter Sagan ( Svk – CAN – 011 ) [Green] 159 points
Pierre Rolland ( Fra – EUC – 051 ) [Polka Dot] 10 points
Michal Kwiatkowski ( Pol – OPQ – 153 ) 5 [White]

Team: Orica-GreenEdge ( OGE – 181-189 ) [Yellow numbers]
Stage winner: André Greipel ( Ger – LTB – 024 )
Combative: André Greipel ( Ger – LTB – 024 ) [Red numbers]

Top Ten:

1 Daryl Impey ( RSA – OGE – 185 )
2 Edvald Boasson Hagen ( Nor – SKY – 002 ) + 00′ 03″
3 Simon Gerrans ( Aus – OGE – 181 ) + 00′ 05″
4 Michael Albasini ( Sui – OGE – 182 ) + 00′ 05″
5 Michal Kwiatkowski ( Pol – OPQ – 153 ) + 00′ 06″
6 Sylvain Chavanel ( Fra – OPQ – 152 ) + 00′ 06″
7 Christopher Froome ( GB – SKY – 001 ) + 00′ 08″
8 Richie Porte ( Aus – SKY – 006 ) + 00′ 08″
9 Nicolas Roche ( Irl – TST – 097 ) + 00′ 14″
10 Roman Kreuziger ( Cze – TST – 094 ) + 00′ 14″

The Rest of the Top 30:
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The Declaration of Independence

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security…

Independence wasn’t really achieved until September 3, 1783 when Britain signed the Treaty of Paris, and, to be factual, our current government only dates from March 4, 1789 when the first government under our Constitution was installed.

Liberty was not extended to all men until December 6, 1865 with ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment abolishing slavery, nor were women given the one of the most important rights of men until August 26, 1920 with the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment recognizing their votes.

In truth, until July 2, 1964 when Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law, there was no mechanism to force government to recognize the rights of all American citizens.