24th International Niedersachsen Rundfarht - 2.5

Germany, April 11-20, 2000

Stage 6 - April 16: Osterode - Duderstadt, 180,0 km

Toughest stage won by Schmidt

Gerolsteiner keep on going in the Niedersachsen Rundfarht, with last year's winner Torsten Schmidt succeeding in the sixth and hardest stage of the tour. The 182 kilometre stage from Osterorde to Duderstadt contained six mountains and was always going to tear the field to shreds.

Schmidt took Cologne's Bert Grabsch with him for the final 30 kilometres of the stage, before outsprinting him in front of the Duderstadt Town Hall. The two are now the top pair on GC with Mapei's Fred Rodriguez (USA) in third with four stages to come.

The mountain sprints were won by Thomas Liese (Nürnberger) and Mapei's Max van Heeswijk who escaped together for some 80 kilometres. The gained over three minutes on the bunch before bveing caught at 42 kilometres to go. A short time later, Schmidt attacked with Grabsch, and held off the chasers to win be nearly 40 seconds.

Tomorrow's stage 7 goes from Duderstadt to Peine and is 156 kilometres.

Results

 1. Torsten Schmidt (Ger) Team Gerolsteiner           4.31.25
 2. Bert Grabsch (Ger) Team Cologne
 3. Marcus Ljungvist (Swe) Team Fakta                    0.38
 4. Raimond Meijs (Ned) Team Cologne
 5. S. Gaute Hölestöl (Nor) Team Gerolsteiner
 6. Bert Dietz (Ger) Team Nürnberger
 7. Fred Rodriguez (USA) Mapei-Quick Step
 8. Raphael Schweda (Ger) Team Nürnberger                0.45
 9. Kevin Hulsman (Bel) Mapei-Quick Step                 0.56
 10. Enrico Poitschke (Ger) Bunte Berte Leipzig          1.12
 11. Rudie Kemna (Ned) Netherlands National Team
 12. Sebastian Siedler (Ger) German National Track Team
 13. Alexej Markow (Rus) Russian National Team
 14. Jakob Gram Nielsen (Den) Team Fakta
 15. Piotr Zaradny (Pol) MAT-Ceresit-CCC
 16. Andre Kalfack (Ger) Peugeot Team Berlin
 17. Radoslaw Romanik (Pol) MAT-Ceresit-CCC
 18. Olaf Pollack (Ger) Team Gerolsteiner
 19. Artur Krasinski (Pol) MAT-Ceresit-CCC
 20. Max Van Heeswijk (Ned) Mapei-Quick Step
 21. Holger Sievers (Ger) Team Nürnberger
 22. Edouard Gritsoun (Rus) Team Gerolsteiner
 23. Timo Scholz (Ger) Bunte Berte Leipzig
 24. Richard Faltus (Cze) ZVVZ-Wüstenrot
 25. Alexander Kastenhuber (Ger) Team Nürnberger
 26. Christian Poos (Lux) Post Swiss Team
 27. Sebastian Lang (Ger) German National Road Team
 28. Tomas Konecny (Cze) ZVVZ-Wüstenrot
 29. Claus Holm (Den) Team Fakta
 30. Leif Hoste (Bel) Mapei-Quick Step
 31. Jörn Reuss (Ger) Team Nürnberger
 32. Bruno Boscardin (Swi) Post Swiss Team
 33. Christian Werner (Ger) German National Road Team
 34. Artour Babaitsev (Rus) Team Nürnberger
 35. Tiann Kannemeyer (RSA) Team Cologne
 36. Dirk Müller (Ger) Post Swiss Team
 37. Torsten Hiekmann (Ger) Peugeot Team Berlin
 38. Danilo Klaar (Ger) Bunte Berte Leipzig
 39. Stephan Gottschling (Ger) Post Swiss Team
 40. Guido Fulst (Ger) German National Track Team
 41. Hannes Hempel (Aut) ARBÖ-Bosch Hausgeräte
 42. Jaroslav Bilek (Cze) ZVVZ-Wüstenrot
 43. Tomasz Szafranski (Pol) MAT-Ceresit-CCC
 44. Wladimir Karpiets (Rus) Russian National Team
 45. Valter Bonca (Slo) ARBÖ-Bosch Hausgeräte
 46. Christian Heule (Swi) Post Swiss Team
 47. Bert Hiemstra (Ned) Team Cologne
 48. Thorsten Rund (Ger) German National Track Team
 49. Marcel Bollmann (Ger) Niedersachsen Selection       5.02
 50. Florian Zanke (Ger) Peugeot Team Berlin
 51. Bart Brentjens (Ned) Netherlands National Team
 52. Bernhard Wächter (Ger) German National Track Team
 53. Thomas Liese (Ger) Team Nürnberger
 54. Arnold Eisel (Aut) ARBÖ-Bosch Hausgeräte
 55. Jos Lucassen (Ned) Team Cologne
 56. Peter Wrolich (Aut) Team Gerolsteiner
 57. Michael Schlickau (Ger) Team Cologne
 58. Peter Meinert-Nielsen (Den) Team Fakta
 59. Armin Kröniger (Ger) Niedersachsen Selection
 60. Slavomir Heger (Cze) ZVVZ-Wüstenrot
 61. Adriano Baffi (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step
 62. Petr Bencik (Cze) ZVVZ-Wüstenrot                    7.22
 63. Pavel Broutt (Rus) Russian National Team
 64. Sebastian Denke (Ger) Bunte Berte Leipzig
 65. Martin Müller (Ger) Team Cologne
 66. Sergei Klimow (Rus) Russian National Team
 67. Wladyslaw Borissow (Rus) Russian National Team
 68. Jörg Förster (Ger) German National Road Team
 69. Vladimir Novotny (Cze) ARBÖ-Bosch Hausgeräte
 70. Stefan Müller (Ger) German National Road Team
 71. Massimo Sorice (Ita) MAT-Ceresit-CCC
 72. Roland Pils (Aut) ARBÖ-Bosch Hausgeräte
 73. Rene Krocs (Ned) Netherlands National Team         13.32
 74. Michael Rich (Ger) Team Gerolsteiner               15.26
 75. Christian Sidler (Swi) Post Swiss Team
 76. Phillippe Koehler (Fra) Mapei-Quick Step
 77. Pierre Ackermann (Swi) Post Swiss Team
 78. René Andrle (Cze) ZVVZ-Wüstenrot
 79. Jimmy Hansen (Den) Team Fakta
 80. Marcel Strauss (Swi) Post Swiss Team
 81. Sven Teutenberg (Ger) Team Gerolsteiner
 82. Martin Fischerlehner (Aut) ARBÖ-Bosch Hausgeräte
 83. Christian Bach (Ger) German National Track Team    19.03
 84. Jens Lehmann (Ger) German National Track Team
 85. Karsten Volkmann (Ger) Bunte Berte Leipzig
 86. Kurt Schwarzmüller (Aut) ARBÖ-Bosch Hausgeräte
 87. Grzegorz Gronkiewicz (Pol) MAT-Ceresit-CCC
 88. Milos Pejcea (Cze) ZVVZ-Wüstenrot
 89. Michael Meeske (Ger) Niedersachsen Selection
 90. Dennis Haueisen (Ger) Peugeot Team Berlin
 91. Martin Kryger (Den) Team Fakta
 92. Andreas Walzer (Ger) Team Gerolsteiner
 93. Andreas Müller (Ger) German National Track Team
 94. Marco Zeckra (Ger) Peugeot Team Berlin
 95. Gunnar Käbisch (Ger) Bunte Berte Leipzig
 96. Andre Schulze (Ger) Bunte Berte Leipzig
 97. Christian Lademann (Ger) German National Track Team


General classification after stage 6:

 1. Torsten Schmidt (Ger) Team Gerolsteiner          26.47.45
 2. Bert Grabsch (Ger) Team Cologne                      0.29
 3. Fred Rodriguez (USA) Mapei-Quick Step                0.43
 4. Olaf Pollack (Ger) Team Gerolsteiner                 0.48
 5. Gaute Holtestol (Nor) Team Gerolsteiner              0.52
 6. Bert Dietz (Ger) Team Nürnberger                     1.12
 7. Raphael Schweda (Ger) Team Nürnberger                1.18
 8. Torsten Hiekmann (Ger) Team Peugeot Berlin           1.24
 9. Tomas Konecny (Cze) ZVVZ Wüstenrot                   1.25
10. Tiann Kannemeyer (RSA) Team Cologne                  1.26