Algerian cyclist Nassim Saidi, from the Madar Team, won Sunday the sixth stage of the Cycling Tour of Algeria 2023, between Setif and Constantine over a distance of 129.4 km.
In an arrival marked by a crash in the last three kilometers on a hill that leads to the city center of Constantine, Saidi won a sprint finish against his five breakaway companions with a time of 2h 40m 39 sec, ahead of Hamza Amari of the Q36.5 Continental Cycling team and Natanael Berhane from the Beykoz Belediyesi Spor Kulubu team.
After a lively start with several breakaway attempts, six riders including Algerians Saidi and Amari managed to break away from the peloton at the 30th kilometer, quickly opening up a gap that stabilized at 2 minutes until the (2nd category) mountain pass at the exit of Ain Smara, 10 km from the finish.
The six riders worked together in solidarity and with a strong determination to maintain their lead. Despite being pursued by the peloton led by Nice Metropole Côte d’Azur team, they managed to maintain a slight advantage and held off the chasing pack, which included the yellow jersey holder Paul Hannequin.
The six leading riders managed to avoid the crash on the descent three kilometers from the finish, unlike the previous day’s stage winner in Setif, Dutchman Luuk Schuurmans of the Universe Cycling Team. With determination and solidarity, they tackled the climb towards the city center of Constantine with the aim of fighting for the stage victory. Algerian rider Nassim Saidi ultimately won the stage, securing a third stage victory for the Madar team, following Hamza Yacine’s wins in M’sila and Batna. The peloton, led by the Nice Metropole Côte d’Azur team, maintained the yellow jersey worn by Paul Hannequin but could not catch up to the six leaders.
The victory of Nassim Saidi in the fifth stage of the Tour d’Algérie Cycliste (TAC-2023) is also the fourth Algerian stage victory in the 2023 Tour, following Youcef Reguigui’s win (Terengganu Polygon) in Biskra.
After the end of the sixth stage, Frenchman Paul Hennequin (Nice Metropole Côte d’Azur) maintained his two jerseys: the yellow one as the overall leader and the white one as the best young rider. Likewise, Eritrean Yemane Dawit kept the polka dot jersey as the best climber.
The seventh stage scheduled for Monday between Constantine and Skikda over a distance of 83.6 km, will be the shortest of this Tour, with a course favorable once again to breakaways.
