• Giro d'Italia, Stage Six

Cavendish elated at second stage success

Mark Cavendish was out in front again on Thursday © AP

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• Profile: Mark Cavendish

Mark Cavendish won his second stage of this year's Giro d'Italia on Thursday, edging Elia Viviani and Matt Goss to claim the 169-kilometre stage between Mola di Bari and Margherita di Savoia.

Led out clinically by his Omega Pharma-QuickStep team-mates, Cavendish never seriously looked like being threatened by his rivals as he crossed the line a bike length clear.

The win was his 12th stage success in the Giro, and his 38th overall in Grand Tours.

"I'm very happy. The team did an incredible job, everything was perfect, 100 percent right," Cavendish said. "There were only two stages for the sprinters in the first part of the Giro but I've won both of them, so I'm happy."

He added: "What does it feel like? Imagine you get a kit car, you build it and when you start it, you get that feeling - it's like that. It's like all the bits of an engine and I'm just the exhaust at the end, the bit that makes the most noise. That's how it feels - everything just fits together."

Cavendish also dedicated his victory to Wouter Weylandt, who died on the Giro exactly two years ago.

Elsewhere, Italy's Luca Paolini retained the leader's pink jersey, on a day of little movement at the top of the general classification.

Team Sky's Bradley Wiggins briefly moved to the front of the peloton over the closing phase of the stage, but duly dropped back into the pack approaching the line. Wiggins remains 34 seconds behind Paolini's lead.

Stage Six, Mola di Bari - Margherita di Savoia
1. Mark Cavendish (GBr) Omega Pharma-Quick Step 3:56:03
2. Elia Viviani (Ita) Cannondale Pro Cycling
3. Matthew Harley Goss (Aus) Orica-GreenEdge
4. Nacer Bouhanni (Fra) FDJ
5. Mattia Gavazzi (Ita) Androni Giocattoli
6. Manuel Belletti (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale
7. Davide Appollonio (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale
8. Giacomo Nizzolo (Ita) RadioShack Leopard
9. Matti Breschel (Den) Team Saxo-Tinkoff
10. Roberto Ferrari (Ita) Lampre-Merida

General classification after stage 5
1. Luca Paolini (Ita) Katusha 23:52:42
2. Rigoberto Uran Uran (Col) Sky Procycling +17s
3. Benat Intxausti Elorriaga (Spa) Movistar Team +26s
4. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana Pro Team +31s
5. Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin-Sharp +34s
6. Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky Procycling +34s
7. Giampaolo Caruso (Ita) Katusha +36s
8. Sergio Luis Henao Montoya (Col) Sky Procycling +37s
9. Mauro Santambrogio (Ita) Vini Fantini-Selle Italia +39s
10. Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team +42s

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