Tour de France 2017: Marcel Kittel wins stage six, Froome retains yellow jersey

Britain's Chris Froome kept hold of the leader's yellow jersey, as Marcel Kittel won a sprint finish on the 216km sixth stage of the Tour de France.

Marcel Kittel won stage 6 of the Tour de France
Marcel Kittel won stage 6 of the Tour de France

It was the German's second stage win of this year's race, having also triumphed on stage two.

Quick-Step rider Kittel had a clear run through the middle in the final 200 metres to edge ahead of Arnaud Demare, with Andre Greipel third in Troyes.

Froome finished in the bunch and leads by 12 seconds from Geraint Thomas.

Fellow Briton Simon Yates retained sixth to keep the white jersey as the quickest rider under the age of 26.

It was a largely uneventful day for the riders chasing the overall win and they were all credited with the same time.

"These stages don't come along very often," said defending champion Froome, who is chasing a third successive win and fourth in five years.

"This was definitely one of the most relaxed days I've ever done on the Tour de France. I've always dealt with the heat I'd say better than most people. It's the cold I normally have a problem with."