Nacer Bouhanni of France sprinted to win the sixth stage of the Spanish Vuelta on Thursday, while FDJ rider Rudy Molard kept the lead for a second straight day.

Bouhanni claimed the win for his Cofidis team in just under four hours by edging the closest of five rivals by a wheel length in the mostly flat 155.7-kilometer (96.7-mile) ride from Huercal-Overa to San Javier along the dry and rocky southeastern coast.

Bouhanni also won two stages in the 2014 edition of the Vuelta.

Molard crossed shortly after — along with most of the title contenders — to maintain his 41-second lead over Team Sky's Michal Kwiatkowski.

Molard took the red jersey from Kwiatkowski on Wednesday after forming part of a breakaway that the peloton failed to reel in.

The seventh stage remains in the southeastern region of Murcia on Friday for a relatively flat 185.7-kilometer (115.3-mile) from Puerto Lumbreras to Pozo Alcon.