On a day earmarked as a chance for the sprinters, the longest stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné had only one thing standing in their way – a short but steep second category climb around 20km from the finish in Tournon-sur-Rhône. In spite of the best efforts of the Dauphiné’s sprinters, a lone break from 15km out took the win, just two seconds ahead of the chasers. Finishing in the bunch with the sprinters, Alberto Contador took the race leader’s yellow jersey for the fourth time, maintaining his six second lead in the GC contest.
With the race nearing its halfway point, the Critérium du Dauphiné had its longest day today. The 187.5km route from Boën-sur-Lignon to Tournon-sur-Rhône looked like it was to be one of the easier stages, with only three categorised climbs – two of which were fourth category – and a flat finish. The race has proved so far that even when the parcours is more straightforward, the riders can be relied on to step up and make the conditions tougher. The stage had been earmarked for the sprinters, but with the second category Côte de Sécheras just 20km from the finish, there was every chance of an all rounder taking the win if the sprinters couldn’t make it over the final climb.
Again today, the attacks went from the moment the flag dropped. With only 10km gone, a group of three had managed to escape up the road, and quickly found themselves with a six-minute advantage on the peloton. With the first hour of racing completed and the gap still at six minutes, the pace had been monstrously fast, with an average speed of 46km/h.
With the pace dropping ahead of the first climb of the day, the gap on the breakaway was steadily brought back, although still with a comfortable lead of just under five minutes. This dropped rapidly as the sprint teams began to up the pace. After 100km of racing, the gap was down to 1’45” and it was clear that the intention in the peloton was to end the day with a bunch sprint. This didn’t affect the break’s plans however, as with 50km to go, one of the break went it alone and disappeared up the road.
With one climb left, and 20km out from the finish, it was essential that to be able to contest the win, the sprinters would have to make it over this tough climb. While short, it had ramps of up to 14%, and a fast-changing gradient meant some of the peloton would find it hard to find a rhythm. If the sprinters were to contest the finish, this was the place they would find out if it would be possible, and with the gap down to fourteen seconds with 30km remaining, it seemed the sprinters would have their wish, with it all coming back together with 26km to go.
The moment the break was caught however, the attacks came from the peloton. With the first breaks, Alberto was at the front, working with his teammates to pull them in. One rider did escape however, at 15km to go, and with the finish so close and the advantage so slim, the peloton had no qualms about working to chase down the attacks, and in spite of the difficulty of the climb, there were still some sprinters who wanted to contest the stage, and weren’t prepared to allow a breakaway take the win.
As the race was nearing its end, Alberto suffered a mechanical, which had the potential to put some time into the race leader had there not been support from his teammates. Sport Director, Sean Yates, summed up what happened. “Alberto had a puncture, which could have caused a problem and some time gaps, but he borrowed Kreuziger’s bike, which got him to the finish.” Alberto was grateful that his teammates were there when he needed them “These things can happen. I had a mechanical in the final stretch and I tried to keep going but the tubular was rubbing against the frame. Luckily, Roman Kreuziger was just behind me, so I could borrow his bike, even if it’s a bigger size than mine. It was a bit difficult to pedal on the seat but it was only 4km to go and another teammate was waiting for me to bring me back in the peloton. I managed to finish the race without any problems. We had to take quick decisions in a split second but we did it very well.”
As the lone breakaway rider hit the flamme rouge, the peloton was closing fast. It seemed a futile effort from the solo escapee as the sprinters began to accelerate, but while the gap was closing fast, he crossed the line two seconds ahead of the chasers. With Alberto crossing the line in the bunch with the sprinters, there was no change in the GC standing, and the Tinkoff leader kept his hold on the race lead and the yellow jersey for another day.
After what was a less intense day for the team – albeit still a fast-paced day – Sport Director, Sean Yates, summed up the day’s racing. “Some days are going to be more involved than others. There was a tough climb near the finish where the racing really started, and while it wasn’t a mountain stage, it was far from easy. It was a quieter day for us, with less need to control the pace. The breakaway riders weren’t the best climbers, and with other teams wanting to push for the stage win, there was less need for the team to work to pull in the break. We wanted to take it easy and didn’t want to commit to pulling in riders who weren’t a threat. Other teams had an interest in the sprint and so took up the sprint, so it all came back together. Aru did a great ride to the finish but it must have been frustrating for the sprinters.”
Continuing, Yates was pleased to see the sprint teams working hard today. “The plan, as always, was to keep Alberto safe, not lose time and try and save as much energy for the later stages. The team’s worked hard the last two days so it was good that there was less need to control the race. That said, it was definitely a fast day, with some up and down at the start. It was also cooler especially on the climbs with some wind too.”
Alberto was pleased to have his teammates on hand to support him to the finish, but was more relaxed about the outcome in this race. “It was a delicate moment but as I said before, I am less stressed in this race, compared to, let’s say, Paris-Nice. I take it in a more relaxed way. Fabio Aru deserved his win – he’s a rider that brings excitement to the races he takes part in, so it’s a good outcome.”
Tomorrow, the Critérium du Dauphiné takes on a 176km route from Tain-l’Hermitage to Belley. With two fourth category climbs covered after 93.5km, there remains an undulating parcours to negotiate for the remaining 80km to the finish. With a fairly flat final kilometre, provided any breakaways are caught, a bunch sprint seems likely.
Yates was expecting there would be less need for the team to control tomorrow’s stage. “It’s the last chance for the sprinters tomorrow, so they’ll be going for it. We’re expecting it’ll be another day where the sprinters will take up the chase, so we’re hoping to conserve some energy for the mountains. There were quite a few dropped today, so we’re seeing some bigger time gaps in the GC, so the breaks are less of a threat than they have been these past couple of days.”
Stage Result
1. Fabio Aru (ITA) Astana Pro Team 04:19:54
2. Alexander Kristoff (NOR) Team Katusha +00:00:02
3. Niccolo Bonifazio (ITA) Trek-Segafredo +00:00:02
4. Julian Alaphilippe (FRA) Etixx – Quick-Step +00:00:02
5. Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR) Dimension Data +00:00:02
39. Alberto Contador (SPA) Tinkoff +00:00:02
64. Jesper Hansen (DEN) Tinkoff +00:00:02
94. Robert Kiserlovski (CRO) Tinkoff +00:01:24
95. Roman Kreuziger (CZE) Tinkoff +00:01:27
148. Sergio Paulinho (POR) Tinkoff +00:11:32
151. Michael Valgren (DEN) Tinkoff +00:11:32
156. Michael Gogl (AUT) Tinkoff +00:11:32
DNS Yuri Trofimov (RUS) Tinkoff
GC After Stage 3
1. Alberto Contador (SPA) Tinkoff 13:13:10
2. Richie Porte (AUS) BMC Racing Team +00:00:06
3. Chris Froome (GBR) Team Sky +00:00:13
4. Dan Martin (IRL) Etixx-Quick Step +00:00:21
5. Julian Alaphilippe (FRA) Etixx-Quick Step +00:00:24
56. Roman Kreuziger (CZE) Tinkoff +00:03:21
59. Robert Kiserlovski (CRO) Tinkoff +00:03:53
62. Jesper Hansen (DEN) Tinkoff +00:04:58
160. Michael Valgren (DEN) Tinkoff +00:33:26
166. Michael Gogl (AUT) Tinkoff +00:34:22
168. Sergio Paulinho (POR) Tinkoff +00:34:27
