A dramatic final day of racing at the Critérium du Dauphiné saw all three of the podium positions change as Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) pulled off a famous victory over Richie Porte (BMC Racing) and Daniel Martin (QuickStep Floors), with Chris Froome (Team Sky) narrowly missing out on the podium by just one second.
The 115-kilometre stage from Albertville to Plateau de Solaison had everything, with four major climbs crammed into the parcours and several virtual lead changes as the GC favourites forgot all about the chatter of Tour de France preparation and fought a desperate, nail-biting battle for the yellow jersey.
There were several subplots along the way, not least the battle between overnight race leader, Porte, and his former teammate and the defending Tour champion, Froome.
Despite not racing on the same team for almost two years, the pair remain closely linked on and off the bike, and as the Tour de France looms on the horizon every word, every act of body language is pored over. The fact that the gap between them in terms of form has never been so narrow only adds to the drama.
Sunday’s stage saw Astana’s Fuglsang and Fabio Aru deliver a masterful display of team tactics, with the Dane taking a well-deserved stage and overall win, but Froome played his part too. He came into the final stage second overall, the closest challenger to Porte, and despite claiming on Saturday evening that the Australian had the race all but sewn up, he attacked on each of the first three ascents. The first two moves isolated Porte from his teammates and the Australian appeared content to mark Froome when a dangerous group, including Fuglsang, broke free on the penultimate ascent of the Col de la Colombière.
Porte limited the damage at first with Froome glued to his wheel but after sharing a brief conversation, Froome attacked and left Porte with just one kilometre of the climb remaining – just as BMC riders were working their way back to their leader.
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