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Critérium du Dauphiné: Bardet wins first mountain stage, Van Garderen in yellow jersey

June 11, 2015
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Young French sensation Romain Bardet of Ag2r attacked over the top of a Cat. 1 climb and stayed away to win the first mountain stage of the 2015 Critérium du Dauphiné Thursday. Tejay van Garderen’s runner-up placing saw the American assume the race lead from BMC teammate Rohan Dennis (Australia).

The riders had five climbs to negotiate over 161-km on Stage 5, an exact copy of this year’s Stage 17 of the Tour de France. Mountains jersey wearer Daniel Teklehaimanot (Eritrea/MTN-Qhubeka) sprung away in his third breakaway of the race with six others. The Eritrean and Arnaud Courteille (France/FDJ) skirmished over the first three climbs, alternating the crests of two Cat. 3’s and a Cat. 2. Teklehaimanot padded his lead.

The break began to splinter on the opening slopes of the race’s first Cat. 1, the Col d’Allos (14-km, 5.5%), which started with 36-km remaining. Back in the peloton, Sky took over from Astana and Cannondale-Garmin and whipped up the pace, shelling out several big names. The last of the fugitives were brought to heel 2-km from Col d’Allos’s peak.

It was near the crest that Bardet attacked, taking tremendous risks on the tricky descent to push out a gap. The young Frenchman kept the rubber side down and started up the final climb of the day to Pra Loup, a Cat. 2 ascent 6.2-km in length with an average slope of 6.5%.

As Sky kept the pressure on at the front first Alejandro Valverde (Spain/Movistar) and then Vincenzo Nibali (Italy/Astana) cracked. Chris Froome (Great Britain/Sky) attacked with 2-km to go. Only van Garderen and Beñat Intxausti (Spain/Movistar) were able to keep anywhere near the Brit. Bardet collapsed after the finish line, exhausted but elated. Van Garderen came around Froome just before line and leads Intxausti in the GC by 18-seconds.

Bardet is third on GC, second to Teklehaimanot in the King of the Mountains and first in the best young rider competition.

Friday is another mountains day with six categorized climbs including a Cat. 3 clamber to the finish at Villard-de-Lans.

2015 Critérium du Dauphiné Stage 5
1) Romain Bardet (France/Ag2r) 4:31:22
2) Tejay van Garderen (USA/BMC) +0:36
3) Chris Froome (Great Britain/Sky) +0:40
99) Christian Meier (Canada/Orica-GreenEdge) +17:03

2015 Critérium du Dauphiné GC
1) Tejay van Garderen (USA/BMC) 18:03:22
2) Beñat Intxausti (Spain/Movistar) +0:17
3) Romain Bardet (France/Ag2r) +0:20
84) Christian Meier (Canada/Orica-GreenEdge) +17:40

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