The second day of racing at the Critérium du Dauphiné headed to the hills on Monday, with the final 20 kilometres of the stage taking on two categorised climbs and a drag uphill to the line. Potentially too hard for the strong climbing sprinters and too easy for any GC gaps, there was an intrigue as to how the stage would play out amongst the peloton. A fast start eventually saw a break of five going clear, with all Team dsm-firmenich PostNL riders in the bunch.
Bubbling up well as a group, the team looked after climbing finisher Warren Barguil throughout the day, keeping him safe for the finale. The break of five rode strongly and it meant the pace was high going onto the climbs in the closing 20 kilometres, which dramatically reduced the bunch. After some good positioning work by the team, Barguil was well placed as the kilometres ticked by. Last man from the breakaway Armirail was caught agonisingly in sight of the line, with the peloton of 50 deciding the stage in the a reduced sprint; in which Barguil crossed the line safely within the group.
Barguil said: “It was the first hilly stage in the Dauphiné. After coming back from altitude camp with the team, I wasn’t sure where I would be before the start. The team protected me well today throughout the stage. It went really fast on the last two climb and I was still in the group. At one kilometre to go I needed to brake a bit when I was in the middle part of the group. From there, I couldn’t go for the the sprint and didn’t have the legs to do a big push and get back to the front but I’m happy to finish in the bunch. I’m hoping that my shape will continue to grow during this week with more racing in the legs.”
