Criterium du Dauphine 2016: Chris Froome beats Richie Porte to claim race lead on stage five
Team Sky man wins stage ahead of former team-mate after stinging attack on final climb
Chris Froome (Team Sky) won stage five of the Criterium du Dauphine to take over the race lead after a stinging attack on the final climb.
Froome and former team-mate Richie Porte (BMC Racing) bolted clear of race leader Alberto Contador (Tinkoff) on the climb and the two worked well together as they opened up a big lead under the flamme rouge.
When the road ramped back up again through the final hairpin, it was the Team Sky man with the momentum though as he stormed to the stage victory.
Fellow Brit Adam Yates (Orica-GreenEDGE) finished third, meanwhile, to also move up overall with two mountainous stages remaining.
Chris Froome beat former team-mate Richie Porte to win stage five of the Criterium du Dauphine (pic: Sirotti)
There was no shortage of riders wanting to get into the day’s break, be it for tactical reasons or with genuine stage ambitions.
Wout Poels (Team Sky) was among the riders to try their luck, as was Thomas Voeckler (Direct Energie) and Thomas de Gendt (Lotto-Soudal).
When a large move finally stuck, the former two were present too, as were green jersey Edvald Boasson Hagen (Dimension Data), Ryder Hesjedal (Trek-Segafredo) and Britain’s Steve Cummings (Dimension Data).
Daniel Teklehaimanot was the third Dimension Data rider in the 25-man move, and set about racking up mountain points in a bid to repeat last year’s polka dot jersey success.
The Eritrean was first to the top of Col du Barioz and the Col des Ayes but the Tinkoff-led peloton was never too much more than a minute behind.
Andriy Grivko (Astana) took the stage by the horns, attacking from the breakaway as a four-man group chased hard behind with Cyril Gautier (Ag2r-La Mondiale), Dayer Quintana (Movistar), Enrico Gasparotto (Wanty-Groupe Gobert) and Bartisz Huzarski (Bora-Argon 18) making the junction.
Quintana’s presence in the group was a threat to the peloton, with the Colombian just 1.39 behind overall and the quintet extending their lead to more than two minutes.
Several riders consequently shared the responsibility of chasing, with Etixx-QuickStep and Team Sky also both showing themselves on the front of the bunch.
Up the road the quintet fell apart, with Gasparotto leading the way up the final climb and Quintana a few seconds behind.
Mikel Landa (Team Sky) and Brent Bookwalter (BMC Racing) counter-attacked from the peloton, meanwhile, as Froome and Porte’s team-mates looked to shake up the peloton.
Stage three winner Fabio Aru (Astana) was among those caught out on the climb, sitting well towards the back of the bunch as Roman Kreuziger (Tinkoff) set the pace for Contador.
Landa caught and passed Quintana up the road, leaving just Gasparotto ahead of him with four kilometres remaining, but the peloton was closing in fast.
Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) found he too did not have the form to stick with the elite front group, before Dan Martin (Etixx-QuickStep) lit it up with three kilometres to go with Contador and Porte on his wheel.
Froome now leads overall, with Porte in second place (pic: Sirotti)
Froome bridged across, allowing Landa – by now the only rider up the road – to open up his gap again but Froome rapidly caught and passed his team-mate with 2.5km remaining.
Climbing out of the saddle, Froome, Contador and Porte motored away from the rest of the front group with the Team Sky man opening up a few bike lengths’ lead.
Froome’s stinging attack proved too much for Contador though, as he led Porte through the 2km to go marker with an 11-second lead over the Spaniard and Dan Martin.
Yates bridged across to the two chasers as Porte came through to take a turn in front of Froome at the front.
Froome was back on the front on the rapid descent through the flamme rouge, as the two former team-mates continued to work well together on the front.
As they rounded the final bend, it was Froome with the momentum though and – out of the saddle – he charged clear of the Australian to claim the yellow jersey.
Criterium du Dauphine 2016: stage five – result
1) Chris Froome (GBR) – Team Sky – 3.32.20hrs
2) Richie Porte (AUS) – BMC Racing +1”
3) Adam Yates (GBR) – Orica-GreenEDGE +19”
4) Dan Martin (IRL) – Etixx-QuickStep – ST
5) Alberto Contador (ESP) – Tinkoff +21”
6) Romain Bardet (FRA) – Ag2r-La Mondiale +25”
7) Pierre Rolland (FRA) – Cannondale +27”
8) Bauke Mollema (NED) – Trek-Segafredo – ST
9) Louis Meintjes (RSA) – Lampre-Merida
10) Julian Alaphilippe (FRA) – Etixx-QuickStep
General classification
1) Chris Froome (GBR) – Team Sky – 21.24.59hrs
2) Richie Porte (AUS) – BMC Racing +7”
3) Alberto Contador (ESP) – Tinkoff +27”
4) Dan Martin (IRL) – Etixx-QuickStep +37”
5) Julian Alaphilippe (FRA) – Etixx-QuickStep +42”
6) Adam Yates (GBR) – Orica-GreenEDGE +52”
7) Diego Rosa (ITA) – Astana +1.08
8) Daniel Navarro (ESP) – Cofidis +1.16
9) Bauke Mollema (NED) – Trek-Segafredo +1.21
10) Louis Meintjes (RSA) – Lampre-Merida +1.27
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