Colbrelli: I have to congratulate Geraint Thomas for Dauphiné attack

Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) held on to win stage 5 of the Dauphiné
Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) held on to win stage 5 of the Dauphiné (Image credit: Getty Images)

There has been no doubt about the identity of the best sprinter over the opening five days of the Critérium du Dauphiné; runner-up behind breakaway riders on the first two stages and winner of the third, Sonny Colbrelli has been in a class of his own.

The Bahrain Victorious sprinter underlined that again at the stage 5 finish in Saint-Vallier, where he produced a blistering burst of speed that so very nearly enabled him to reel in Geraint Thomas after the Ineos Grenadiers rider had jumped clear a kilometre from the line.

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Peter Cossins has written about professional cycling since 1993 and is a contributing editor to Procycling. He is the author of The Monuments: The Grit and the Glory of Cycling's Greatest One-Day Races (Bloomsbury, March 2014) and has translated Christophe Bassons' autobiography, A Clean Break (Bloomsbury, July 2014). 

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