By Hedwig Kröner
Germany's Jens Voigt has the opportunity to win a fourth edition of the French Criterium International stage race this year and get once step closer to matching the record of Raymond Poulidor, who won the event five times.
The 77th edition of the two-day, three-stage event will once again see the riders tackle the hilly countryside of France's northeast, towards the Belgian border. "I really like Critérium International, it's short but sharp, exactly my kind of thing," the CSC rider told Cyclingnews at Paris-Nice, where he tested his form in a breakaway towards the famous Mont Ventoux.
The 2007 winner of the event will thus be the man to beat in the hills north of Charleville-Mézières, where the second stage will take place on Sunday morning, and at the race's final time trial on Sunday afternoon. Traditionally, the first stage on Saturday is decided in a bunch sprint, and the general classification players take over the action on the second day of the race.
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