Wiggins claims Dauphiné overall victory

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Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky) secured the overall victory at the Criterium du Dauphiné on Sunday after keeping main rival Cadel Evans (BMC) in check on the final stage to mountain La Toussuire.

Spain’s Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) won the final 117.5km stage to end the race with back-to-back stage victories. His Katusha team kept the early break of the day in check, and then the tiny Spaniard jumped away inside the final kilometre.

Talented young Frenchman Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) won the sprint for second place after being in the action all stage, seven seconds behind the Spaniard. Robert Gesink (Rabobank) was third in the same time.

Wiggins finished 10th on the stage, at 10 seconds, proudly punching his arms in the air in celebration. He is only the third Briton to win the Criterium du Dauphiné after Brian Robinson in 1961 and Robert Millar in 1990. Evans finished second overall at 1:26, with Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana) third at 1:49.

Short but nasty stage

The final stage of the race was short in distance – 117.5km but included two huge climbs: The Col de la Croix de Fer (22.2km at seven percent), via the Col du Glandon, then the climb to the finish at La Toussuire (14.8km at 5.8 percent).

There were four non-starters including the trio of Julian Dean, Tyler Farrar and Andreas Klier (Garmin-Cervélo) and Jan Ghyselinck (HTC-Highroad). Nine other riders would fail to finish the stage with 21 others finishing outside the time limit of the tough final stage.

The 21-year-old Pinot had hoped to do well overall at the Criterium du Dauphiné but lost time early in the race. He was hugely disappointed but was motivated by his teammates and decided to take on the race on the last day in the Alps. Before the stage he tweeted: “Last stage… all or nothing!!!”

He was the first to attack after just five kilometres. He was quickly caught but then joined an 11-rider move. Also there were Andrey Zeits (Astana), Leonardo Duque and Tristan Valentin (Cofidis), Sébastien Minard (Ag2r-La Mondiale), Maarten Tjallingii (Rabobank), Pierre Rolland (Europcar), Alexandre Kolobnev (Katusha), Imanol Erviti (Movistar), Julien Vermote (Quick Step) and Kristian Koren (Liquigas).

None of them were a real overall threat to Wiggins and so they were allowed to go clear on the long climb of the Col de la Croix de Fer. However, the Katusha team kept them under control, riding for Rodriguez.

Pinot is a good climber and surged clear seven kilometres from the top of the Col de la Croix de Fer. Behind, the racing became electric as Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) attacked from the bunch with Juan Manual Garate (Rabobank) and David Moncoutié (Cofidis). Rodriguez then also powered across to the move to stop Leonard Duque (Cofidis) taking the mountain points. Behind the big name overall contenders also reacted and closed the attack. Only Pinot remained out front and he was the first to the top of the hors categorie climb. Remember his name for the future, even if he does not ride this year’s Tour de France.

Voeckler was still feeling frisky on the descent and attacked again. The French national champion got across to Pinot and the two Frenchmen tried to distance the peloton before the climb up to the finish. Voeckler went clear alone and gained 30 seconds on Pinot. Behind Robert Gesink (Rabobank) combined with teammate Garate to attack from the peloton and then the Dutchman lead the pursuit of Voeckler as he also targeted the stage victory.

Attacks on the climb to the finish

The trio came together with 10km to go and had a 40-second advantage. However Rigoberto Uran was riding strongly for Wiggins and the other riders all knew they had a chance of a final stage victory.

Chris Anker Sørensen (Sax Bank-SunGard) tried his hand, attacking from the front group to go across to the break. It was a clever move but a surge from Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Omega Pharma-Lotto) and then from Rodriguez meant the quartet was caught with two kilometres to go and the hardest part of the climb covered.

Wiggins was suffering at the back of the select 12-rider group but also knew he could let the other riders accelerate away and the gradually pull them back. Evans tried several surges to up the speed but as the riders passed under the one kilometre to go banner, Wiggins knew he had overall victory secured and so did his rivals. The racing then became even more of a battle for the stage victory as riders marked each other.

Then suddenly Rodriguez lit the fuse and rocketed clear. He got a gap instantly and the other riders quickly accepted they were riding for second place. At the line Rodriguez celebrated his back to back victories but Pinot also celebrated an impressive ride in the Alps, while Wiggins punched the air with both arms as he celebrated his overall victory.

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