Bole takes home soil win

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Lampre's Grega Bole showed that he was back to top form after being out of competition since his crash in Paris-Nice. The Slovenian backed up his win on the first stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné with another win in his h over his compatriots Marko Kump (Adria Mobil) and Jure Zrimsek (Sava) on the 173km opening stage to Medvode.

The sprint took place in pounding rain which caused a number of crashes on the run-in, with Lampre teammates Danilo Hondo, Mauro Da Dalto and Andrea Grendene all losing contact with the lead group, leaving Bole with just one lead-out man.

"For me, this victory in Slovenia is an enormous satisfaction," Bole said. "I knew the stage could be good for me, but the rain made everything more complicated: anyway, my teammates performed a good job and I dedicate my victory to them."

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While the race started under fine conditions, by the end of the race the riders would be plowing through rivers of water as the skies opened up in a severe summer storm.

The first escape came from Stephane Rossetto (Vacansoleil) who claimed the first KOM at km. 18.5 before succumbing to the chase. The next move stuck for longer, with Rafai Chitoui (Acqua e Sapone) gaining a whopping seven minutes and taking two sprints and the second KOM before being finally reeled back in mainly by the efforts of the ISD-Neri team.

The skies opened up for the finishing circuits, causing numerous crashes, leaving a group of about 30 riders to contest the sprint. The Sava team of Jure Zrimsek controlled the pace heading into the sprint, using their knowledge of their local roads to their advantage.

The team's Furdi Blaz tried to surprise the sprinters with a late attack, but in the end Bole proved too fast for the domestic teams. He won the stage by a wheel, with Kump narrowly besting Zrimsek at the line.

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