Dan Martin (file pic). Morgan Treacy / INPHO Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO

ASTANA’S DANISH RIDER Jakob Fuglsang outshone defending champion Chris Froome and Australian Richie Porte to win the eighth and final stage of the Criterium du Dauphine to claim overall victory on Sunday.

Fuglsang, a silver medallist in the road race event at last year’s Rio Olympics, went into the stage in third place.

But he managed to overhaul his rivals on a gruelling mountain ride, 115km long over three cols (Saisies, Aravis, Colombiere) before a final climb to the finish line at the Plateau de Solaison, high in the Alps.

The 32-year-old Dane soloed to the stage win, finishing 12 seconds ahead of Ireland’s Dan Martin. Crucially, overnight leader Porte was one minute and 15 seconds off the pace and Froome, who started the ride in second, a further 21 seconds adrift.

Fuglsang’s victory meant he leapfrogged Porte in the overall standings, the Australian claiming second at 10 seconds with Martin rounding out the podium by one second from Froome, the three-time Tour de France winner.

Stage

1. Jakob Fuglsang (DEN/AST) 3hr 26min 20sec, 2. Dan Martin (IRL/QST) at 12sec, 3. Louis Meintjes (RSA/EAU) 27, 4. Emanuel Buchmann (GER/BOR) 44, 5. Fabio Aru (ITA/AST) 1:01, 6. Romain Bardet (FRA/ALM) 1:02, 7. Richie Porte (AUS/BMC) 1:15, 8. Chris Froome (GBR/SKY) 1:36, 9. Rafael Valls (ESP/LOT) 1:41, 10. Alejandro Valverde (ESP/MOV) 3:30

Overall

1. Jakob Fuglsang (DEN/Astana) 29hr 05min 44sec, 2. Richie Porte (AUS/BMC) at 10sec, 3. Dan Martin (IRL/QST) 1:32, 4. Chris Froome (GBR/SKY) 1:33, 5. Fabio Aru (ITA/AST) 1:37, 6. Romain Bardet (FRA/ALM) 2:04, 7. Emanuel Buchmann (GER/BOR) 2:32, 8. Louis Meintjes (RSA/EAU) 3:12, 9. Alejandro Valverde (ESP/MOV) 4:08, 10. Rafael Valls (ESP/LOT) 4:40

– © AFP 2017

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