The 25-year-old put in a spirited effort on the brutal stage whose menu included 4000 meters of elevation gain.
Montée de Bisanne, Col du Pré, Cormet de Roselend and La Rosière were the four classified climbs crammed on the route of the Critérium du Dauphiné stage 6, which the peloton will tackle also five weeks from now, on stage 11 of the Tour de France. This intense day of racing kicked off with a plethora of attacks which resulted in 27 men – including Pieter Serry – booking a place in the break that put three minutes between them and the peloton.
Both the front group and the bunch got splintered on Cormet de Roselend (5.7 kilometers, 6.4%), a climb with not so many rivals in the cycling world in terms of stunning scenery. Julian Alaphilippe and Bob Jungels continued to be part of the yellow jersey group, while Pieter got distanced from the front following a series of powerful accelerations.
On La Rosière, a climb twice used in the past at the prestigious Tour de lÁvenir (2014 and 2015), a couple of teams upped the tempo and the two Quick-Step Floors riders had to dig deep on the lower slopes, before eventually dropping from the group midway and continuing to go to the top at their own pace.
A determined and valiant effort of Jungels saw the Liège-Bastogne-Liège champion finish for the second consecutive day in the top 20, as Pello Bilbao (Astana) took the win from the break, ahead of race leader Geraint Thomas (Team Sky). The Luxembourger is 11th in the general classification before the final stage, a 129km trek between Moûtiers and Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc, where everything will be decided.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele/ Getty Images
