The Czech ITT National Champion carried the flag for the Wolfpack Friday afternoon.
Stage 6 of the Critérium du Dauphiné was the first real chance for the GC contenders to step into the spotlight, but despite featuring all the big names in the finale, no gaps were made on the road as everything came down to a reduced bunch sprint atop Le Sappey-en-Chartreuse, won by Alejandro Valverde (Movistar).
For the second consecutive day, Josef Cerny featured in the breakaway for Deceuninck – Quick-Step. The start of the stage was extremely fast, the tailwind not helping those keen on attacking, but after 50 kilometers the peloton finally relented and allowed a 14-man group to go clear. Cerny was there and brought his fair share of work at the front, helping the breakaway nudge out their gap to three minutes, before eventually being dropped when the attacks came on the tough Col de Porte.
“It was a very fast start and after many skirmishes I managed to be in the right breakaway. We worked well together and were hoping to get five or six minutes on the bunch, but one of the guys wasn’t that far down in the general classification, so they kept us on a tight leash. I did my best, but got caught after the second climb. But it was a good effort, one which bodes well for the National Championships”, said Josef.
Photo credit: ©Bas Czerwinski / Getty Images
