Critérium du Dauphiné Stage 4: Live blog, updates

 
vitalyg Roar Guru

By , 7 Jun 2012 vitalyg is a Roar Guru

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    Join us for live coverage of the fourth stage of Critérium du Dauphiné. Live blogging will begin at 9:00PM AEST, with comments added throughout the stage.

    Stage 4 is a 53.5km-long time trial from Villé-Morgon to Bourg en Bresse. I think it is worth noting the results from last year’s time trial and taking a look how the stage may shape the remainder of the Dauphiné.

    1 Tony Martin (Ger) HTC-Highroad 0:55:27
    2 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky Procycling 0:00:11
    3 Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Sky Procycling 0:00:43
    4 David Zabriskie (USA) Team Garmin-Cervelo 0:00:58
    5 Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Team RadioShack 0:01:17
    6 Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team 0:01:20
    7 Geraint Thomas (GBr) Sky Procycling 0:01:36
    8 Christophe Riblon (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:01:37
    9 Rein Taaramae (Est) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 0:01:56
    10 Rui Alberto Faria Costa (Por) Movistar Team 0:02:00
    11 Kanstantsin Sivtsov (Blr) HTC-Highroad 0:02:02
    12 Adriano Malori (Ita) Lampre – ISD 0:02:04
    13 Jerome Coppel (Fra) Saur – Sojasun 0:02:08
    14 Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) Pro Team Astana 0:02:18
    15 Ben Hermans (Bel) Team RadioShack 0:02:26
    16 Jérémy Roy (Fra) FDJ 0:02:38
    17 Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto 0:02:39
    18 Rigoberto Uran Uran (Col) Sky Procycling 0:02:41
    19 Kristijan Koren (Slo) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:02:43
    20 Blel Kadri (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:02:43

    Of the top 20 riders last year, 13 are racing in this years edition of the Dauphiné. If you recall last year, and if you don’t, just look above, Tony Martin pretty much destroyed the field and the only rider even close to him was Bradley Wiggins, coming in 11 seconds behind.

    If Martin, who currently trails Wiggins by 4 seconds, can put in a similar performance in this years longer TT, there’s a good chance that he will start in yellow on stage 5. But I personally have questions about his form given the injuries he sustained earlier this year when he was hit by a car while training. Is his form as sharp as it was last year? That remains to be seen.

    What we have seen already, however, is that Cadel Evans and Bradley Wiggins are both on top form, and I personally look forward to seeing if Evans is able to close the 1:09 gap Wiggins put into him in last year’s Dauphiné. With over 100km of TT in this year’s Tour de France, how these two measure up now could be telling of how the race in July takes shape.

    In addition to Evans and Wiggins, riders to watch tomorrow are Edvald Boasson Hagen, Jerome Coppel and Janez Brajkovic. All had decent results last year and other than Boasson Hagen, are within 15 seconds of the yellow jersey.

    Should be an exciting stage for many reasons. See you here this evening.

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