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Criterium du Dauphine 2016: Cummings wins Stage 7, Froome wins overall

12th June, 2016
Stage type: Mountains
Start: Le Pont-de-Claix (6:40pm AEST)
Finish: Superdevoluy (approximately 11pm AEST)
Distance: 151km
TV: Live, SBS and Eurosport

Top 10 General Classification
1. Chris Froome (Sky) @ 25:50:22
2. Richie Porte (BMC) + 0:21
3. Romain Bardet (Ag2r) + 0:21
4. Daniel Martin (Etixx-Quickstep) + 0:30
5. Alberto Contador (Tinkoff) + 0:35
6. Julian Alaphilippe (Etixx-Quickstep) + 0:56
7. Adam Yates (Oirca) + 1:02
8. Diego Rosa (Astana) + 1:18
9. Louis Meintjes (Lampre) + 1:35
10. Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) + 2:12
Chris Froome.(Source: Team Sky)
Expert
12th June, 2016
161
2044 Reads

Stage result:

Stephen Cummings won the final stage of the Criterium du Dauphine, but it was Chris Froome who retained his lead to finish as the overall winner of the event.

REPORT: FROOME WINS CRITERIUM DU DAUPHINE

Stage preview:

It’s the final stage of the 2016 Criterium du Dauphine, and with plenty more climbs on the menu the final challenge for Chris Froome’s yellow jersey will be thrown down. Join The Roar for live coverage of Stage 7 from 8:15pm (AEST).

With two days down in the mountains, it is absolutely clear that Chris Froome and his Team Sky are the strongest in the race, and the chances of anyone else to catch him or go past him on the general classification are not high at all.

When the mountains first hit on Stage 5, it was Froome who put in a ridiculously powerful attack after looking a little bit out of it, being dropped when the first flurry of attacks teed off.

He stayed calm though and turned it around to get on the attack, with only Richie Porte able to go with him to the finish line.

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Yesterday, it was more of a team effort from Sky after early attacks from Romain Bardet, Fabio Aru, Thibaut Pinot and Alberto Contador. Sky got the engine going, decimated the group of chasers and after a fantastic turn of pace from both Mikel Landa and Sergio Henao they kept Froome in yellow, as Porte and Contador lost valuable seconds.

Coming into the final day of the race, it is Froome with a 21-second lead over both Porte and Bardet, with Contador and Daniel Martin a little further back.

The stage, 151 kilometres in length from Le Pont-de-Claix to Superdevoluy carries no less than six categorised climbs, and it is uphill right from the get go meaning only the strongest will fight their way into a breakaway. Once again, look out for a big group to go away with a lot of passengers.

The big two climbs of the day, both Category 1 come inside the final 50 kilometres with the Col de Moissiere (8.3km and 8.2 per cent) summitted after 102.5 kilometres, and the Col du Noyer (7.5km at 8.4 per cent) summitted after 139.5 kilometres, just 11.5 kilometres from the finish line.

With both climbs having some very steep sections, any attempt to unseat Froome and Sky must be started here with long range attacks.

Following the summit of the Noyer, there are only about 6 kilometres of descending, albeit very fast descending before the final ramp into Superdevoluy, which is only 3.9 kilometres at 5.8 per cent, but with so much climbing already in the legs and a steep first kilometre of the climb, there could quite easily be some time gaps on the Category 3 race to the line.

Prediction
There is enough valley road in this stage to safely assume a breakaway will once again be allowed to go clear and get to the finish line alone. Back in the bunch, it’s hard to see Team Sky losing control, although the procession of climb and their efforts yesterday will hurt them.

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There will be early attacks from the peloton, but ultimately Chris Froome will hold yellow.

Be sure to join The Roar for live coverage of the final day at the Dauphine from 8:15pm (AEST) and don’t forget that you can get involved by dropping your own comments in the section below.

Follow Scott on Twitter @sk_pryde

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