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2017 Criterium du Dauphine: Stage 4 live race updates, blog

7th June, 2017
Start: La Tour-du-pin (8:55pm AEST)
Finish: Bourgoin-Jallieu (12:20am AEST)
TV: Live, Eurosport and SBS
Online: Live, Foxtel Go and SBS Cycling Central
Distance: 23.5 kilometres

Top ten general classification
1. Thomas De Gendt (Lotto-Soudal) @ 8:30:47
2. Axel Domont (Ag2r La Mondiale) + 0:48
3. Diego Ulissi (UAE) + 1:03
4. Pierre-Roget Latour (Ag2r La Mondiale) + 1:07
5. Emanuel Buchmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) + 1:07
6. Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain-Merida) + 1:09
7. Ben Swift (UAE) + 1:09
8. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) + 1:09
9. Tony Gallopin (Lotto-Soudal) + 1:09
10. Guillaume Martin (Wanty-Groupe) + 1:09
Tony Martin will be among the riders looking forward to an Individual Time Trial on Stage 20 of the Tour de France. (Image: Team Sky)
Expert
7th June, 2017
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Stage 4 of the 2017 Criterium Du Dauphine will bring the first real sorting out of the general classification, as the riders take on a 23.5 kilometre individual time trial. Join The Roar for live race updates and coverage from 10pm (AEST).

The Dauphine has seen a couple of surprises already, with a breakaway allowing Thomas De Gendt (Lotto-Soudal) to slip into the yellow jersey on Stage 1. That was followed by the sprinters again failing, with Koen Bouwman (Lotto-Jumbo) taking Stage 3.

Arnaud Demare announced himself as the best fast man in the race between the two breakaway wins though, picking up a bunch-sprint win on Stage 2.

All of that is put into the background though, with four of the remaining five stages being pivotal to deciding the overall race outcome.

De Gendt is still wearing the yellow jersey, holding a 48-second gap over Axel Domont. The first of the real contenders on GC is Pierre Roger Latour, sitting fourth at a minute and seven seconds down, although being on the same team as Romain Bardet he isn’t likely to have much freedom.

Alejandro Valverde moved into the top ten with a high finish last night, and most of the GC contenders are behind De Gendt by 1:09.

Tony Martin is the almost unbackable favourite for the stage based on time trial ability alone, but the battle is going to be for riders like Bardet, Valverde, Daniel Martin, Alberto Contador, Fabio Aru and Warren Barguil to keep up with Richie Porte and Chris Froome.

The course is relatively flat, with the time check coming in the town of Laval, 12.5 kilometres into the stage. Being a slightly downhill run to the finish won’t overly help the riders though, given there is some uphill between the time check and the final five kilometres.

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It’s a slightly technical TT in areas as well, with tight twists and turns not long afer the time check.

Prediction
You just know Froome will be the best out of the GC riders, and given his form there is a very real chance he could take out the whole stage. Porte, of course, will give him a run for his money and given he excels at one-week racing, could also edge out Froome.

Given Tony Martin is in the race though, he will win and win convincingly, with Froome to move into yellow.

Be sure to join The Roar for live coverage of Stage 4 from 10pm (AEST) and don’t forget to drop a comment in the section below.

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