Wiggins Wins Criterium du Dauphine

Last updated : 12 June 2011 By Kev Monks

Bradley Wiggins won the Criterium du Dauphine on a day when Joaquim Rodriquez won the final stage.

The last Criterium du Dauphine stage was from Pontcharra to La Toussuire and was 117.5km long.

Eleven riders escaped from race leader's Bradley Wiggins peleton and it was FDJ's Thomas Pinot decided to go it alone with over 30kms to go.

Thomas Voeckler followed Pinot who had a gap of a minute and forty seconds on the main field, who were making their way up to the finish on the category one climb on the Montée de la Toussuire.

Voeckler over-took Pinot, who was caught by Rabbobank's Robert Gessink with 13kms to go, and got fifty seconds clear of the duo and a further forty seconds ahead of Wiggins (pictued below) and Cadel Evans, who is second in the General Classification ahead.

With six kilometres to go, Chris Anka Sorensen went after the trio who were only twenty seconds further up a steep road and altogether.

Sorensen bridged the gap two kilometres later and on the switchbacks, Wiggins and Cadel's group could see the those in front.

Voeckler and Sorensen tried to stay out in front but with two kilometres to go, they were caught by the Wiggins/Evans group of eleven riders which contained the likes of first age winner Van Den Broeck and Rodriquez who shot off with just eight hundred metres to go.

Katusha's Joaquim Rodriquez was first over the line in a time of 3hr 24 mins 30 seconds but seconds after Bradley Wiggins came home to win the race overall, the third Brit to do so.

Wiggins won the race from Evans by a minute and 26 seconds.

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Overall victory Kittel in Delta Tour Zeeland
   
In a thrilling final stage of the Delta Tour Zeeland, Marcel Kittel has defend his leader's jersey successfully. After 195.8 km the stage finished in a bunch sprint which Belgian rider Steven Caethoven (Verandas Willems) surprisingly won. Kittel finished seventh and for the German rider of Skil-Shimano that was enough to keep his four seconds lead on Rabobank rider Theo Bos. In the general classification Roger Kluge and Tom Veelers also finished in the top ten. Kluge ended up fourth, Veelers seventh.

Skil-Shimano controlled the race in and around Terneuzen. In a leading group of twelve riders were Bert de Backer, Robin Chaigneau and Roger Kluge present. The last one was the there to defend the leading position of Kittel and let himself droped back into the peloton together with competitor Michael Matthews (Rabobank). The leading group stayed in front for a long time but with Skil-Shimano also controlling the stage ended in a peloton sprint.


"I am very happy with this win," Marcel Kittel said immediately after the finish. "The team worked very hard for me today and again it ended up in a good result."

Follow the Skil-Shimano team at 1t4i.com