Jurgen Van Den Broeck wins first stage of 2011 Critérium du Dauphiné: Cycling News
Omega Phara-Lotto team’s Jurgen Van Den Broeck won the first stage of 2011 Critérium du Dauphiné on Monday, June 6.
The race started in Albertville and ended at Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse. The 28-year-old Jurgen took a total of 3 hours, 36 minutes and 42 seconds to cover the distance of 144 kilometres.
Recently, the Belgian professional road bicycle racer, took an overall second place in Vuelta a Andalucia. He grabbed the overall fourth place in Critérium du Dauphiné and overall fifth spot in Tour de France in 2010.
Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver of Katusha tried his best to catch Jurgen, but he failed and runner's-up spot with six seconds behind Juegen. Cadel Evans of BMC Racing finished third with the difference of seven seconds.
After winning the stage, Jurgen said, “It’s my first professional win and my first mountain stage too, it’s good for my moral because I’ve been away from home for five weeks training in the big mountains for the Tour de France. My legs didn’t feel super
but I felt strong when I attacked.”
Prologue winner, Lars Boom of Rabobank Cycling, was in 82th place with a difference of 2 minutes and 27 seconds.
With 8 kilometres to go, Jeremy Roy of FDJ was the first rider who attacked the peloton. However, he was caught and the other group of three riders including, Sven Vandousselaere, Leonardo Duque and Vincent Jerome got away.
After 39 kilometres, all of them gained an advantage of 5 minutes and 35 seconds at top of Cote de Saint-Andre. They were caught by the peloton in the last 10 kilometres.
Jurgen attacked the climb with two riders, Kanstantsin Siutsou of HTC-Highroad and Thomas Voeckler of Europcar, but after a few kilometres, the peloton pulled them back again. Jurgen never lost his hopes and with the help of his team, he attacked again and
won his first professional victory of his career.
Jurgen said, “I was ‘a bloc’ but when the peloton came up to us, I said to myself that it was now all or nothing. They were a bloc too and so I managed to stay away.”
The next stage will start in Voiron and end in Lyon. All the riders will cover a distance of 179 kilometres.
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