Putting in a late burst to snatch third on the stage, Santos Tour Down Under winner Tom Jelte Slagter ended the day as best young rider in the Critérium du Dauphiné and will wear the white jersey tomorrow as a result.
The Dutchman finished in the chasing group just under two minutes behind the solo stage winner David Veilleux (Team Europcar), crossing the line just behind the Belgian Gianni Meersman (Omega Pharma-Quick Step).
He edged past Richie Porte (Team Sky) in the final 50 metres to net third on the stage, and admitted afterwards that he hadn’t believed the result to be possible.
“I didn’t expect this,” he admitted. “I knew I had a small chance at this stage end, but I didn’t consider a top five finish possible in this field. Of course wining is better, but this is a good start of the week. Veilleux was too far ahead and Meersman was just a little bit too quick for me.”
The team is riding primarily for Laurens ten Dam and directeur sportif Merijn Zeeman said that he considered the day to be a successful one.
“Everything went according to plan. It was a difficult first stage, but we managed to do well,” he said. “Tom-Jelte did a good job in the sprint for second place, while our leader Laurens ten Dam was where he belonged, in the first peloton together with all the favourites.”
The race represents the final big Tour de France buildup for many of the riders present, and consequently many are close to top form Slagter vows to battle hard to try to hold onto the best young rider’s slot, even if there is a stage which worries him.
“There’s a long time trial later on, so it will be hard to maintain the lead up until the end, but I’ll try a day-to-day approach,” he said. “I’m going to defend the jersey with everything I have.”
The Critérium du Dauphiné continues tomorrow with a lumpy 191 kilometre race from Châtel to Oyonnax.