With prologue winner Lars Boom (Rabobank) losing 2’27” to stage winner Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Omega Pharma-Lotto) on the steep climb to the finish, fourth place on the stage to Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse was enough to give Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana) the race lead. After an excellent prologue yesterday, in which he finished second to Boom but several seconds clear of the rest, the Kazakh managed to put in a strong climbing performance in the race’s first road stage.
"A first stage is always difficult, and especially when like today, there is an uphill finish at the top of a difficult climb,” he said. “There was already a lot of damage done and I'm glad I found my rhythm pretty quickly.”
Vinokourov’s form was not a foregone conclusion however, since he has been out of competition for more than a month.
“I had not raced since the Tour de Romandie and there was a risk of not being in shape,” he explained. “When Rodriguez has attacked, I was afraid of making the effort too, so I wanted to keep a good tempo. I did well because I came back up to him fast enough. I knew there was the opportunity to take the yellow jersey. "
In 1999, in his first full year as a professional, a young Vinokourov, riding for the Casino-AG2R team, surprised many in the cycling world with a victory in what was called the Dauphiné Libéré. In the following years he tended to favour the Tour de Suisse on his way to the Tour de France, although he won the stage to Mont Ventoux in 2005, and took two stages and led the race for a day in 2007.
"It's a great story for me, twelve years after my victory in the Dauphine in 1999,” he said. “This time I’ve come here for the last season of my career, this yellow jersey pleases me a lot. I hope it's a good sign before the Tour de France, which is my main goal of the season."
With many riders, including stage winner Van Den Broeck, targeting the Dauphiné as preparation for the Tour de France, Vinokourov is under no illusions as to how easy it will be to repeat his 1999 victory. In his final season in the professional ranks though, he will certainly do all in his power.
"In the Dauphine, we will try to defend my first place with a very good team beside me. There will be a difficult time trial to Grenoble on Wednesday, which will be a real test; then we'll see what happens day by day.
“But one thing is certain,” added the Kazakh, “I will fight to do well in the Dauphiné, and all these efforts will stand me in good stead for the Tour de France."