The short final stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné had a bit of everything. Four mountain passes and multiple storylines were crammed into 115 breathless kilometres of racing, as Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) triumphed at Plateau de Solaison to snatch the overall race victory from Richie Porte (BMC) by just 10 seconds, while Chris Froome (Sky) faded in the closing kilometres to fall short of a podium place.
Porte set out from Albertville with a lead of 1:02 over Froome atop the general classification, and doubtless expected his former teammate to be the principal threat to his yellow jersey, but instead it was Fuglsang who emerged as the main challenger – and, eventually, the victor – on the final haul to the stage 8 finish line after Porte had been distanced by the podium contenders on the penultimate ascent, the Col de la Colombière.
When Froome hit the front of the reduced leading group at the base of Plateau de Solaison, with Porte chasing at a deficit of 1:30, it looked as though the Dauphiné was about to bend to his will. Seven kilometres from the summit, however, Fuglsang danced clear in the company of Dan Martin (Quick-Step Floors) and the dynamic of the race suddenly changed.
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Fuglsang proceeded to edge clear of Martin, who nonetheless kept pace with the Dane thereafter to finish second on the stage, 12 seconds down. Although Froome continued to set the tempo in the group of favourites, he was steadily conceding ground both to Fuglsang, who was 30 seconds clear with five kilometres to go, and to Porte, who was a minute down at the same juncture.
On the upper ramps of the climb, Fuglsang was still tapping out a metronomic pace, while Froome was betraying signs of suffering. Louis Meintjes (UAE Team Emirates) and Romain Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale) were sufficiently emboldened as to attack Froome with 3 kilometres to go, just as Porte was bridging back up to him. Meintjes sparkled as the gradient bit, and he danced his way to third on the stage, 27 seconds down.
Having produced a measured fightback, Porte looked to have salvaged his maillot jaune as he entered the final three kilometres, but up front Fuglsang was still piling on the pressure and maintaining an advantage of around a minute over the Australian. Fuglsang never once faltered in the closing kilometres and proceeded to claim stage honours, before enduring an anxious wait for Porte to finish.
How it unfolded
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