The Tour de France is now less than three weeks away and after the Criterium du Dauphine, Cyclingnews has updated its form ranking to reflect the racing and results since the end of May.
1. Richie Porte (BMC Racing)
Previous ranking: 1st
Overview: On the eve of the final Dauphine stage Porte looked close to unbeatable. No one had managed to make him break a sweat in the mountains and his buffer over Froome, Fuglsang and the rest of the field was healthy enough to suggest that the Australian would stand atop the final podium. Even his rivals were throwing in the towel.
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What transpired on stage 8 turned the race on its head with all three podium spots changing hands and Porte suffering defeat in what was the third closest Dauphine in history. For the second year in a row, Porte would endure a brutal end to his Dauphine dreams.
Where did it go so horribly wrong for the Australian? That depends on your view. One camp will argue that several riders raced at all costs to ensure that Porte would lose, while another set of analysts will determine that Porte made a critical mistake in watching Froome too closely and a third group will suggest that Porte’s BMC teammates weren’t up to the task of defending yellow from the outright onslaught that ensued.
The truth to this defeat lies somewhere in mist of battle. Porte couldn’t chase every attack and in letting Aru and Valverde go he made the right call. Allowing Fuglsang to go was dangerous, but with his team close to regaining control there was no point in panicking. Froome’s acceleration atop of the penultimate climb swung the momentum away from Porte but the Australian’s final ascent to the line was almost enough to regain the lead. Did everyone race to ensure Porte would lose? Most likely not. This was the final hit-out before the Tour de France, and if Froome, Valverde or Contador had been in yellow, the intent to attack would have still surfaced.
Highlight: The Dauphine time trial performance was arguably his best ever ride against the clock, while his overall condition in the mountains was another plus.
Lowlight: Losing the yellow jersey on the final stage could plant the seed of doubt in his mind. Whether Porte can transition from being the best week-long race specimen on the planet to a Grand Tour winner is the biggest question of the summer.
2. Chris Froome (Team Sky)
3. Nairo Quintana (Movistar)
4. Alberto Contador (Trek Segafredo)
5. Dan Martin (Quick-Step Floors)
6. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar)
7. Romain Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale)
8. Fabio Aru (Astana Team)
9. Louis Meintjes (UAE Emirates)
10. Jakob Fuglsang (Astana)
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
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