New leader at Dauphiné Libéré

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A five-man breakaway that developed early in Stage 3 of the Dauphiné Libéré survived to the finish line in St. Etienne on Tuesday.

The winner of the breakaway sprint, Milram's Niki Terpstra of the Netherlands, also took over the race lead from Silence-Lotto's Cadel Evans.

Evans, one of the favorites to win the Tour de France next month, finished with rival Alberto Contador in the peloton that crossed the line about 1:30 behind the breakaway group.

Time trial

The Aussie earned the yellow jersey on Stage 1 by winning the individual time trial in Nancy. The 8-stage tour's second ITT is Wednesday with Evans and Team Astana's Contador expected to make a play for the leader's yellow jersey.

The breakaway developed about 18 miles into the 112-mile race to St. Etienne. The leaders had a 2-minute lead over the peloton with a couple of miles to the finish, then slowed down as they sorted out who was going to be the first to attack.

Iñigo Landaluze of Euskaltel-Euskadi attacked along the curb with only about 100 yards to go. Terpstra caught his wheel and passed him, coasting across the finish line. Ludovic Turpin of AG2R finished in 2nd.

Wednesday's individual time trial is a 26-mile ride to Valence. The mountain stages begin Thursday with a finishing climb on Le Mont Ventoux.

See all the results and race reports at CyclingNews and VeloNews. Check Cycling Fans for available video streams of the race.


Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/06/09/new-leader-at-dauphine-libere/

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