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Dumoulin moves into lead after Dauphiné stage win
Ag2R's Samuel Dumoulin moved into the overall leader's jersey after winning the second stage of the Dauphiné Libéré, a 187-kilometer race from Givors to Chauffailles, on Tuesday.
The AG2R rider prevailed in a sprint on what was the final, relatively flat stage ahead of Wednesday's 47km time trial – a stage in which Lance Armstrong is favored to win and thus claim his first victory of the season. Dumoulin takes over the race lead from Discovery's George Hincapie.
Dumoulin - whose international fame has largely been confined to the distinction being the smallest rider at the Tour de France each year - rose high above three of his fellow breakaway companions on the tricky 187km stage from Givors to here to claim his first victory in more than a year having spent half of last season injured.
His efforts left him with the stage win and the race leader's jersey and he now has a 20-second lead over compatriot Frederic Finot (La Francaise des Jeux) going into Wednesday's 47km time trial in nearby Roanne.
"It's my biggest victory in a year and I'm almost lost for words," said Dumoulin, who at 1.59 meters (5 foot 2) tall admitted he has learned to live with jibes right through school and in the amateur cycling ranks. "I've had a really difficult year. A lot of things have changed in my life since the Tour last year and I've struggled at times to get my morale back. So winning - not necessarily taking the leader's jersey - was the most important thing for me."
Dumoulin, who had to abandon the Tour de France last year with a serious elbow injury after he crashed when a stray dog walked across the road, easily held off Anthony Charteau of Bouygues Telecom raising his arms in the air in triumph. Finot finished third with another Frenchman, Frederic Bessy of Cofidis, in fourth.
The four had managed to escape from the peloton after only a few kilometers of racing, and eventually built a lead of more than 20 minutes before the sprinters‘ teams ramped up the chase. The effort, however, proved to be too little too late and the four escapees held on to a healthy lead at the finish. South African Robert Hunter held off Norwegian champion Thor Hushovd to claim fifth place, 3:16 after Dumoulin's group had already ended a 180km breakaway in style.
Discovery Channel's Hincapie, who pulled on the leader's yellow jersey after winning Sunday's prologue, finished in the main field alongside team leader Lance Armstrong. Armstrong, who is expected to be among the favorites for Wednesday's 47 km race against the clock, is using the race as preparation for his bid to win a seventh consecutive yellow jersey in July's Tour de France.
Dumoulin had tears in his eyes as he celebrated victory on what is effectively home soil.
"I was itching to get going at the start of the stage and once we'd managed to get a good lead on the group I started to think I could have a go at the leader's jersey,” he said. "At the start of the stage we were laughing and joking amongst ourselves, but when our lead started to grow I realized we had a chance of taking it all the way.
"Then with around 40 kilometers to the finish I knew the bunch were starting to really give chase, so we got a bit more serious and started encouraging each other."
The peloton upped the pace dramatically and did well to cut a gap of 8:20 at the 34km to go mark to only three minutes at the end.
Dumoulin's race lead may not last after Wednesday's time trial, where Armstrong, Alexandre Vinokourov, Andreas Klöden and Santiago Botero look likely to fight out the stage win.
But Dumoulin noted that he won’t give up the jersey without a fight.
"I promise that I'll just go for it as hard as I possibly can."
Stage 2 Results
1. Samuel Dumoulin (F), Ag2r Prevoyance, 4:47:06
2. Anthony Charteau (F), Bouygues Telecom
3. Frederic Finot (F), Francaise des Jeux
4. Frederic Bessy (F), Cofidis, all s.t.
5. Robert Hunter (RSA), Phonak, at 3:16
6. Thor Hushovd (Nor), Credit Agricole
7. Stuart O'Grady (Aus), Cofidis
8. Juan Antonio Flecha (Sp), Fassa Bortolo
9. Enrico Franzoi (I), Lampre
10. Enrico Gasparotto (I), Liquigas-Bianchi, all s.t.
Overall after Stage 2
1. Samuel Dumoulin (F), Ag2r Prevoyance
2. Frederic Finot (F), Francaise des Jeux, 0:20
3. Anthony Charteau (F), Bouygues Telecom, 0:21
4. Frederic Bessy (F), Cofidis, 0:28
5. George Hincapie (USA), Discovery Channel, 3:06
6. Levi Leipheimer (USA), Gerolsteiner, 3:07
7. Andrey Kashechkin (Kaz), Credit Agricole, 3:09
8. Floyd Landis (USA), Phonak, 3:11
9. Lance Armstrong (USA), Discovery Channel, 3:12
10. Oscar Pereiro (Sp), Phonak, 3:13
