Affected by a cold just before the start of the Critérium du Dauphiné, cyclist James Piccoli challenged himself after supporting his teammates on Tuesday in the final climb of the third stage. The verdict: the form of the Quebecer seems to be back.
“Even though my work was done once I got to the last climb, I wanted to see if the form was there. I can confirm that everything is going well, it’s the first day where I can push to the maximum. With the time trial coming up tomorrow (Wednesday), it will be an opportunity to get back in shape a bit more,” he added.
Despite this encouraging news on an individual level, Piccoli’s main objective was to support his teammates during the third stage of the event. The 30-year-old cyclist also succeeded in this mission as Briton Chris Froome obtained the best result of the day at Israel – Premier Tech by finishing 35th (+31 seconds).
“The objective of the day was to put Chris in an advantageous situation before the last climb. It is therefore mission accomplished and we are very happy with our work today (Tuesday). Simon Clarke wasn’t too far either (52nd, +1 minute 1 second), we were there to support them and that’s what counts,” mentioned Piccoli, who finished the day in 88th place ( +4 minutes 16 seconds).
The final moments of the race were intense as green jersey holder Wout Van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) was confident he was on his way to victory easily in a bunch sprint. Frenchman David Gaudu (Groupama – FDJ) had not said his last word, however, and he managed a spectacular comeback to overtake Van Aert at the last second, he who already had both arms in the air to celebrate.
Frenchman Victor Lafay (Cofidis) completed the top-3 of the day.
Despite his misadventure at the end of the course, Van Aert recovered the yellow jersey he had lost in the second stage at the expense of Frenchman Alexis Vuillermoz (TotalEnergies), 43rd of the day. Gaudu jumped 68 places to find himself just behind the Belgian in the provisional general classification (+6 seconds).
Provisionally 35th, Chris Froome is the best ranked of the Israel – Premier Tech team in the general classification.
The fourth stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné will be a 31.9 kilometer time trial between Montbrison and La Bâtie d’Urfé.
