Phil Bauhaus comes of age
June 8 th 2017 - 16:35
Julien El Farès gives birth to a breakaway
168 riders started stage 5 of the 69th Critérium du Dauphiné in La Tour-de-Salvagny. One non-starter: Ian Stannard (Team Sky). Race leader Thomas De Gendt (Lotto-Soudal) was the first man under the spotlight as he attacked from the gun and also crested the 3rd category Côte de Belmont-d'Azergues in first position to defend his first position in the King of the Mountain competition. Only one rider from the first breakaway of the day didn't get caught by the peloton at km 10. Julien El Farès (Delko Marseille Provence KTM) was well inspired to forge on as he was reinforced two kilometers further by a trio of Dutchmen: Koen Bouwman (LottoNL-Jumbo), Dylan van Baarle (Cannondale-Drapac), Marco Minnaard (Wanty-Groupe Gobert). FDJ seized the reins of the peloton. However, the time gap kept increasing until Katusha took over at km 55: 5.10. A maximum difference was recorded after the col de Fut d'Avenas (km 64): 5.20.
Three teams on the hunt
Three teams combined forces at the head of the peloton as Katusha, FDJ and Dimension Data respectively asked Sven-Erik Bystrøm, Jérémy Maison and Jay Thompson to bring the breakaway back. The deficit of the peloton was down to 3.30 with 50km to go. It was less than three minutes with 40km to go and less than two minutes with 30km to go as more teams helped chasing: Direct Energie with Thomas Voeckler, Sunweb, Trek-Segafredo… 20km before the end, the same dynamic reduced the difference to less than one minute. The leading quartet was dislocated in the last 20km with Bouwman, El Farès and Minnaard being successively reeled in by the peloton.
Phil Bauhaus astonishes the French sprinters
Van Baarle stayed away until he got caught at the 6km to go mark. Katusha was the most active team at the head of the peloton in the run-in but Bauhaus proved to be the most powerful as he came out of the Giro d'Italia with two top 5 in the bunch sprints on victory days for Fernando Gaviria. His first victory of the year came at the Dauphiné in line with the ones of his compatriots John Degenkolb, also in Mâcon in 2011, and Nikias Arndt in stage 4 to Le Teil in 2014, all of them at the age of 22! Four Frenchmen rounded out the top 5: Arnaud Démare, Bryan Coquard, Adrien Petit and Nacer Bouhanni. Alexander Kristoff was probably the most disappointed as his team had been the most efficient before the final rush.