Nairo Quintana (Movistar) took his debut victory in the WorldTour in the Queen stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné, between Saint-Alban-Leysse and Morzine, after attacking the yellow jersey group on the Col de Joux Plane. The 22-year-old Colombian climber managed to open up a lead of 18 seconds as he rolled over the top of the steep climb, with 12km to go, and managed to hold off a downhill attack from Cadel Evans (BMC Racing) to beat the Tour de France champion by 16 seconds.
Dani Moreno (Katusha) led the small chase group - which included race leader Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky) - across the line after 24 seconds, to take take third place.
“In the finale, I hadn’t recovered from my effort in the last climb but the stage didn’t go badly,” said Quintana modestly after the stage. “I’ve tried to escape and I made it to the finish with a couple of seconds of advantage. We’re very happy to bring Colombia back at the top of cycling. With [Liquigas-Cannondale’s mountains jersey wear José] Sarmiento, we’re two Colombians on the podium. We’re like brothers in arms. He helps me a lot. His presence in the breakaway worked as a point of reference for me.”
The 167.5km mountain stage was dominated and controlled by Wiggins’ Team Sky, which allowed a 20-strong breakaway to go clear in the opening kilometres. It was not allowed to get more than 3’45” clear however, as the presence of 25th overall Tiago Machado (RadioShack-Nissan) was a threat to the British champion’s race lead.
On the penultimate climb to the 3rd category Côte de Châtillon, French climber Brice Feillu (Saur-Sojasun) attacked from the breakaway group, and was clear as he began the climb to the Joux Plane. Team Sky began to lift the pace at the head of the peloton however, picking up his former companions one by one on the steep slopes, and shedding many of Wiggins’ rivals in the process.
With six kilometres to climb Quintana attacked the Sky-led group and set out in pursuit of Feillu; he caught the Frenchman three kilometres later, and was alone as he hit the summit. The group around Wiggins was now reduced to just nine, with three of his Sky teammates, Richie Porte, Chris Froome and Michael Rogers, plus Evans, Pieter Weening (Orica-GreenEdge), Haimar Zubeldia (RadioShack-Nissan), Vasil Kiryienka (Movistar) and Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Lotto-Belisol).
As he had done on Le Grand Colombier the day before, Evans attacked on the descent - as Moreno joined from behind - and managed to eek out an eight second lead by the time he reached the bottom.
Wiggins’ lead was otherwise unchallenged and, with second overall Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) dropped, Rogers moved up a place, with Evans now third.
The mountains start immediately and so does the break of the day
The race hit the 1st category Col de Plainpalais right from the start, and the 19-man group escaped almost immediately. At the top of the climb, after 11.5km, it was 45 seconds clear of the peloton and, as Team Sky assumed its usual control, this lead was allowed to continue growing.
The complete composition of the group was: Petr Ignatenko, Alberto Losada and Yuriy Trofimov (Katusha), Thomas Voeckler and Pierre Rolland (Europcar), Blel Kadri and Christophe Riblon (AG2R La Mondiale), Tiago Machado (RadioShack-Nissan), Maciej Paterski and José Sarmiento (Liquigas-Cannondale), Rémy Di Gregorio and David Moncoutié (Cofidis), Egoi Martinez (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Mario Marzano (Lampre-ISD), Jesus Hernandez (Saxo Bank), Sylvain Chavanel (Omega Pharma-Quick Step), Brice Feillu (Saur-Sojasun), Alexandre Geniez (Argos-Shimano), and Matteo Carrara (Vacansoleil-DCM).
With just one point between mountains jersey Sarmiento and former wearer Kadri the stage was set for a battle between the two over the route’s six climbs. Instead though, as the Liquigas-Cannondale rider took maximum points over the first two - supported by teammate Parterski - it was Moncoutié that was proving to be his biggest rival.
Over the top of the 3rd category Col de Leschaux after 32.5km, the gap had opened to 3’45”. With Machado just 5’33” down on Wiggins at the start however, this was all the British team was to allow, and it slowly began to close.
As they arrived at the foot of the Col de la Colombière, after 90km, the 19 riders led by 2’55”, and Andriy Grivko (Astana) attacked the peloton. The Ukrainian, who had been in the top ten before the previous day’s mountain stage, steadily reeled in the leaders on his way up the climb and, as Sarmiento led them over the top, he was just 25 seconds behind.
Team Sky had continued its steady pace however, and was 3’50” behind the leaders as it followed them onto the long descent. It didn’t take long for Grivko to close the small gap meanwhile, and after just a few downhill kilometres he had boosted the group’s numbers to twenty.
As Team Sky calmly led down the sweeping curves of the descent into Cluses, and the final 50km of the stage, the gap remained constant at 3’50”.
Feillu goes it alone as Team Sky begins to turn the screw
As the leaders began the climb of the Côte de Châtillon, with 42km to go, Feillu struck out alone, and there was little reaction from the others. Over the top of the climb he was 1’15” ahead of the Sarmiento led group, while the peloton had drifted out a little to 4’25”.
Anthony Roux (FDJ-BigMat) had attacked the peloton on the way up, and was 55 seconds ahead as he rolled over the top. Lotto-Belisol had now come to the aid of Team Sky and was leading the peloton on behalf of Jurgen Van Den Broeck; with 30km to go though, the gap to Feillu was still 4’16”.
On the flat approach to Samöens, and the foot of the Joux Plane, the peloton steadily picked up Roux, and was closing the gap to the 19-man chase group. As he began the climb though, Feillu was still almost three minutes ahead of the main bunch, as it was bore down on his former companions.
BMC Racing and Team Sky were in control as the climb began, but Lotto-Belisol moved ahead again to lift the pace further. The peloton quickly began to shed riders, with points classification leader Tony Gallopin (RadioShack-Nissan) an early casualty; Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana), Denis Menchov (Katusha) and Belgian champion Philippe Gilbert (BMC Racing) soon followed and, as Team Sky took over again, Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale) surprisingly began to lose contact.
One by one the chasing group were picked up by the peloton, with Grivko and Sarmiento among the first to surrender. Machado was still leading the chase though, with Rolland Martinez, Carrara and Losada behind him.
Six kilometres from the top however, the group was picked up as Team Sky’s Edvald Boasson Hagen pulled over for Richie Porte to take over. This increase of pace saw second place overall Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-Quick Step), and seventh overall Luis León Sánchez (Rabobank) lose contact.
Quintana makes his winning move, while Cadel Evans tests Wiggins’ nerve on the descent
As the group came back Alexandre Geniez (Argos-Shimano) attacked, but he was soon calmly brought back, only for Quintana to try his luck.
Feillu meanwhile was still climbing strongly, with his lead holding at 1’24”; as Porte continued his steady pace white jersey and fifth place overall Wilco Kelderman (Rabobank) lost contact.
The yellow jersey group was now just ten riders, and Wiggins still had teammates Porte, Chris Froome and Michael Rogers for company. Also there were Van Den Broeck, Cadel Evans (BMC Racing), Vasil Kiryienka (Movistar), Pieter Weening (Orica-GreenEdge), and RadioShack-Nissan pair Haimar Zubeldia and Machado; although the latter was struggling to hang on after being part of the breakaway, and was soon dropped.
At the 15km banner Feillu still had 43 seconds on this group, with Quintana a few seconds ahead of it. He was beginning to grind to a halt however, and the Colombian passed him just over a kilometre later, and he was almost stationary when Porte pulled the group past him shortly afterwards. The Frenchman tried to lift his pace, and was able to stay with it for a few moments, before being forced to let it go.
Quintana though, was 15 seconds ahead as he entered the final kilometre of the climb, and he was 18 seconds clear at the summit, as Evans attacked over the top behind him.
Mindful of the effect of his attack on the descent of Le Grand Colombier the day before, the Tour de France champion kept the pressure on, but Team Sky was not prepared to let him get away this time. The pace began to close the gap to Quintana at first but, as the Colombian hit the technical slopes with seven kilometres to go, he began to pull away again.
A fast descent from Dani Moreno (Katusha) saw the Spanish rider catch the Wiggins group; Evans came forwards again and tried to escape for a second time. With five kilometres to go Quintana was 27 seconds clear, while the Australian had pulled out a hundred metres over the Team Sky riders behind him.
Gradually, both riders began to increase their advantages as the tight bends continued; both riders were coming close to clipping kerbs as they fought to keep their speed high, but thankfully both managed to stay upright.
Quintana continued alone onto the slight rise to the finish and pointed to the sky with both hands as he took the line. Evans was just 16 seconds behind him in second place, while Moreno led the rest across the line after 24 seconds.