2008 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
The 60th Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré is a cycling stage race, which took place from 8 to 15 June 2008. It was held in a prologue and seven stages over a distance of 1139.9 kilometers.
The race was one of the UCI ProTour 2008. The leader after the Tour of Catalonia Damiano Cunego was not at the start.
Participants
On the itinerary participated all 18 UCI ProTeam. Due to the increased cost of the fight against doping, the race organizers invited no Continental team. All that was defending champion Christophe Moreau Agritubel.
Several favorites for the overall victory of the 2008 Tour de France started in Avignon: The Second of the tour and the Critériums 2007 Cadel Evans wearing the bib No. 1 He had an excellent start to the season with four wins and good finishes at the Ardennes classics in April. However, he suffered in May, while preparing for the Tour de France, tendinitis in the knee. At his side Yaroslav Popovych runs, third in Paris-Nice in March. For Alejandro Valverde Caisse d'Epargne start 2008 already victorious at Liege -Bastogne- Liege and the Vuelta a Murcia, and Óscar Pereiro. Captain of the Team CSC 's Carlos Sastre.
The team Euskaltel -Euskadi had three contenders for stage wins: Haimar Zubeldia, Mikel Astarloza and Samuel Sanchez. After two months without competition due to a viral infection of the Australian Michael Rogers launched (Team High Road ). Levi Leipheimer was the only former winner of the Dauphine Libere Critériums you at the start ( 2006). His Astana team was not invited to the 2008 Tour de France, so the Dauphiné Libéré was his highlight of the season. This role was originally supposed to take over his teammate Alberto Contador, but after his victory at the Giro he renounced.
The Dutch Rabobankteam sat on Robert Gesink (22 years). To outsiders, the Spaniard Manuel Beltran (Liquigas ), Ángel Gómez Marchante, Juan Cobo ( Saunier Duval ), Carlos Barredo, Juan Manuel Garate ( Quick · Step ), the French Sandy Casar included ( Française des Jeux ), Cyril Dessel ( AG2R ) and the Austrian Bernhard Kohl ( Gerolsteiner ), third in 2006.
Stages
Survey
Prologue: Le Pontet -Avignon
Stage 1: Avignon - Privas
On the banks of the Petit Rhône, the first stage was launched in Avignon. The route went north to the department of Drôme, by Vaison -la -Romaine and Nyons. The only climb of the day was in Puy -Saint -Martin ( 4th category ). Then we went to the west, across the Rhône to the Ardèche by La Voulte -sur -Rhône. To target in Privas it went on the last three kilometers uphill with a vertical drop of 115 meters. Alejandro Valverde was able to prevail in a mass sprint.
Stage 2: Bourg -Saint- Andéol- Vienne
About 184 km led the second stage from Bourg -Saint -Andéol to Vienne. Just before the finish there was a mountain stage of the fourth category. 1000 meters from the finish attacked Sebastian Lang, George Hincapie just sat by and overtook long sprint.
Stage 3: Saint -Paul -en- Jarez ( ECF )
31 km long individual time trial.
Stage 4: Vienne- Annemasse
Without difficulties were the first 120 km of the route. The road led toward the east in the department of Ain along the Rhône. This was followed by the first two hills, the Mont des Princes (3rd category) and the Saint- Jean ( Cat. 4 ), both located in the Haute- Savoie. 25 km before the finish started the 9 km long ascent of Salèves ( 1st category ), he took the riders on height of 1300 meters. Two kilometers before the summit sat from the later stage winner Cyril Dessel.
Stage 5: Ville- la-Grand - Morzine
The entire stage led by the department of Haute -Savoie. The first hill climb was the Col de Saxel (3rd category) at kilometer 51 - the. The following ratings 4th category ( Col du Perret and Chatillon -sur -Cluses ). The ascent to the Col de Joux Plane ( Hors Category ) is the great difficulty of the day. It starts in Samoens and brings the driver after 11.5 kilometers at an altitude of 1691 meters. The descent leads to the destination Morzine.
After several unsuccessful attacks, launched at the foot of the Col de Saxel Hubert Dupont ( AG2R ) the decisive breakaway. He was followed by Juan José Cobo ( Saunier Duval ), Iñigo Cuesta (Team CSC ), Vladimir Efimkin ( AG2R ), George Hincapie (Team High Road ), Aliaksandr Kuchynski (Liquigas ), Daniel Navarro ( Astana ) and Yuri Trofimov ( Bouygues Telecom). At the beginning of the ascent to the Joux Plane, the projection was 2:15 on the cited by the Caise d' Epargne main field.
Efimkin, Trofimov, Cuesta and Cobo could dissociate their companions. Then also Efimkin and Cuesta fell back. After the mountain standings Trofimov was able to pull of Cobo and saved 18 seconds ahead to the finish. In the main field forced Robert Gesink (Rabobank ) the pace. The attacks of Alejandro Valverde and Cadel Evans brought Levi Leipheimer in trouble.
Stage 6: Morzine -La Toussuire
7th stage: Saint -Jean -de- Maurienne Grenoble
Jerseys in the itinerary
The table shows the support of the respective jerseys during each stage or the leaders of the respective Ranking in the evening of the previous day.
- On the first stage Thor Hushovd wore the polka-dot jersey.
- On the 3rd stage Alejandro Valverde wore the polka-dot jersey.
- From the 4th to the 7th stage Levi Leipheimer wore the polka-dot jersey.
ProTour standings
The score of the ProTour in 2008 after the Dauphiné Libéré (as of 15 June 2008).