South African Daryl Impey took the leader’s yellow jersey off crash-victim Michal Kwiatkowski as Germany’s Pascal Ackermann of the Bora team sprinted to victory on Tuesday’s second stage of the Criterium du Dauphine.
Kwiatkowski, Sky’s Polish rider who won Sunday’s opening time trial prologue, came off his bike after lashing rain left slick patches in the final two kilometres of the 181km stage between Montbrison and Belleville, but managed to finish.
Impey, winner of Monday’s first stage and second overall ahead of this stage, rolled over the line for the Australian Mitchelton team in third behind Ackermann and Norway’s Edvald Boasson Hagen to take yellow.
Wednesday’s third stage is a 35km team time-trial between Pont-de-Vaux and Louhans-Châteaurenaud and is expected to blow the standings apart.
The final four days are for the pure climbers with a summit finish every day on some of the most fearsome climbs in the Alps –Â Agence France-Presse
