Australian Richie Porte of the BMC team took the race leader’s yellow jersey of the Criterium du Dauphine after Friday’s sixth stage won by Astana’s Danish rider Jakob Fuglsang.

Fulgsang, Porte and overall favourite Chris Froome came through the line in a photo-finish after the descent of the beyond category mountain Mont du Chat at the end of the 147.5km stage.

Former teammates Porte and Froome built up a healthy lead on their rivals — Alberto Contador, Alejandro Valverde and Romain Bardet — on the mountain’s punishing climb of 8.7km at more than 10 percent gradient.

Fuglsang, a silver medallist in the road race event at last year’s Rio Olympics, stayed with the high-profile duo for the technical descent and was adjudged victor at La Motte-Servolex.

Porte now enjoys a 39-second lead over Froome in the general standings, with Fuglsang at 1min 15sec.

Saturday’s seventh stage is a challenging 168km ride from Aosta to the epic Alpe d’Huez climb and summit finish via the col de Sarenne.

 

Results and standings after the sixth stage of the Criterium du Dauphine a 147km run to La Motte-Servolex:

Stage:

1. Jakob Fuglsang (DEN/AST) 3hrs 41min 48sec, 2. Richie Porte (AUS/BMC) same time, 3. Chris Froome (GBR/SKY) s.t., 4. Fabio Aru (ITA/AST) s.t., 5. Alejandro Valverde (ESP/MOV) at 50, 6. Dan Martin (IRL/QST) 50, 7. Romain Bardet (FRA/ALM) 50, 8. Olivier Naesen (BEL/ALM) 1min 06sec, 9. Alberto Contador (ESP/TRE) 1:06, 10. Emanuel Buchmann (GER/BOR) 1:14.

Overall:

1. Richie Porte (AUS/BMC) 20hrs 52min 34sec, 2. Chris Froome (GBR/SKY) at 39, 3. Jakob Fuglsang (DEN/AST) 1:15, 4. Alejandro Valverde (ESP/MOV) 1:20, 5. Fabio Aru (ITA/AST) 1:24, 6. Alberto Contador (ESP/TRE) 1:47, 7. Dan Martin (IRL/QST) 2:14, 8. Emanuel Buchmann (GER/BOR) 2:30, 9. Romain Bardet (FRA/ALM) 2:49, 10. Rafael Valls (ESP/LOT) 3:16.

– Agence France-Presse

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