Dhe Italian professional cyclist Davide Formolo won the third stage of the 72nd Critérium du Dauphiné in an impressive manner. The 27-year-old prevailed on Friday as a soloist after a long escape at the mountain finish in Saint-Martin-de-Belleville with 33 seconds ahead of the overall leader Primoz Roglic and celebrated his fourth professional victory. The German tour hope Emanuel Buchmann defended his third place in the overall classification after 157 kilometers in fourth place with 20 seconds behind Vuelta winner Roglic.
The 27-year-old Ravensburger from the German team Bora-hansgrohe was again able to keep up with the favorites around the strong Slovenian Roglic on the 14.8-kilometer final climb with an average gradient of six percent. An attack by his team mate Lennard Kämna 5.5 kilometers from the finish was ineffective in the end. The 23-year-old from Fischerhude was caught. “That was a very good race by the team. In the end we were in a great position before the final climb. Fourth place is a good result. I am satisfied, ”said Buchmann.
The Colombian tour winner Egan Bernal lost nine seconds on Roglic. His British Ineos teammates and former Tour de France winners Geraint Thomas and Christopher Froome had to tear down before the stage finale. The five-day tour in the French Alps ends on Sunday. The high-class race is considered the dress rehearsal for the Tour de France, which begins on August 29 in Nice.
.
