- HOT TOPICS:
- The new VeloNews.com (BETA)
Valverde wins 2nd Dauphine as Clement takes finale
- Article Extras
- Photos
- Results
- Race Index
Spaniard Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d’Epargne) on Sunday won his second successive Dauphiné Libéré cycling race as Dutchman Stef Clement (Rabobank) won the final stage, a 146km hump from Faverges to Grenoble.
American Timothy Duggan (Garmin-Slipstream) took second ahead of Frenchman Sebastien Joly (Française des Jeux), all three having been members of an initial 28-man breakaway.
World time-trial champion Bert Grabsch (Columbia-Highroad) enjoyed a long spell at the head of affairs before being reeled in 37km from the finish.
Duggan and Clement were next to try their luck, joined by Joly, who sought to surprise the others with an early jump some 1500 meters from the line. The 26-year-old Clement was not fooled and prevailed in the dash to the line.
"I knew that I was going to win," said Clement. "Even when Joly attacked, I kept confident. He'd made a huge effort to come back and I was certain to beat him. I've waited for so long to win a race in a sprint!"
In the overall standings, Australia's Cadel Evans (Silence-Lotto) finished second for the third consecutive year, with Spain's 2007 Tour de France champion Alberto Contador (Astana) third.
Despite not having won a stage in the race, as he did en route to victory in the 2008 Dauphiné, Valverde dominated proceedings after taking the lead from Evans on Thursday.
The 29-year-old benefited from Contador's efforts to neutralize Evans in the mountains, a bid to demonstrate his dominance over the Australian prior to the start of the Tour de France on July 4.
At the summit of the last climb on Sunday, after Evans had made several vain attempts to accelerate away during the ascent, Valverde rested his hand on Contador's shoulder as though to thank him for his support.
Said Valverde: "My victory last month in the Tour of Catalonia gave me an even bigger motivation to win the Dauphiné."
