Mayo wins solo, Levi holds
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ByEurosport
Published 10/06/2006 at 14:51 GMT
Iban Mayo returned to the form that saw him win the 2004 Dauphiné Libéré, claiming a solo mountain win in the race's penultimate stage as Levi Leipheimer maintained his yellow jersey with a strong fourth-place. Finishing third, Christophe Moreau overtook
CYCLING 2006 Criterium du Dauphine Libere Iban Mayo stage 6 victory
Image credit: Reuters
Mayo had not won a race in two years to the day, when he claimed victory in Stage 4 of the 2004 Dauphiné, the same year the Spaniard won the prologue and the general classification.
Mayo avenged a disappointing second-place finish from Friday when he failed to chase down eventual winner Ludovic Turpin (AG2R), who reportedly has fractured his tibia.
Now a six-time stage winner at the Dauphiné, the Euskaltel rider demonstrated that he could once again prove a force in next month's Tour de France, especially in two critical mountain stages.
Stage 16 of the Tour follow nearly the exact same route as Saturday's Stage 6 of the Dauphiné, passing through the HC climbs at Galibier and La Croix de Fer, then ultimately finishing at the Cat. 1 uphill climax at La Toussuire.
Mayo also has hopes for another Tour stage in the Alps, the classic l'Alpe d'Huez, which he won in 2003.
With just under five kilometres left to race on Saturday, Mayo took off from UCI Pro Tour leader Alejandro Valverde (Caisse D'Epargne) and took the rest of his ride alone for a solo victory at the summit of La Toussuire.
Valverde finished second-place one minute and 21 seconds off of Mayo's winning pace.
Leipheimer's good time cemented his overall lead over Moreau, the mountains leader, at 1:48 with one stage left to race.
Sunday's finale includes one Cat. 3 climb, three Cat. 4 climbs, and a downhill finish to Grenoble.
Follow LIVE coverage of the Dauphiné Libéré's closing stage at Grenoble on Sunday.
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