Argos-Shimano’s Thomas Damuseau could be forgiven for wanting to take it easy after his Grand Tour debut in the recently-finished Giro d’Italia, where he finished 53rd and was 9th in the youth classification.

Instead the 24-year-old has been very active in the first stages of the Critérium du Dauphiné, being a part of the breakaway on both days and collecting enough mountain points to lead that classification now.

“It’s a pleasure to ride at the front. It was my second day in the break, but only those who try can hope to achieve anything,” Damuseau said. “I had two objectives today: Getting points for the polka dot jersey, and going for the stage win as you never know what happens. In the end I succeeded in taking the lead in the mountain classification, and I’m very happy about that.”

Being caught in the final 30 km, Damuseau couldn’t compete for the stage win, but he wasn’t downhearted because of that: “The second part of the plan didn’t work out, but with Reinhardt Janse van Rensburg finishing fourth in the sprint it has been good day for our team.”