Rohan Dennis (Garmin-Sharp) held the leader’s jersey at one point during the Critérium du Dauphiné which finished yesterday.  

Although he subsequently lost his overall lead he remained on the podium until he eventually cracked on the penultimate stage under the pressure exerted by Alberto Contador on the Col du Noyer.

On the closing stage yesterday, however, Dennis bounced back to give another impressive performance on the final climb as he battled his way to finish 10th on the stage to claim the young riders’ classification and 8th place overall. “If it wasn’t for my team, I wouldn’t have been able to do it. I was actually thinking of abandoning due to the cold up the Col de Vars. I couldn’t move my hands anymore,” Dennis told L’Equipe. “But Andrew [Talansky] gave me his gloves rode with bare hands for the rest of the stage and I’m very grateful for his kindness. I had to see it through.”

The overall balance for Dennis at the Dauphiné must be regarded as positive. He’s only in his first year as a professional and to finish 8th overall and win the best young rider competition by almost 4 minutes over Alexandre genies (FDJ) is a tremendous achievement by any young rider’s standard, let alone a neo-pro.