Samuel Dumoulin (Ag2r) finished 9th in the first stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné.

"It was a solid result. The idea was to test myself in the sprint. It was a stage with heavy heat and the circuit was always difficult. We were united and this is a good shot signal for the next stages," he said.

Ag2r leaders Romain Bardet and Jean-Christophe Peraud both finished in the peloton.