 Brajkovic will hope to ride the Tour de France for Team RadioShack |
Slovenia's Janez Brajkovic held off race favourite Alberto Contador in Sunday's seventh and final stage to win the Criterium du Dauphine. The 148km stage was won by Team Sky's Norwegian rider Edvald Boasson Hagen. Despite a recent Achilles tendon problem, the Norwegian is set to make his Tour de France debut next month. Riding for Lance Armstrong's RadioShack team, Brajkovic finished one minute 41 seconds ahead of Spaniard Contador at the top of the overall standings. Contador had led the event from last Sunday's opening prologue until Brajkovic's time trial victory in Wednesday's third stage - and the 26-year-old Slovenian held off the two-time Tour de France winner in the mountains.  | 606: DEBATE |
But it was Boasson Hagen that triumphed in the final stage - held between Allevard-les-Bains and Sallanches - after breaking away from a small leading group. And Team Sky feel that the 22-year-old has shown this week that he is over his injury and can take up a place on the Tour, the world's most famous cycle race, which takes place from 3-25 July. "Edvald has come up, he's not had any recurrence of his injury - he's healed," Team Sky sports director Sean Yates said. "He did a great time trial and has been comfortable in the mountains, so he's on track for the Tour. "You can see he's quality, you can't miss him. It sticks out a mile. "He's not complained one bit about his Achilles, he came third in the time trial and that was his first serious workout for two months." Olympic pursuit champion Bradley Wiggins will be the British team's leader for this year's Tour assault.
Stage 7 results: 1 Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team Sky) 2 Arkaitz Duran (Footon-Servetto) 3 Egor Silin (Katusha) 4 Christophe Le Mevel (FDJ) 5 Tejay Van Garderen (Team HTC-Columbia) General Classification after final stage: 1 Janez Branjkovic (RadioShack) 2 Alberto Contador (Astana) 3 Tejay Van Garderen (Team HTC-Columbia)
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