A Criterium full of promises

 

The feast offered in Charleville-Mézières certainly satisfied the hungriest fanatics of real exciting cycling. The formula of the Critérium International, a digest offering a mouthwatering show, also allowed Ivan Basso to prove with seriousness the different weapons he has for this season.

The opening stage, that traditionnaly ends up with a bunched sprint, eventually gave way to a battle between thirty very strong riders. Among a final group of four in the decisive moments, a cold-blooded Erik Dekker emerged after only just avoiding the fall of Astarloa. Basso, already within shooting distance awaited his hour of glory and made the best of the help from his CSC teammates to capture the following stage and take command of the race. Despite the many difficulties, the Italian showed he was the strongest in the french Ardennes hills. He could well have decided to control his leadership and time gap on Dekker in the final time-trial. He however gave all he had, making sure to be careful on the slippery roads due to the rain and revealed a part of his progress in solo efforts. Wait and see...

 

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