Froome seals hat-trick as Cummings breaks his duck

By Robert Jones

June 13 2016

Chris Froome during the last stage of the Dauphine Criterium

Chris Froome won his third Criterium du Dauphine title as fellow Briton Steve Cummings sealed his first stage victory in the event on the final day.

Dimension Data rider Cummings took the stage seven win following a 60km solo breakaway as Froome repeated his wins from 2013 and 2015 - the two years he also went on to win the Tour de France.

Froome said: "It's a massive satisfaction to win the Dauphine for the third time.

"It's a very important race in the calendar.

"Coming into this week, I was just happy fighting for the podium.

"Sitting here with the yellow-blue jersey is an amazing feeling."

Froome added: "This is a great time for me to have a win under the belt.

"It's a confidence booster ahead of the Tour de France, but there's still some work to do before July.

"I've not raced much this year in order to be at my best during the third week of the Tour."

Cummings (35) was the last of a 20-man breakaway group to wilt and finished well clear of the chasing pack.

Ireland's Dan Martin won the sprint for second with Frenchman Romain Bardet third, and both moved up a place in the overall standings thanks to the bonus points available on the line.

Belfast Telegraph

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