Australian surrenders yellow bib for team
ROHAN Dennis said it was a “hard pill to swallow” making the decision to give up the yellow jersey after only one day at the Tour de France.
The 25- year- old Australian scorched to a brilliant victory on Saturday’s opening stage time trial to wear yellow on Sunday’s second stage from Utrecht to Zeeland in the Netherlands.
But he was caught behind when the peloton split up due to crashes and as he was alongside reigning champion Vincenzo Nibali at that time, he put his BMC team leader Tejay Van Garderen’s interests before his own and waved goodbye to the jersey.
Van Garderen is hoping to challenge the “fantastic four” of Nibali, Chris Froome, Alberto Contador and Nairo Quintana for overall victory.
The American grabbed his chance with the front group to stand in eighth place overall, four seconds ahead of Froome, 16 seconds ahead of Contador, 1: 25 ahead of Nibali and 1: 45 in front of Quintana.
“It was a tough call as we had all our guys there. All we were missing was Rohan,” said van Garderen.
“For a while we weren’t riding but then the gap moved out and we realised that we could put a lot of time into the GC guys. At the end it was the right call. I feel bad for Rohan and wish he was in that move.”
A downbeat Dennis said: “I didn’t expect to have to make the call out on the road that I did that they don’t wait for me and that they go ahead when there was a small split, but that’s racing.”