• Criterium du Dauphine, Stage Five

Wiggins retains Criterium lead

Bradley Wiggins retained the yellow jersey with two stages remaining © PA Photos

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Bradley Wiggins retained the yellow jersey as the Criterium du Dauphine headed into the Alps on Stage Five, taking a 38-second lead from Tony Martin into the final two stages of the traditional Tour de France warm-up race.

Arthur Vichot sealed the biggest win of his career on the 186.5km stage from Saint-Trivier-sur-Moignans to Rumilly, launching a solo attack from the eight-man breakaway group inside the final six kilometres and holding them off to the finish.

Egoi Martinez of Spain won the group sprint, crossing the line 26 seconds behind Vichot in second, with Kazakhstan's Dmitriy Fofonov third.

Much of the Stage Five course will form Stage 10 of this year's Tour de France, making it perfect preparation for the Grand Tour contenders. Each of the climbs will feature in July, including the Grand Colombier, which makes its Tour debut this year.

In the race for the yellow jersey, Wiggins fended off attacks from defending Tour de France champion Cadel Evans and Luis Leon Sanchez with the help of his Team Sky team-mates. Green jersey holder Tony Gallopin led the contenders over the line 59 seconds behind Vichot, leaving the British champion with his overall lead intact with two stages to go.

Two stages of the race remain: Saturday's 167.5km mountain stage from Saint-Alban-Leysse to Morzine, which includes Tour de France classic climbs up the Col de la Colombiére and the Col de Joux Plane, and the final stage from Morzine to Châtel.

Elsewhere, Alberto Contador will rejoin Team Saxo Bank once his doping ban has been served on August 5. The Danish team have signed up the 29-year-old, who is banned from this year's Tour de France and Olympics, for the remainder of this season and the next three years.

Stage Five result
1 Arthur Vichot (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat - 4:42:17
2 Egoi Martinez (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi - 0:00:26
3 Dmitriy Fofonov (Kaz) Astana Pro Team
4 Rémy Di Gregorio (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
5 Cayetano José Sarmiento Tunarrosa (Col) Liquigas-Cannondale
6 Alberto Losada Alguacil (Spa) Katusha Team
7 Daniel Navarro (Spa) Team Saxo Bank
8 Maxime Mederel (Fra) Saur - Sojasun
9 Maxime Bouet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale - 0:00:46
10 Bruno Pires (Por) Team Saxo Bank

General Classification
1 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky Procycling - 18:54:23
2 Tony Martin (Ger) Omega Pharma-Quickstep - 0:00:38
3 Michael Rogers (Aus) Sky Procycling - 0:01:20
4 Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team - 0:01:44
5 Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team - 0:01:45
6 Christopher Froome (GBr) Sky Procycling - 0:01:48
7 Luis-Leon Sanchez (Spa) Rabobank Cycling Team - 0:02:02
8 Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team - 0:02:22
9 Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Astana Pro Team - 0:02:47
10 Jérôme Coppel (Fra) Saur - Sojasun - 0:02:55

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