Young Dane hoping for head start on climb to Risoul

Anders LundLess than two weeks ago, Anders Lund was still racing the Giro d’Italia. 11 days after the finish of the Giro, where he finished 64th overall, Saxo Bank’s Anders Lund is already four days in to another major stage race, the Criterium du Dauphine.

The 25-year-old Dane only wished to get through Wednesday’s time trial within the time limit, so he could set about his top goal – stage success at the Dauphine.

“The goal for today’s time trial was more or less to get within the time limit. Recent days have been really hard for us, so it was important just to get through, so we are ready for tomorrow.”

The Dauphine returns to the open roads tomorrow with a 210 km stage from Saint-Paul-Trois-Chateaux to the ski resort town of Risoul, 210 kilometers distant. The riders will encounter their first mountaintop finish of the Dauphine with the final climb to Risoul – 12.8 km and a 7% average grade should be more than enough to cause a stir amongst the favorites.

Lund, however, is not looking to wait around for the sport’s heavy hitters to do battle. He’s looking for tomorrow’s breakaway.

“I would very much like to be in the break tomorrow. I feel that I am in good shape, but I also know that I’ll need a headstart for the final climb, if I want to get a good result. It is no use in me sitting next to Contador and waiting until he attacks.”

The Dane has been hard at work in search of the break for some time now, but recognizes that his fortunes will eventually turn.

“Here in the Dauphine, I have already tried a few times, and additionally, I tried too many times in the Giro without success. So I must admit that I’ve had a hard time, and that statistic is not quite on my side. But I will certainly try. As I see the remaining stages, tomorrow’s stage is where I have the best chance to get going.”