Beñat tries his luck in Dauphiné stage 2

Beñat did well by forming part of today's main break in the Dauphiné Libéré. He took off with Augé and compatriot De La Fuente after barely 5 kilometres of racing, and the trio quickly established a healthy gap. With about 50 km to go though, with the gap standing at about 3 minutes, Beñat crashed in a sharp turn and hit the deck hard. Nevertheless, he was able to get back on his bike quickly, and even managed to rejoin his breakaway companions. It didn't last long though, as the crash and the energy used to bridge back up again eventually took it's toll on him, and he had to let the other two go. He ended up finishing dead last, at more than 17 minutes, but as long as he's active and willing to give it a go I'm more than pleased. Gora! Iñaki, Samuel, Rubén, Mikel and Haimar all came in with the peloton, with the former grabbing a good 14th place. Juanjo was 92nd, at 15 seconds back, while Jon looks to be short on form, coming home in 128th place, 1:03 back. Overall Haimar's still 9th, Mikel is now 11th, and Samu is 13th. A TT is on the program tomorrow but, as it's hilly and only 31 kilometres long, I'm optimistic that at least two out of Samu, Haimar and Mikel can fight for places among the top 20.