Vincenzo Nibali and Jakob Fuglsang are friends again following a war of words this weekend when the Dane accused Nibali and Trek-Segafredo of pushing hard on a descent during stage eight after he had suffered a puncture and found himself detached from the peloton.

"I have not seen the television images at the time of writing," Fuglsang began in his column for Danish newspaper BT after the stage, "but Trek-Segafredo started to lead the descent and perhaps increased the pace after my flat tire. It caused some panic within our team car, but luckily I managed to rejoin the peloton. It was a strange move by Trek.

“There is an unwritten rule in the peloton. It's not okay to take advantage of someone else's bad luck. After my return to the peloton I heard several riders talk about Trek-Segafredo's race behavior. Some riders wondered what the hell they were up to. They thought it was strange that Trek started racing even faster after my flat tire.

"I passed him and said next time he should be careful while peeing. That he must choose his moment carefully. He took it seriously, didn't understand the humour, and immediately became defensive. He said it was not his intention to take advantage of my flat tire."

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Aggrieved, Fuglsang said he doesn't have anything against Nibali, although he expects this sentiment is not shared by the Italian.

"In principle, I have no problem with him," Fuglsang said. "He especially has something against me. I can understand that the press is writing about my relationship with Nibali, but we are fighting for the overall victory in one of the biggest cycling races in the world."

Nibali disagrees with how Fuglsang read the situation, saying that if he'd wanted to not let the Dane get back on then they would have driven the pace harder once they finished the descent.

"Yesterday he said I attacked him, but we just went downhill in front, then stopped at the bottom. If we had wanted to attack, it would have been very bad for him," Nibali told Italian Eurosport, before trying to defuse the situation: "These are sterile controversies."

The evening after stage eight, Fuglsang says Nibali sent him a message. "About the media trying to create a conflict between us. The Italians had translated my column and they see us as the two biggest favorites in the Giro d'Italia after the departure of Geraint Thomas and Simon Yates."

The following morning they decided to clear the air, apologising to each other and resolving to let their legs do the talking over the next two weeks. "We expressed that we both thought the other had done things that were not right. But we agreed to greet each other during the stage on Sunday. Now we both hope that we will ride a good Giro and we don't want a war between us," Fuglsang said.

The Astana rider currently trails Nibali by just four seconds in the general classification, both around a minute behind race leader João Almeida (Deceuninck - Quick-Step). But in Fuglsang's mind, the man who sits in second place, 30 seconds ahead of him, is someone he needs to watch particularly closely.

"[Wilco] Kelderman seems to have the strongest team in Sunweb and I expect them to take responsibility," Fuglsang says of who he says controlling the race going forward after a fairly open first week of the 2020 Italian Grand Tour. "Whether the team will do that is another discussion."

The next likely change in the general classification will come in the stage 14 time trial, with a number of mountain days then following in the final week of racing.

Jakob Fuglsang takes his second Monument victory of his career, winning his first Il Lombardia title after beating Jumbo-Visma's George Bennett.

It ended up looking like a story between two teams as three Trek-Segafredo riders and two Astana men, along with Bennett, went clear on the descent of the Colma di Sormano after a nasty crash for Remco Evenepoel (Deceunick - Quick-Step), who was conscious as he was transported to hospital.

Trek's trio of Vincenzo Nibali, Giulio Ciccone and defending champion Bauke Mollema were all dropped on the Civiglio climb as Bennett stayed with Fuglsang and Aleksandr Vlasov (Astana).

How it happened

The riders started the 114th Il Lombardia in Bergamo with a very challenging route of 231km to Como where the second Monument of the year finished.

An 11-man break went up the road early on, including Petre Vakoč (Alpecin-Fenix), James Piccoli (Israel Start-Up Nation) and Joey Rosskopf (CCC Team).

It was Piccoli who went solo, with around 70km to go, but behind the peloton was flying up the climbs, bringing the time gap down rapidly, with Astana and Deceuninck - Quick-Step doing the work.

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Piccoli was caught just a couple of kilometres later as Evenepoel asked for more pace before they hit the steep slopes of the Colma di Sormano.

On the Sormano, Vlasov and Fuglsang shared duties with Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix), Richard Carapaz (Ineos) and Diego Ulissi (UAE Team Emirates) all dropped out of the back.

As the lead group went over the top Nibali went to the front and tried to create a gap on a very tricky, tight and twisty descent.

All the riders were keeping up well with Evenepoel at the back. It was only on one bend, where the road tightened on the exit of a corner to go across a bridge, that the 20-year-old Belgian went into the wall and over the other side.

As the lead group got to the bottom there were only six riders left: Bennett, Vlasov, Fuglsang, Nibali, Ciccone and Mollema.

They all worked well together as riders such as Van der Poel were chasing behind. But as they hit the penultimate climb of Civiglio Fuglsang attacked with Bennett on the wheel. Soon after, Vlasov attacked across to Bennett and his team-mate, Fuglsang.

All three Trek riders were in trouble, Nibali especially, as he had put in a big effort to work for his team.

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The three leaders then started to work together over the top and on the way to the last climb of San Fermo della Battaglia.

Bennett attacked at the base of the climb, immediately distancing the Russian champion, Vlasov.

Bennett tried another three times to drop Fuglsang before the two-time Critérium du Dauphiné winner hit the New Zealander hard with a vicious attack.

The winner of Gran Piemonte, just three days previous, Bennett was not able to get back on terms with the great Dane who took the win by over 30 seconds.

Results

Il Lombardia 2020 - Bergamo to Como (231km)

1. Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana, in 5-32-54

2. George Bennett (NZl) Jumbo-Visma, at 31s

3. Aleksandr Vlasov (Rus) Astana, at 51s

4. Bauke Mollema (Ned) Trek-Segafredo, at 1-19

5. Giulio Ciccone (Ita) Trek-Segafredo, at 1-40

6. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Trek-Segafredo, at 3-31

7. Max Schachmann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe, at 4-31

8. Diego Ulissi (Ita) UAE Team Emirates, at 5-20

9. Ben Hermans (Bel) Israel Start-Up Nation, at 6-00

10. Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) Alpecin-Fenix, at 6-28

Jakob Fuglsang powered clear of Mikel Landa to take victory on his first race day of the year on stage one of the Ruta del Sol 2020.

Fuglsang (Astana) and Landa proved themselves the strongest of the bunch on the brutal final climb in Andalusia, delivering a fatal blow on the ascent and setting themselves up for a two-up battle for the stage on the short and sharp rise to the line.

As the pair hit the steep, narrow and cobbled 600 metre climb to the finish, Fuglsang led his rival up to the 100m mark, launching his attack and easily pulling clear of Landa (Bahrain-McLaren) as the road ramped up.

Reigning Ruta del Sol champion Fuglsang takes the first leader's jersey of the race with his dominant performance.

How it happened

Early-season racing continued in Spain’s southern Andalusia region with a daunting 173.8km run from Alhaurin de la Torre on the coast to Grazalema, in the foothills of the Sierra del Pina mountain range.

The stage featured five categorised climbs, all category three apart from the big first category climb, which ramped up in the final 20km.

After ranked climbs at kilometres 49, 69, 96 and 134, the peloton faced the fall 12km-wall to Puerto de las Palomas, which averaged around 6.5 per cent gradient.

But the summit of the climb was not the final, as the peloton then dropped down before a short uphill sprint for the line.

A group of 11 riders escaped the peloton in the early stages, including Alexis Gougeard (Ag2r La Mondiale) and Kobe Goossens (Lotto-Soudal), and were allowed around a two-minute gap.

Attacks in the breakaway kicked off inside 50km, but the front group were reeled in at the foot of the Palomas climb, as Maurits Lammertink (Circus-Wanty Gobert) from the breakaway attacked on the slopes and held a slight advantage.

As Lammertink was caught on the climb, his team-mate Loic Vliegen fired his own move and managed to hold a 20-second advantage for a considerable amount of the climb.

The Belgian was reeled in with around 10km left to race as the peloton began to disappear under the strain.

First attacks from the favourites followed shortly after, with Mikel Landa and reigning champion Jakob Fuglsang hitting the front and getting their own gap.

Hitting the final few turns of the climb, Landa and Fuglsang had a 30-second advantage as they floated up the climb, with just 10 riders left to chase behind, and has they hit the descent they’d built the gap up to 53 seconds.

The lead pair hit the final cobbled climb with around 600m to the line well clear of their rivals, setting up the tense two-up dash for the line.

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Fuglsang led Landa along the narrow and rough street, the pair matching pedal strokes before Fuglsang upped the wattage and pulled clear with 100m to race.

Landa couldn’t respond, as Fuglsang crossed the line to take the stage and the leader’s jersey.

Ruta del Sol 2020, stage one  run from Alhaurin de la Torre  to Grazalema (173.8km)

1. Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana, in 4-11-08

2. Mikel Landa (Esp) Bahrain-McLaren, at 6s

3. Dylan Teuns (Bel) Bahrain-McLaren, at 25s

4. Jack Haig (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott, at 27s

5. Pello Bilbao (Esp) Bahrain-McLaren, at same time

6. Ion Izagirre (Esp) Astana, at 30s

7. Chris Harper (Aus) Jumbo-Visma, at 54s

8. David de la Cruz (Esp) UAE Team Emirates, at 1-03

9. Harm Vanhoucke (Bel) Lotto-Soudal, at same time

10. Rubén Fernández (Esp) Fundación-Orbea, at 1-07

General classification after stage one

1. Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana, in 4-11-08

2. Mikel Landa (Esp) Bahrain-McLaren, at 6s

3. Dylan Teuns (Bel) Bahrain-McLaren, at 25s

4. Jack Haig (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott, at 27s

5. Pello Bilbao (Esp) Bahrain-McLaren, at same time

6. Ion Izagirre (Esp) Astana, at 30s

7. Chris Harper (Aus) Jumbo-Visma, at 54s

8. David de la Cruz (Esp) UAE Team Emirates, at 1-03

9. Harm Vanhoucke (Bel) Lotto-Soudal, at same time

10. Rubén Fernández (Esp) Fundación-Orbea, at 1-07

Alexandre Vinokourov has called for CADF to conduct an investigation into how their report detailing allegations that two of their riders had met with banned doctor Michele Ferrari was leaked to the Danish press, adding leaks of this nature are damaging for riders, teams, and cycling as a whole.

The 24-page report, compiled by the Cycling Anti-Doping Federation (CADF), claimed that Danish rider Jakob Fuglsang had been training with the disgraced doping doctor.

CADF released a statement in the aftermath saying they regretted the report had leaked and that they wouldn't be pursuing disciplinary charges against anyone in the report, as well as investigating the leak. This was welcomed by Vinokourov, who said: "We are pleased, that today the CADF issued a statement explaining the situation with the confidential report published recently in the media.

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"As it was noted, the organization has not found any confirmed anti-doping rule violations and as a result no disciplinary action has been initiated against either the riders or the team. We respect the activities carried out by the UCI and the CADF in the fight against doping in cycling and consider as absolutely normal to check all, even the most insignificant facts that could put a shadow on our sport. This activity is designed to make cycling cleaner."

Vinokourov's call for an investigation echoes CADF's response that said the organisation would look into how the report came to be seen by journalists.

"At the same time, we hope that the CADF will conduct a careful investigation of the way such information was made public in order to avoid repeating these situations in relation to any team or rider.

"The publication of unverified or incomplete information in the media has a detrimental effect on the image of not only professional athletes and their teams, but also of cycling as a whole.

"On behalf of the team I would like to thank our sponsors and fans for their trust and support in the moment when incorrect and largely unreliable information was spread in the media in the last few days."

After the report was made public, the Kazakhstani team denied having any association with any “suspicious doctors” including Ferrari and stated that their riders are forbidden from consulting with outside doctors about their performance.

The reports also prompted a response from Ferrari himself, who called the reports a “media hoax” and denied any involvement with any athletes or the team.

Jakob Fuglsang and Alexey Lutsenko also responded to the allegations with matching statements shared on Instagram, with both riders saying they had not met with the doctor, no disciplinary action had been brought against them and that they were concerned about the spread of the stories in the media.

The anti-doping investigators behind a leaked report have released a statement over allegations that two Astana riders had met with Dr Michele Ferrari.

A document compiled by the Cycling Anti-Doping Federation (CADF) claimed that Danish rider Jakob Fuglsang had been training with the disgraced doping doctor.

The leaked report, obtained by Danish media, also alleged that Ferrari had been present at the 2019 Volta a Catalunya with Astana, and that Fuglsang and his team-mate Alexey Lutsenko had met with the Italian physician in Monaco.

In a statement responding to the leak, the CADF says it will not be pursuing disciplinary charges against any of the figures involved and will be investigating how the document was made public.

The anti-doping organisation said: “The CADF deeply regrets that the report was leaked, and an inquiry is being conducted to understand how the file was made public and prevent this from happening again.

“Finally, the CADF confirms that after careful review of the elements available, it has not submitted the report to the UCI for the initiation of disciplinary proceedings against the individuals or team in question.

“The CADF will not be making any further comment on the matter.”

Ferrari is famed for working with high profile cycling figures, including Lance Armstrong and Alexandre Vinokourov, before he was banned from sport for life for doping athletes in 2012.

Vinokourov, the former pro who served a two-year ban for blood doping in 2007, is now general manager of Astana.

According to the CADF, the investigation into Fuglsang was sparked after the organisation received information of an alleged anti-doping rule violation.

The CADF, an independent non-profit organisation that runs the UCI's anti-doping programme, then hired data company Sportradar to investigate the allegations in order to complete CADF files.

Sportradar compiled a report which was then shared in "strict confidentiality" with select anti-doping and law enforcement agencies.

The CADF said it treated the document with “extreme care” and that it did not share the report with any third party, including the media.

News of the leaked report emerged on Sunday night (February 2), with Astana releasing a statement the following day.

The Kazakhstani team denied having any association with any “suspicious doctors” including Ferrari and stated that their riders are forbidden from consulting with outside doctors about their performance.

The reports also prompted a response from Ferrari himself, who called the reports a “media hoax” and denied any involvement with any athletes or the team.

Jakob Fuglsang and Alexey Lutsenko also responded to the allegations with matching statements shared on Instagram, with both riders saying they had not met with the doctor, no disciplinary action had been brought against them and that they were concerned about the spread of the stories in the media.

Jakob Fuglsang and Alexey Lutsenko have both responded to the claims they have met with disgraced doping doctor Michele Ferrari.

The Astana leaders have both shared the same statement denying allegations in Danish media that they had met with Ferrari in Monaco.

A leaked report from the Cycling Anti-Doping Foundation (CADF), seen by Danish newspaper Politiken, claims that Fuglsang, the winner of the Critérium du Dauphiné and Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2019, has been training with the Italian physician.

The report also alleges that Ferrari was present at the 2019 Vuelta a Catalunya with Astana, which both the team and the doctor deny.

Ferrari is famed for working with high profile cycling figures, including Lance Armstrong and Alexandre Vinokourov, before he was banned from sport for life for doping athletes in 2012.

Vinokourov, the former pro who served a two-year ban for blood doping in 2007, is now general manager of Astana.

In their matching statements shared on Instagram, Lustenko and Fuglsang said: “I contest that I have met with Dr Ferrari.

“I am not aware of any report and I can confirm no procedure has even been opened by competent anti-doping authorities against me.

“Accordingly, I have no case to answer.

“I am extremely concerned that such rumours could be spread out in the press.”

News of the leaked report emerged on Sunday night (February 2), with Astana releasing a statement the following day.

The Kazakhstani team denied having any association with any “suspicious doctors” including Ferrari and stated that their riders are forbidden from consulting with outside doctors about their performance.

In their statement, Astana said: “[The team] is committed to the fight against doping in sport. The team requires from all its affiliated riders that they comply all time with all obligations under anti-doping regulations, including the prohibition to be associated with banned individuals or doctors. The team does not collaborate with any suspicious doctor, such as Dr Michele Ferrari.”

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The reports also prompted a response from Ferrari himself, who called the reports a “media hoax” and denied any involvement with any athletes or the team.

He said: “I have not had any relationship with athletes from team Astana for over 10 years. I haven’t been to Monaco/Nice for at least 12 years. I have never been on a scooter/motorbike in my entire life, let alone motor-pacing a cyclist. I haven’t been to the Vuelta Catalunya in 2019. I haven’t physically been present at a single race since 1994. The ‘report’ is based on false reports from probable interested parties.”

Fuglsang and Lutsenko then finally broke their silence on Monday evening (February 3).

Michele Ferrari has responded to claims in a leaked anti-doping report that he had been seen with Jakob Fuglsang and his Astana team.

The Italian doctor was banned in 2012 from working in any kind of sport but was allegedly spotted with Astana at the 2019 Vuelta a Catalunya. Further allegations link him to Jakob Fuglsang specifically, and that he has been spotted motor-pacing the Danish climber on a training ride.

"Once again I unfortunately find myself compelled to deny the latest media hoax that concerns me," Ferrari wrote on his website, before following up with a series of statements that contradict what has been written by Politiken.

"I have not had any relationship with athletes from team Astana for over 10 years. I haven't been to Monaco/Nice for at least 12 years. I have never been on a scooter/motorbike in my entire life, let alone motor-pacing a cyclist. I haven't been to the Vuelta Catalunya in 2019. I haven't physically been present at a single race since 1994," Ferrari writes.

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The 66-year-old then accuses the sources behind Politiken's article as having "probable interest" in their accusations against him, before ending with: "I have never been convicted of doping."

Ferrari's life-ban from sport came after he failed to contest a 2012 charge from USADA accusing him of administering and trafficking prohibited substances.

One of Ferrari's most high-profile clients was Alexandre Vinokourov, the Kazakhstani former pro who is now the general manager of Astana and who was banned for two years in 2007 for blood doping.

In a statement released a few hours ago, Astana said they do not collaborate with any “suspicious doctor,” including Michele Ferrari, and that riders are not allowed to consult with outside doctors about their performance.

Their statement read:  "Astana Pro team has taken note of the press article by Danish and Norwegian media relating to the existence of an alleged confidential report by CADF suspecting some riders of the team to have been in contact with banned Dr Michele Ferrari.

“Astana Pro Team is committed to the fight against doping in sport. The team requires from all its affiliated riders that they comply all time with all obligations under anti-doping regulations, including the prohibition to be associated with banned individuals or doctors. The team does not collaborate with any suspicious doctor, such as Dr Michele Ferrari."

According to the report, the CADF report says Fuglsang’s team-mate Alexey Lutsenko was present at a meeting between Fuglsang and Ferrari in Monaco. However, there is no evidence to suggest Lutsenko was working with the doctor.

Neither Fuglsang or Lutsenko raced the 2019 Volta a Catalunya.

Politiken also say 12 people confirmed to them that Fuglsang was allegedly spotted training with Ferrari, with one specific top cyclist telling them they saw Fuglsang and Ferrari together, but that this rider is refusing to come forward despite repeated attempts to get them to speak.

Danish broadcaster DR has quoted a passage from Fuglsang's book ‘Jakob Fuglsang – The dream of the rainbow stripes and the yellow jersey’, which reads: “I will be able to guarantee what I did. I want to be able to see myself in the mirror, and I can now. I’ve never been baptised, and I’m never going to get baptised. It is important for me to say that this is my attitude towards doping.”

Jakob Fuglsang and Alexey Lutsenko have decided not to comment on the case, according to Danish media.

Astana have released a statement responding to allegations centred around their Danish star Jakob Fuglsang.

Fuglsang, winner of the Critérium du Dauphiné and Liège-Bastogne-Liège last season, has been accused of training with the banned doping doctor Michele Ferrari in a leaked report.

According to the Cycling Anti-Doping Foundation (CADF) report, seen by Danish media, Fuglsang has been seen with the controversial figure and that Ferrari was present at the 2019 Vuelta a Catalunya with Fuglsang’s Astana team.

Astana said they do not collaborate with any "suspicious doctor," including Michele Ferrari, and that riders are not allowed to consult with outside doctors about their performance.

A statement from the Kazakhstani squad, released on Monday (February 3), said: “Astana Pro team has taken note of the press article by Danish and Norwegian media relating to the existence of an alleged confidential report by CADF suspecting some riders of the team to have been in contact with banned Dr Michele Ferrari.

“Astana Pro Team is committed to the fight against doping in sport. The team requires from all its affiliated riders that they comply all time with all obligations under anti-doping regulations, including the prohibition to be associated with banned individuals or doctors. The team does not collaborate with any suspicious doctor, such as Dr Michele Ferrari. The riders are not authorised to consult any doctors external to the team in order to perform any activity, or to be prescribed any diet or treatment, related to their performance."

According to the reports by Danish newspaper Politiken, the CADF report says that Ferrari was present at the 2019 Vuelta a Catalunya with Astana and that Fuglsang's team-mate Alexey Lutsenko was present at a meeting between Fuglsang and Ferrari in Monaco. However, there is no evidence to suggest Lutsenko was working with the doctor.

Ferrari has been banned from working in any kind of sport since 2012 after he failed to contest a charge from USADA accusing him of administering and trafficking prohibited substances.

As well as the leak, Politiken says they have spoken to 12 people within the cycling world who confirm that Fuglsang was allegedly spotted training with Ferrari close to Monaco. They claim the Dane was “interval training behind a scooter” with the Italian doctor.

A number of these people say one specific top cyclist told them they saw Fuglsang and Ferrari together, but that this rider is refusing to come forward despite repeated attempts to get them to speak.

The report says its task was to identify any potential links between Ferrari, his son, Stefano, and the Astana team, in particular, Jakob Fuglsang. Stefano has not been found guilty of any doping offences in the past.

Astana said: “The licence of Astana Pro Team has been renewed for the year 2020, confirming the full compliance by the team with all its obligations, including in terms of fight against doping in cycling.

“The team is in contact with the UCI and CADF in order to know more; it will collaborate with any inquiry that could be opened by CADF or the UCI.

“However, for the time being, no procedure has been initiated against any rider affiliated to the team. The Astana Pro Team trusts that if the CADF had any evidence of wrongdoing by any rider of the team, disciplinary proceedings would have been immediately initiated in accordance with anti-doping regulations and the World Anti-Doping Code.”

Fuglsang and Lutsenko have yet to comment on the case.

Update: On the afternoon after the allegations were first published, Michele Ferrari released the following statement denying the claims made in Politiken.

Ferrari said: "Once again I unfortunately find myself compelled to deny the latest media hoax that concerns me.

"I have not had any relationship with athletes from Team Astana for over 10 years. I haven't been to Monaco/Nice for at least 12 years. I have never been on a scooter/motorbike in my entire life, let alone motor-pacing a cyclist. I haven't been to the Vuelta Catalunya in 2019. I haven't physically been present at a single race since 1994. The 'report' is based on false reports from probable interested parties. I have no base in Lugano, a place where I have never been. I have never been convicted of doping."

Jakob Fuglsang has been accused of training with banned doping doctor Michele Ferrari, according to an anti-doping report leaked to Danish journalists.

The report, written by Cycling Anti-Doping Foundation (CADF), is 24 pages long and details intelligence linking the Danish rider to the doctor who helped Lance Armstrong to a number of his now-scrubbed Tour de France victories.

The evidence, presented to CADF and subsequently obtained by Danish newspaper Politiken, indicates Ferrari was at the 2019 Vuelta a Catalunya with Fuglsang's Astana team and also that his team-mate Alexey Lutsenko was present at a meeting between Fuglsang and Ferrari in Monaco, where Fuglsang lives. However, there is currently no evidence to suggest Lutsenko was working with the doctor.

Ferrari has been banned from working in any kind of sport since 2012 after he failed to contest a charge from USADA accusing him of administering and trafficking prohibited substances.

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"CADF has provided intelligence suggesting that Michele Ferrari continues to be involved in the doping of athletes at the Astana Pro Team and is believed to have travelled to Monaco and other locations to meet with the cyclists," reads the report.

Fuglsang had a successful 2019 season winning Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the Critérium du Dauphiné and a stage of the Vuelta a España in 2019, while also finishing runner-up at Strade Bianche and Flèche Wallonne. In an interview with Danish broadcaster DR in 2018, Fuglsang said "you can win big bike races without doping".

The DR article goes on to quote a passage from his book 'Jakob Fuglsang - The dream of the rainbow stripes and the yellow jersey', which reads: "I will be able to guarantee what I did. I want to be able to see myself in the mirror, and I can now. I've never been baptized, and I'm never going to get baptized. It is important for me to say that this is my attitude towards doping."

Since news of the Ferrari allegations broke, Fuglsang's former coach Rune Larsen has said: "I hope he hasn't made the wrong choice".

"In the many years I have worked with Jakob, it has just been with the mindset that we should reach as far as possible with legal tools, even if it meant that there was something we could not achieve," Larsen told DR.

As well as the leak, Politiken says they have spoken to 12 people within the cycling world who confirm that Fuglsang was allegedly spotted training with Ferrari close to Monaco. They claim the Dane was "interval training behind a scooter" with the Italian doctor.

A number of these people say one specific top cyclist told them they saw Fuglsang and Ferrari together, but that this rider is refusing to come forward despite repeated attempts to get them to speak.

The report says its task was to identify any potential links between Ferrari, his son, Stefano, and the Astana team, in particular, Jakob Fuglsang.

It accuses the father and son keep a low profile both in real life and online in order to conceal their "current doping activities". Although Stefano has been implicated in this report, he has not personally been found guilty of any doping offences in the past.

"Both Michele and Stefano Ferrari appear to deliberately keep a low profile and minimal online presence," the report reads. "Given their past legal issues and surveillance by Italian authorities, the two highly likely take extreme precaution in their current doping activities, making efforts to conceal their connections to the cyclists."

Fuglsang, Lutsenko and Astana have apparently decided not to comment on the case, while Ferrari has not responded to phone calls and texts sent by Politiken.

Politiken says they have been in contact with Fuglsang, Lutsenko and the Astana team, and following discussions all three decided not to comment on the matter, saying they "don’t want to comment on a report based on indications and rumors as there is no official message from the UCI or CADF."

The director of Anti Doping Denmark, Michael Ask, has also refused to comment on the Fuglsang investigation but has said of Ferrari: "If Ferrari really is active it is a severe breach of the regulations. Also for the people who in that potential case have helped him back into the environment and work with him. They ought to stay far away from him."

The UCI said: "As of today, the UCI has not received a report from the CADF in order to initiate proceedings against the individuals and the team mentioned. Our Federation is following this case closely and will take the appropriate measures in the interests of cycling."

Update: On the afternoon after the allegations were first published, Michele Ferrari released the following statement denying the claims made in Politiken.

"Once again I unfortunately find myself compelled to deny the latest media hoax that concerns me.

"I have not had any relationship with athletes from Team Astana for over 10 years. I haven't been to Monaco/Nice for at least 12 years. I have never been on a scooter/motorbike in my entire life, let alone motor-pacing a cyclist. I haven't been to the Vuelta Catalunya in 2019. I haven't physically been present at a single race since 1994. The "Report" is based on false reports from probable interested parties. I have no base in Lugano, a place where I have never been. I have never been convicted of doping."

Jakob Fuglsang is set to target the Giro d'Italia, Ardennes Classics and Tokyo Olympics during the 2020 season, while he will play a support role to Miguel Ángel López at the Tour de France.

Like a number of other riders, the Astana climber will forego his own Tour de France ambitions in order to make the most of a year when Olympic gold is added to the top prizes on offer to the peloton.

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A Tour de France stalwart over the past decade, the Dane has only missed the French Grand Tour once in the past 10 years in 2012, when injury and disagreements with his Leopard-Trek team blighted his season, and has only once finished outside the top 50 since his debut in 2010.

Romain Bardet (Ag2r La Mondiale) and Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) are two other big riders who also prefer the Italian Grand Tour next year, with only six days in between the final stage of the Tour de France and the Olympic road race in Tokyo putting some riders off.

Before the Giro, Fuglsang will once again compete in the Ardennes Classics, with a successful spring this year delivering him a first Liège-Bastogne-Liège title as well as podium finishes at Strade Bianche, La Flèche Wallonne and the Amstel Gold Race. By filling his schedule once more with top races, the 34-year-old hopes to mount a serious challenge to the UCI rider rankings, won this year by Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma).

"I would still like to try to give the rankings a chance," Fuglsang told TV2 Sport. "It has not gone as I had hoped for the last couple of years, so to try something new, I think it would be good and sensible to try it in the Giro."

Fuglsang suggests that how Astana have dished out Grand Tour opportunities to their best riders for 2020 has depended on which route's profile suits each rider best. But Fuglsang will be on hand to provide experience as Miguel Ángel López will make his first ever Tour start.

"Right now, it looks like I'm going to ride the Tour as a support rider for Lopez," Fuglsang continued. "Without being 100 percent sure, and that's in relation to consideration of the route profile, the Giro fits me well and the Tour can fit Lopez quite well."

Movistar boss Eusebio Unzué has recently highlighted that due to time differences and the distance between France and Japan, riders who finish stage 21 of the Tour on the Champs-Élysées will likely only arrive in Tokyo on Tuesday morning at the earliest, giving them four days maximum to adjust and prepare for the Olympic road race on the Saturday.

"Running the Tour to run the rankings and then being sharp for the Olympics, I think immediately, is difficult," said Jakob Fuglsang.

One rider who will ride the Tour as preparation for Tokyo, though, is Alejandro Valverde, with the 39-year-old set to once again compete with the Dane in the Ardennes next year.

Jakob Fuglsang has extended his contract with Astana, having ridden the best season of his career.

The Dane is riding high this year having won Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the overall at the Critérium du Dauphiné, which set him up as a favourite for the Tour de France.

Fuglsang, 34, has extended his contract with Kazakhstani team Astana, as they back him as a team leader until at least 2021.

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He said: “I am happy to stay with the team as I feel like I’m at home here. I’ve been with Astana for seven years already and I am happy to continue. As everyone could see this year, I’ve really found my spot and I had a great support team around me, from riders to staff and sports directors.

“This year is my best season ever so far and I am still motivated to show more."

Fuglsang was sitting in the top-10 at the Tour de France when he was involved in a crash on the flat stage around Nîmes and was forced to abandon.

He will return to racing at the Vuelta a España, where he will target his own stage victories while supporting general classification leader Miguel Ángel López.

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Astana general manager Alexandr Vinokurov said: “I am really happy that Jakob Fuglsang stays in Astana Pro Team. He is having a great season so far, but also the last few seasons showed us that he is still in a great age to achieve more in cycling.

“Jakob was super strong during the first half of the year and he just missed some luck at the Tour de France. However, now he is going to start at La Vuelta, where, I am sure, he will turn his luck back.

“In the next years we will continue supporting Jakob as one of team’s leaders and I think he will reach a new height of this sports.”

Jakob Fuglsang is set to lead the line for Astana at the Vuelta a España, as the Kazakhstani team take a super strong squad of climbing talent to compete for the overall classification.

Alongside the Dane, Miguel Ángel López will line up following his top 10 GC ride at the Giro d'Italia. Both Izagirre brothers, Ion and Gorka, will provide domestique duties in the mountains, while Dario Cataldo, Manuele Boaro and two Spaniards, Luis León Sánchez and Omar Fraile complete the eight-man squad.

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Fuglsang had his GC ambitions at the Tour de France cut short by a crash on stage 16 in Nîmes, which saw him abandon the race and forfeit his top 10 GC place heading into the Alps.

25-year-old López won the young rider classification at the 2017 Vuelta as well as two stages, also taking the young rider classification at the 2018 and 2019 editions of the Giro d'Italia.

His 2017 Vuelta performance achieved him an eighth place finish, which he bettered the next year to finish third on the podium. However, he failed to defend his best young rider title as Spaniard Enric Mas (Deceuninck - Quick-Step) finished second behind Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott).

Fuglsang has only ever won two stages at the Spanish Grand Tour, team time trials in 2011 and 2013, the latter being his most recent inclusion in the race. You have to go back to 2016 for the last time the Dane rode a Grand Tour that wasn't the Tour de France.

The 34-year-old was one of the favourites heading into this year's Tour, having won the Critérium du Dauphiné, and will be looking to resurrect what had been a successful season leading up to the French Grand Tour.

The Dane won his first ever Monument in the spring at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, also securing podium spots at Strade Bianche, Flèche Wallonne and the Amstel Gold Race, often being bested by 2019's star rider, Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck - Quick-Step).

Astana's strong line-up is currently only matched by the wealth of talent Jumbo-Visma are bringing to the race, with Steven Kruijswijk, Primož Roglič and George Bennett set to feature for the Dutch squad.

Jumbo-Visma's roster is set to only get stronger in future Grand Tours, having today announced the signing of Tom Dumoulin from Sunweb.

The 2019 Vuelta a España begins on August 24 with a team time trial in Torrevieja and finishes in Madrid on September 15.

Crashes took out an unlucky Jakob Fuglsang, who was in the best shape ever heading into the Tour de France, say Astana.

The Dane had been one of the pre-Tour favourites, but a crash in stage one and again on stage 15 ended his chance for a win or even a podium. He abandoned mid-stage and though x-rays later revealed nothing broken, he suffered traumas to his left wrist.

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"His was on his best form, it's true," sports director Dmitriy Fofonov told Cycling Weekly. "And he's always better in the Alps.

"We spoke with the trainers, he was in really good shape and also he had the numbers like when he won the Dauphiné last month. We planned to do something in the Alps, but not now."

Fuglsang fell with two Team Sunweb riders at 27 kilometres to race in stage 15 to Nîmes. He had been sitting ninth at 5-27 in the general classification.

"We weren't thinking about the win because it was already done, but for the podium, yes. The fight for the podium was open. With the last three days and the climbs, at altitude... but now it's finished."

Fuglsang won Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the Critérium du Dauphiné this spring, but has been unlucky with crashes in the Tour. His best result was a seventh in 2013 and last year, he placed 12th behind winner Geraint Thomas.

"Especially here at the Tour, it's a big loss to the team, for Jakob... the whole team," continued Fofonov. "We are one big team, it's not personally for him, but for all the team. It's c'est la vie. We look for the future."

Fuglsang has returned home to Luxembourg and is having some more checks to understand the severity of his injuries.

"This race is very important race, never relaxing and every time something happens. Sometimes it's your fault, sometimes you are not at fault. Also yesterday, with the hot weather, maybe some some riders are not lucid with 43 degrees, and you are going 60 kilometres per hour. You need to be concentrated and focused," Fofonov said.

"First he needs to recover, this is hard for the morale because this was a big big objective. Especially for Jakob, it's difficult to talk with him because it hurts. He's in very good shape, the best shape in four years, but now it's done with the Tour de France."

Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) has been offered to Movistar, one of a number of potential signings in what is set to be a revolving door of a transfer window for the Spanish team, according to reports.

Movistar are set for a complete overhaul of their roster ahead of the 2020 season, according to Spanish newspaper Marca, who have been offered the Critérium du Dauphiné and Liège-Bastogne-Liège winner as they also line up a number of other high profile targets.

>>> Richard Carapaz says he wants to stay with Movistar despite rumours of Team Ineos deal

The Spanish WorldTour outfit are also apparently making moves for Ineos rider David de la Cruz, having attempted to sign the 30-year-old for a number of seasons, who is only now approaching the end of his contract with the British team. Although no official communication has taken place, Movistar are apparently close to an agreement with the Spanish rider who won a stage of the Vuelta a España in 2016.

Movistar also apparently have their eyes on another Spaniard, Deceuninck - Quick-Step's Enric Mas, the stage winner and best placed rider in the youth classification at last year's Vuelta.

This amount of movement in the transfer market is due to a number of key departures being reported, with both Mikel Landa and Nairo Quintana allegedly set to leave Movistar at the end of the season.

Mikel Landa is apparently on his way to Bahrain-Merida, with Vincenzo Nibali supposedly moving on from Bahrain-Merida to Trek-Segafredo. Nairo Quintana, meanwhile, is said to be dropping down to the Pro-Continental ranks and signing for André Greipel's Arkéa-Samsic team.

José Joaquín Rojas (Movistar) and Pello Bilbao (Astana) are rumoured to be joining Landa at Bahrain-Merida, where Rod Ellingworth is set to take over as sports director from Brent Copeland.

Of the trident of GC stars present at recent editions of the Tour de France for Movistar, only Alejandro Valverde will remain at the Spanish team.

Their Giro d'Italia 2019 victor, Richard Carapaz, is also said to be close to a renegotiated deal, with previous rumours circulating that the Ecuadorian would sign for Team Ineos, seeing his salary skyrocket from £150,000 to £1.5 million.

Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) is facing a further spell on the sidelines after breaking his collarbone in a crash during a criterium on Friday evening.

The Dane has yet to return to full-time racing after fracturing his wrist and elbow in a crash during stage 11 of the Tour de France, but will now see his scheduled return further delayed after the crash during the criterium in Herning, which will leave him requiring surgery.

"Yesterday evening, Astana rider Jakob Fuglsang crashed out during a criterium in city of Herning," team Astana said in a statement on Saturday morning. "It was the first race for Jakob after the Tour de France."

"Right after the crash Fuglsang was moved to the hospital for the medical checking. A fracture in the left collarbone was diagnosed.

"Today, Jakob Fuglsang will be transferred to Belgium in the hospital of Herentals, where tomorrow morning the rider will have a surgery, which will be done by Dr. Toon Claes."

32-year-old Fuglsang scored the best result of his career this year after claiming the overall in the prestigious week-long race, the Critérium du Dauphiné.

Thanks to that result, he signed a contract extension with the Kazakh team, and then continued to impress at the Tour where he rode alongside Fabio Aru. Fuglsang sat in fifth place, 1-37 off race leader Chris Froome before his crash on stage 11. He soldiered on to complete the stage, but was unable to continue after starting stage 12 to Peyragudes in the Pyrenees.

The collarbone break will also put in a ride at the World Championships in doubt, with the men's road race taking place on September 24 in Bergen, Norway.

Astana have yet to put a timeline on Fuglsang's return to racing.

Jakob Fuglsang has been diagnosed with fractures to his elbow and wrist after a crash on stage 11 of the Tour de France.

The Astana rider, who sits fifth in the general classification, crashed in the feedzone roughly midway through Wednesday's 203.5km stage, coming down at low speed with team-mate Dario Cataldo.

Cataldo abandoned the race with a broken scaphoid bone his wrist as well as a number of abrasions to the left side of his body, while Fuglsang continued to ride to the finish.

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"Jakob Fuglsang was diagnosed with two very small fractures," an Astana statement read. "In the left scaphoid and in the head of the radius of the left elbow. Despite these injures, tomorrow [Thursday] Jakob is going to start at stage 12 of the Tour de France."

Thursday will see the riders cover 214.5km from Pau to a summit finish at Peyragudes, including a number of major climbs in the Pyrénées.

Astana will hope that the Danish winner of the Critérium du Dauphiné is able to continue in the race, giving them a well-placed GC rider to use in support of Fabio Aru, who currently sits second overall just 18 seconds behind Chris Froome.

Perhaps it’s because he’s not quite a star of the sport that Jakob Fuglsang’s win was not the biggest talking point to emerge from the Critérium du Dauphiné at the weekend.

But for the 32 year old Dane himself, it is a performance that will perhaps help him address an issue that has nagged at him throughout his career: whether he has it in him to step up to that status.

When I sat down with the Astana rider in February to interview him for another feature this was a topic that kept reoccurring. On one hand he was happy being a luxury domestique, able to offer his abilities for a leader in both the hills and on the flat.

On the other, he wondered if he should make more of his talents and the occasional opportunities he gets to lead. Could he be a bigger name, competing - as he did in the Dauphiné - with the best?

>>> Five things we learned from the Critérium du Dauphiné

In my mind, this uncertainty made Fuglsang the most interesting of all the interviews we conducted for ‘Nature or nurture? What makes you the rider you are?’.

In the end, however, it ended up on the cutting room floor as champion riders like Romain Bardet, Greg Van Avermaet and Lizzie Deignan edged him out of a feature limited in size by magazine pages. If only he was a bigger name with a more spectacular palmarès…

Watch: Critérium du Dauphiné stage eight highlights

Here, though, is that interview from February: What, Jakob Fuglsang, insecurities and all, has made you the rider that you are?

Cycling Weekly: How would you describe yourself as a rider?

Jakob Fuglsang: I can do GC but I can also be a luxury helper. Over the years I have developed a really good sense of reading a race.

CW: What strengths make you that rider?

JF: I climb relatively well. But I’m not a skinny 55kg guy so I can also take some wind and go well on the cobbles and other terrain.

I’m a kind of all-rounder. That is something that helps me be that good domestique that I know that I am, but that I also sometimes wish I wasn’t.

CW: It sounds like this is a little dilemma for you…

JF: Sometimes I think I should be more my own GC guy. Sometimes I spend energy where it’s not needed because at the end of the day I like to help. I don’t only want to ride for myself.

I like to ride to help others – that was especially the case when I was riding for Andy Schleck. He was a close friend. It’s a pleasure to help someone you like.

CW: Every team you’ve been with, there’s been another bigger name leader …

JF: That’s true. When I was younger and in a team like Saxo Bank there were many bigger names. I was looking at some pictures recently of our Tour team. Frank and Andy Schleck, Stuart O’Grady, Jens Voigt, Fabian Cancellara. It was a very powerful team.

CW: Did you learn a lot riding with that wealth of talent?

JF: For sure. And riding with Stuart O’Grady, he was probably the best road captain I’ve ridden with. He really knew how to control a race and use a team’s strengths.

CW: Do you have any weaknesses that have perhaps stopped you being that all-out GC leader on a team?

JF: One small thing is I’m not the super egotist that it sometimes takes to be the leader: the one who says ‘I don’t give a f*** about the rest of you – I’ll do my race’.

And also believing in my abilities. If I had done so more in my early years, that might have changed something. But it’s not like I have regrets.

CW: In some ways, it must be nice to switch between being a leader and helper?

JF: For me it is a nice combination. I don’t have the pressure all the time that I’m the one who has to deliver. But sometimes there’s one guy standing on the podium and people forget there’s a whole team behind him.

I think even Vincenzo [Nibali] would agree that at the Giro d'Italia last year, he would have not won without a team. Teamwork is one of the aspects why I wanted to switch to the road from mountain biking. I really like the team aspect of road cycling.

CW: Tell us about those formative years as a mountain biker.

JF: I was doing mountain bike until I was junior and did the road as training. Then I started to do a bit of racing on the road. I rode the World Championships on the road for the first time as an under 23 in 2007 [the same year Fuglsang won the under-23 world cross-country title].

CW: You switched to the road full-time in 2009. But how has the off-road background shaped you as a road rider?

JF: The ability on the cobblestones is something that came naturally after being a mountain biker. Being able to ride in a crosswind comes if you grow up in a country like Denmark. It’s always windy.

CW: You’re from Silkeborg, the same town as Lars Bak. What’s it like for riding?

JF: It’s hilly for Denmark - the highest point in Denmark is 20km away - but it’s nothing compared to where we race. I think the climbing ability comes from mountain biking actually. I didn’t have that good technical skills for a mountain biker.

In Denmark we have no huge downhills, no rocks, no mountains. My strong point in mountain biking was the climbing. They are still just shorter climbs, but when I came to the road they said ‘you’re good on the climbs, you’re a GC guy’.

CW: And that was that decided?

JF: My coach and I sometimes talk and say maybe I should stop caring about my weight, even put on some muscle and go for the one-day type of races instead. Especially after the Olympics. I’m an all rounder, but would I have more success if I focussed only on one day racing?

CW: But you haven’t decided that yet?

JF: No. And this year, I’m getting the chance to be the leader in the Tour de France [now likely to be shared with Fabio Aru]. If I can’t do more than what I did in 2013 [7th], then maybe that will be the time to try and improve in other directions.

CW: Which characteristics come very naturally, and which have you had to work at?

JF: Of my strengths, I’ve really had to work on climbing but the rest has come quite naturally.

CW: What aspects of cycling will you never be good at?

JF: Bunch sprints will never be my thing. Or sprints in general. I’m not an explosive guy. It’s not impressive what comes out of the power meter when I do sprints. I’m working on it, but it’s something I will never be super at. I’m more of a diesel engine.

CW: Is there any result that really reflects the type of rider that you are?

JF: The Olympic road race. It was not a stage race but it had cobble sections, crosswinds, short steep climbs, long climbs, technical descents. Everything. Even down to the point I missed out in the sprint at the end! But even Peter Sagan loses to Greg Van Avermaet now and then.

Richie Porte (BMC) was unable to hold onto his overall lead on the gruelling final mountain stage of the 2017 Critérium du Dauphiné, losing the title to Astana's Jakob Fuglsang.

Fuglsang had sat in third place at 1-15 at the beginning of stage eight, and finished 1-15 ahead of Porte after he won the 115km stage to the summit finish on Plateau de Solaison, taking a 10 second time bonus on the line to confirm overall victory.

>>> Tour de France route 2017: stages and key climbs

The Dane had attacked a group of GC contenders, including second place Chris Froome (Team Sky), with 7.3km remaining on the stage after Dan Martin (Quick-Step) had initially attacked. Porte was already over a minute behind the leading group, having been distanced towards the top of the penultimate climb of the Col de la Colombière.

The narrative had the day had been surrounding Froome and Porte, with Froome putting in numerous attacks to try and unseat the Australian.

But Froome faded after Fuglsang's attack, and was eventually caught by the pursuing Porte on the final climb and finished well off the pace at 1-27, losing his podium place to Dan Martin, who had finished second on the stage.

How it happened

The racing expectedly got off to a flying start on such a short stage, with a more than 20-rider break getting up the road towards the first climb of the Col des Saisies.

But they never seemed like they were going to get the opportunity to build substantial gap on the peloton, with so many of the GC contenders needing to make an early attack stick if they were to overturn their deficit to Richie Porte.

Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) was the first to try on the opening category one climb but was quickly pulled back, before Chris Froome launched his first move of the day in an attempt to get an early move to stick. He had teammate David Lopez in break up front, with Sky playing a clear tactic of getting a rider up the road to support Froome.

The Brit's attack however was short-lived, and simply reduced the peloton down to around 40 riders, with Porte losing most of his team-mates.

A break, with Tony Gallopin (Lotto-Soudal), still lead heading on to the second climb of the Col des Aravis with around 66km to go, but Sky again tried to get a rider away with Michal Kwiatkowski jumping from the peloton with Simon Clarke (Cannondale-Drapac).

Froome once again accelerated at the top of the second climb but wasn't able to gain any ground, with Kwiatkowski trying to sit up out front to support him over the summit of the Col des Aravis.

Eventually the climbing took its toll and the remnants of the breakaway were caught, with Valverde the next to try and go clear on the third climb of the Col de la Colombière.

He was eventually joined by Fabio Aru (Astana), with Dan Martin, Fuglsang and Romain Bardet (Ag2r) accelerating in pursuit from the yellow jersey group with 6km to go to the top.

Porte and Froome appeared to be marking each other up the Colombière, and were happy to let other riders slip away, with Valverde and Aru carrying 1-22 on the over the summit and 31 seconds on the Fuglsang group.

But Froome then once again tried to distance Porte and attacked 500m from the top of the penultimate climb.

Porte seemed to struggle, and let Froome go who summited the climb with 15 seconds in hand.

Froome caught the Fuglsang group on the descent with 25km remaining, and Porte was now around 40 seconds back and looked to be losing his grasp on the yellow jersey, with no team-mates to help him.

Eventually the front groups came together with Aru and Valverde caught on the foothills of the Plateau du Solaison, with Porte trailing by 1-12 as he rode solo to try and catch the leading group.

Froome did a lot of the work on the early part of the climb, but wasn't able to respond when Dan Martin attacked with Fuglsang in pursuit with 7.3km to go.

Fuglsang rode away from Martin with 5.5km left, and Froome began drifting back towards Porte, losing ground, and his hopes of an overall win slipping away,

And as Porte caught Froome with 2.5km remaining to the summit, he still had one major rival out front and had to press on to close the 1-11 gap to Fuglsang.

Porte then dropped Froome, but it was increasingly looking like Fuglsang couldn't be stopped as he rode his way to a second stage win of the race.

The Astana man crossed the line and had to wait for Porte to see if he'd won overall, with the Australian crossing the line at exactly 1-15 down on Fuglsang.

But it wasn't enough, and Fuglsang can celebrate the biggest victory of his career.

Results

Critérium du Dauphiné 2017 stage eight, Albertville - Plateau du Solaison (115km)

1 Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana Pro Team

2 Daniel Martin (Irl) Quick-Step Floors, at 12s

3 Louis Meintjes (RSA) UAE-Emirates, at 27s

4 Emanuel Buchmann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe, at 44s

5 Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana Pro Team, at 1-01

6 Romain Bardet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale, at 1-02

7 Richie Porte (Aus) BMC Racing Team, at 1-15

8 Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky, at 1-36

9 Rafael Valls (Esp) Lotto Soudal, at 1-41

10 Alejandro Valverde (Esp) Movistar Team, at 3-30

Final general classification

1 Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana Pro Team, in 29-05-54

2 Richie Porte (Aus) BMC Racing Team, at 10s

3 Daniel Martin (Irl) Quick-Step Floors, at 1-32

4 Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky, at 1-33

5 Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana Pro Team, at 1-37

6 Romain Bardet (Fra) Ag2r La Mondiale, at 2-04

7 Emanuel Buchmann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe, at 2-32

8 Louis Meintjes (RSA) UAE-Emirates, at 3-12

9 Alejandro Valverde (Esp) Movistar Team, at 4-08

10 Rafael Valls Ferri (Esp) Lotto Soudal, at 4-40

Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) won by a hair's width in a reduced sprint ahead of Richie Porte (BMC) and Chris Froome (Team Sky) after a masterclass in climbing and descending on stage six of the Critérium du Dauphiné.

Despite missing out on the stage win Porte secured the yellow jersey for the first time in the race.

>>> Chris Froome set to sign new contract with Team Sky

The Danish rider was part of a quartet of Porte, Froome and Fabio Aru (Astana) but Fuglsang showed the lethal edge as he out-sprinted Froome and Porte in the final stretch.

Astana will be happy with a win to commemorate Michele Scarponi but they will also be happy with both Fuglsang and Aru moving into the top five overall.

Porte continued his good form as he held a 39 second lead over former team-mate Froome and secured the yellow jersey going into the last two stages of the race.

In the race's first battle in the mountains, the four had battled their way up the Le Mont du Chat with Richie Porte and Chris Froome working solidly to reel in Fabio Aru after he launched a solo attack.

The Italian had built up a 14 second gap over the crest of the hellish climb and its 10.3 per cent average gradient but it wasn't enough to stay away.

However it was their descending expertise that broke them from the bigger general classification group. Froome's desire was clear to see as he undertook Porte, giving himself the edge over the Australian on the downhill.

For most of the day a breakaway of six riders plied their trade up the road.

Made up of Oliver Naesen (AG2R-La Mondiale), Anthony Turgis (Cofidis), Nils Politt (Katusha-Alpecin), Alberto Bettiol (Cannondale-Drapac), Serge Pauwels (Dimension Data) and Thierry Hupond (Delko Marseille Provence KTM), the original breakaway had built up a lead of 5-09 as they headed towards the final climb, Le Mont du Chat.

However, being 2-20 down it was key for GC contender Romain Bardet and his team to reel the breakaway in to bridge the overall time gap that had come between him and race leader Thomas De Gendt (Lotto-Soudal).

Driving the peloton's pace before the climb, AG2R pushed the pace up.

However, it was Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) who tried to take the race by the scruff of the neck and jumped the gap up to the breakaway with a fantastic solo effort. The Spaniard was soon joined by Astana's Fabio Aru who seemed resurgent after his long wait on the sidelines.

It wasn't long after until Bardet joined Aru and Valverde up the road but a non-stop aggression from Aru reduced it to just Aru and Bardet as the Frenchman hung on.

It wasn't long before the Italian took the initiative though, surging right to the front of the race as the riders peaked Le Mont du Chat.

With Chris Froome and Richie Porte both eyeing up the yellow jersey, they decided to up the ante and go after Aru. Thanks to a steady pace, the pair kept in contact with Aru.

Astana teammate, Fuglsang, was up the road though and joined up with Aru to get the GC contender to the top of the mountain first.

It wasn't long before Aru was descending on his own towards what would be a huge win in his hunt for his first victory since his injury.

Froome and Porte had other ideas as they bridged the gap and were soon in hunt of the Italian, descending well. Controversy reared its head as Froome's ruthless descending came into play seeing the Brit undertake Porte.

Shortly after the four riders found themselves working together on the final flat 2km, conscious of Valverde who had work his way to within 54 seconds of them.

Froome then launched his sprint first taking the others by surprise but after blowing up and nearly forcing Porte into the barriers, it was Danish rider, Fuglsang who pipped the two to the post with the smallest of margins.

Results

Critérium du Dauphiné 2017, stage six: Parc des Oiseaux - Villars les Dombres to La Motte-Servolex (145.5km)

1. Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana Pro Team, at 3-41-48

2 Richie Porte (Aus) BMC Racing Team

3 Chris Froome (GBr) Team Sky

4 Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana Pro Team, at st

5 Alejandro Valverde (Esp) Movistar Team, at 0-50

6 Daniel Martin (Ire) Quick-Step Floors

7 Romain Bardet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale, at st

8 Oliver Naesen (Bel) AG2R La Mondiale, at 1-06

9 Alberto Contador (Esp) Trek - Segafredo, at st

10 Emanuel Buchmann (Ger) Bora - Hansgrohe, at 1-14

Overall classification after stage six

1 Richie Porte (Aus) BMC Racing Team, at 20-52-34

2 Chris Froome (GBr) Team Sky, at 0-39

3 Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana Pro Team, at 1-15

4 Alejandro Valverde (Esp) Movistar Team, at 1-20

5 Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana Pro Team, at 1-24

6 Alberto Contador (Esp) Trek - Segafredo, at 1-47

7 Daniel Martin (Ire) Quick-Step Floors, at 2-14

8 Emanuel Buchmann (Ger) Bora - Hansgrohe, at 2-30

9 Romain Bardet (Fre) AG2R La Mondiale, at 2-49

10 Rafael Valls (Esp) Lotto Soudal, at 3-16