RABOBANK SHINES AT DAUPHINÉ LIBÉRÉ STAGE RACE

Clements wins final stage, Gesink is fourth overall at Tour de France tune-up

Team Rabobank ended the eight-day Dauphiné Libéré stage race on a high note Sunday when 28-year-old Dutch rider Stef Clement rode his Giant TCR Advanced SL to victory in the 146-kilometer final stage in Grenoble.

Clement, a time trial specialist, outsprinted two fellow breakaway riders at the finish of a tough, mountainous stage to score the first major road race victory of his career.

Clement’s final-stage victory put an exclamation point on a solid effort by Team Rabobank. Robert Gesink, the team’s 23-year-old leader in the General Classification, finished fourth overall.

Gesink was aided by solid support from his Rabobank teammates. After seven hard stages, including one that finished atop Mont Ventoux, a grueling summit that has often played a major role in the Tour, Rabobank finished atop the Team Classification standings.

Dauphiné Libéré is often considered a preview of the Tour de France, and many of the Tour’s top contenders use the race as a final tune-up leading into the Tour.