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An upbeat 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Tom Dumoulin (Giant-Alpecin) looked clearly satisfied after he conducted a successful defence of his leader's red jersey on the first of three final mountain stages of the 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Vuelta a España.

Having chased down every move by 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Fabio Aru (Astana) on the last climb of La Quesera despite being isolated from his own 🐻team, and Astana's considerable collective mountain strength, Dumoulin even put in a dig of his own some four kilometres from the line.

Dumoulin, in his fifth day in the rꦓed jersey, even joked to Spanish TV after the stage: "There's three stages left, three days, so I can lose one sec𒊎ond a day."

"It was aౠ hard day," Dumoulin said, "but I'm still in red, I could handle those attacks. I knew he [Aru] had spent some energy, so when [Dani] Moreno [Katusha] tried a m🦋ove late on, I made a counter-attack of my own."

Dumoulin said that his confidence hadꦿ grown during the stage because despite Aru's surging a꧃ttacks on the undulating ascent of the Quesera, "after the first one, I knew it'd probably be another day in red."

"Of course🐲 it hurt, that first attack was very strong, but I always kept his wheel, even when it got steeper."

"It was a big boost to my confidence, and I know that Astana's strategy is to isolate me and get me out of the red jersey. But I know if I stay on Aru's whee♒l, then they cannot do anything."

On paper, 16𝔉8澳洲5最新开奖结果:Friday's stage from Medina del Campo to Avila is the easiest of the three stages between Burgos time trial and Madrid, with just one third category climb and one second. But whilst Dumoulin has had one good day in the mountains, he knows that Aru will be keen to snatch the slightest opportunity to return to red.