Biggest career success: Zimmermann wins Dauphiné stage

German professional cyclist Georg Zimmermann has celebrated his biggest career success to date in the 75th edition of the Critérium du Dauphiné. The rider from Augsburg won the sixth stage of the French tour over the 170.2 kilometres from Nantua to Crest-Voland, taking his first victory of the season.

The Belgian Intermarché team's climbing specialist also did some self-promotion three weeks before the Tour de France. Tour title winner Jonas Vingegaard from Denmark remains the overall leader in the yellow jersey.

"Can't really believe it yet"

The 25-year-old Zimmermann pulled away from a group of three with around one kilometre to go and won in an energy-sapping final act ahead of the Frenchman Mathieu Burgaudeau. The Spaniard Jonathan Castroviejo came third. "I can't really believe it yet, I just gave it my best shot," said Zimmermann on Eurosport. He is the 19th German in the history of the stage race to take a stage win.

On Saturday, two mountains of the highest category await the pros on the 147.9 kilometre section between Porte-de-Savoie and Col de la Croix de Fer. The tour ends on Sunday in the south-eastern city of Grenoble.

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