"I'm going to do everything I can to keep it" - Mathis Le Berre determined to defend the polka dot jersey through the rest of Dauphine

Two days of back-to-back breakaway action for the fidgety Mathis Le Berre brought along a well-deserved reward for the young Frenchman in form of the polka dot jersey.

After Sunday, it was Mark Donovan leading the King of Mountains classification, but the Brit didn't make an effort to jump into the breakaway today, leaving his jersey up for grabs. Of course Le Berre, who was in the second position of the classification, jumped after it. "Once up front the polka jersey was a goal, but also the win, we really had some strong guys up front, we were a little short, but it was a good day," Le Berre told organisers afterwards.

In the breakaway, the Arkéa - B&B Hotels rider was acompanied by compatriot Bruno Armirail, among others. When the peloton began to close down the gap to escappes on Col de la Loge, it was the Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team who tried to resist the longest. Le Berre applauded the effort. "Bruno, I didn't think he still had it in him, he was very strong because we really rode hard. But getting caught at 200 metres is just the way it is..."

With four more mountain stages, the odds don't play in Le Berre's favour. Solution? To join even more breakaways. Whether the 23-year-old can handle so many kilometers off the front is a question only time can answer. However the Frenchman makes his desire to retain the polka dot jersey clear: "Of course, I'm going to do everything I can to keep it, especially as the next stages suit me well. After that, the last weekend will be for the big riders, but I'm going to try to keep it as long as possible."

Tommorow will be another hard day in the Massif Central with uphill finish to Les Estables (3.8 km a 4.8%), preceeded by exhausting ascent from Retournac. Will we see another masterclass by Magnus Cort or will the climbers grasp this opportunity? We'll learn on Tuesday.