"It was a goal before the start to get in a jersey" - Mark Donovan's breakaway effort at Dauphine rewarded with KoM jersey

For Mark Donovan's Q36.5 Pro Cycling it was a slight surprise already when the team was just invited for Critérium du Dauphiné. For a Swiss team only makes sense the 'A-team' will head to their national race - Tour de Suisse. That didn't stop the 25-year-old Brit from going for the KOM jersey in the opening stage.

"It was the plan to go for KOM points. I was hoping a couple more guys would come. And luckily the guy from Arkea caught up with me I had a bit of company for the next four hours. It was a nice first day maybe not so nice for the leg," Donovan said in a press communication released by organisers.

"It was only the two of us, so the numbers were against us. They had us in good check pretty early. If the profile had been different with the hills at the end, maybe, but with the flats we had in the end, it was always going to come down to a sprint. It was a goal before the start to get in a jersey. It’s good for the team and its visibility."

Defending the polka dot jersey won't be easy tomorrow and nobody could blame Donovan if he took a 'day off' to recover for another big effort in a stage further down the next week.