"My worst day on a bike" - Donavan Grondin battles past cramp to finish with time-limit and maintain King of the Mountains lead at the Critérium du Dauphiné

Team Arkéa Samsic's 22-year-old Frenchman has been one of the stars of the 2023 Critérium du Dauphiné in it's first couple of stages. After suffering a nasty bought of cramp, Donavan Grondin battled hard to stay in the race.

After his breakaway escapades saw him take the lead in the King of the Mountains classification on the opening stage, Grondin was again in the break on stage 2. Once he had done enough to guarantee he'd keep the polka-dot jersey into stage 3 he dropped back to the peloton. That though, is when the problems began.

"It was my worst day on a bike. I got cramps, I couldn't even pedal or bend my leg. I had to sit down for 3-4 minutes before leaving. It's the first time that happens to me," he explained post-race after having to come to a complete stop and wait for medical attention. After finally getting back on the bike, it was a race against time for Grondin to finish within the time limit.

"In the final, I was looking at my speedometer and I finished the stage for 45 seconds on time. I gritted my teeth and the mission was accomplished: another day with the jersey. That's what I wanted and I did it, even though it was in pain," he concluded after crossing the line 22:48 down on stage winner Julian Alaphilippe.