Gianni Meersman (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) took his third consecutive podium place in today's third stage of the Criterium du Dauphiné and thus increased his lead in the points competition. The Belgian would of course have preferred to win but is proud of being the most consistent rider in the race.

2nd, 2nd and 3rd. Those are the results for Gianni Meersman so far at the Criterium du Dauphiné and while some may see it as a huge disappointment to come so close to a win three times in a row, the Belgian is proud of his performance. They are testament to his consistency and one of the Belgian's pre-season targets was to deliver results more regularly.

"I’m still up there today and that’s good", he said. "Not many riders can do that: 2nd, 2nd and 3rd. It means that my form is good, but I’d prefer a win. My feeling is the same as yesterday though: Viviani was the fastest yesterday and Boasson Hagen was the fastest today."

The consistency is reflected by his performances so far this season. In the Volta a Catalunya, took 4 places in the top 7, two of them were wins, and in the Tour de Romandie, he was also on the podium three times in a row, again notching up two wins. In his most recent race, the Tour of California, he finished in the top 4 in 4 of the 8 stages and now has no less than 18 top 7 results this season.

The points jersey is a reward to the most consistent rider and it is no surprise to see Meersman set his sights on the win in the points classification. He currently leads Elia Viviani (Cannondale) by 13 points and will have another chance to add to his tally on Friday's stage to Grenoble which is expected to end in a sprint.

"Stage 6 is my main goal now," he said. "If I don’t win it, I’ll work for the green jersey."

It will, however, be hard for him to bring home the coveted jersey. With a time trial and three tough mountain stages coming up, the GC riders can expect to pick up plenty of points. The winners since 2005 have been Lance Armstrong, Francisco Mancebo, Alexandre Vinokourov, Alejandro Valverde, Cadel Evans, Alberto Contador, Joaquin Rodriguez and Cadel Evans which proves how difficult it is for a sprinter to win the green jersey at the Dauphiné.

Tomorrow, Meersman will try to save his legs for later battles as the time trial will be one for the specialists and the GC riders. His team will instead turn its attention to world champion Tony Martin, Michal Kwiatkowski and Sylvain Chavanel who could all perform well in the race against the clock.

Starting at 11.00 you can follow tomorrow's stage in its entirety on CyclingQuotes.com/live.