Schlagwort-Archive: Critérium du Dauphiné

CRITÉRIUM DU DAUPHINÉ 2024

Key points:
 The route of the 76th edition of the Critérium du Dauphiné, scheduled for 2 to 9 June, was revealed this morning at the seat of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regional Council in Lyon, in the presence of the President of the Council, Laurent Wauquiez, and Christian Prudhomme.
 For the first time ever, the field will take its first pedal strokes in the Allier department, where the town of Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule will roll out the red carpet for the riders. Action-packed moments such as the Wednesday time trial in Neulise (Loire) will raise the stakes throughout the week-long race, leading up to an Alpine battle royale that will come to a head on the Plateau des Glières on Sunday afternoon.
 Among the many Tour de France favourites who have already put their names down are the reigning champion, Jonas Vingegaard, and riders of the calibre of Primož Roglič and Remco Evenepoel. Jai Hindley, Aleksandr Vlasov, Mattias Skjelmose, Sepp Kuss and Tao Geoghegan Hart could also be in the mix.

11 June 2023: Jonas Vingegaard and Adam Yates on the final podium, Giulio Ciccone in polka dots and the Spanish rising star Carlos Rodríguez going from strength to strength. You can never know for sure, but the snapshot at the end of the Critérium du Dauphiné tends to be a reliable indicator of who will be the movers and shakers of the following Tour de France. In particular, the epic clashes of mountain maniacs often give a glimpse of the future, as the Alpine roads crank up the pressure one slope at a time to sort out the contenders from the pretenders at the end of the week.

The elite will be on high alert, even in the opening stage in Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule, where a sprinter ought to be topping the board at the end of the day. It will not last for long, though. Just 24 hours later, riders on top of their game will get their first chance to deal some (serious) damage to their rivals in the gruelling 25 km sequence leading up to the Col de la Loge. After that, the leg-breaking stage to Les Estables, on the rugged terrain of the Puy-de-Dôme and Haute-Loire departments, is the ideal scenario for a strong breakaway to shake up the pecking order. Power riders will be salivating at the prospect of the 34.4 km time trial around Neulise, which has the potential to open even wider gaps.

Stage 5 has „sprint finish“ written all over it, with a 1 km home straight in Saint-Priest, in the suburbs of Lyon. However, from then on, the road will bend towards the sky in an Alpine trilogy that will set out from Hauterives, in front of the Palais Idéal du Facteur Cheval, which has hosted the launch of large-scale projects more than once. Act 1 will pit the field against the Col du Granier and, after that, the Collet d’Alevard, following an 11.1 km slog at an average gradient of 8.1%. Act 2 packs an even bigger punch, with an altitude gain of 4,268 metres over a distance of 145.5 km. The traditional Col des Saisies, Col des Aravis and Col de la Colombière will soften up the peloton before the eye-popping Côte d’Arâches and the premiere of Samoëns 1600. The man in the lead at the Haute-Savoie resort will be in a solid position going into the finale, but Act 3 will be rife with opportunities for others to usurp the crown at the eleventh hour. If the field is feeling riotous at the start in Thônes, a dangerous move can emerge on the Col de la Forclaz de Montmin, consolidate on the climb to Mont Salève in the second part of the stage and put the leader between a rock and a hard place on the Plateau des Glières. It was on this side of the ascent that Julian Alaphilippe rocketed to the win in the final stage of the 2013 Tour de l’Avenir.

The stages of the 76th edition:

Sunday 2 June stage 1: Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule > Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule, 174,8 km
Monday 3 June, stage 2: Gannat > Col de la Loge, 142 km
Tuesday 4 June, stage 3: Celles-sur-Durolle > Les Estables, 181,2 km
Wednesday 5 June, stage 4: Saint-Germain-Laval > Neulise, 34,4 km (clm-ind.)
Thursday 6 June, stage 5: Amplepuis > Saint-Priest, 200,2 km
Friday 7 June, stage 6: Hauterives > Le Collet d’Allevard, 173,2 km
Saturday 8 June, stage 7: Albertville > Samoëns 1600, 145,5 km
Sunday 9 June, stage 8: Thônes > Plateau des Glières, 152,5 km

Criterium du Dauphine Libere 8. Etappe

Le Pont-de-Claix – La Bastille – Grenoble Alpes Métropole – 153 Km

1 CICCONE Giulio ITA Trek-Segafredo 04:06:04
2 VINGEGAARD Jonas DEN Jumbo-Visma 00:23
3 YATES Adam GBR UAE Team Emirates 00:33
4 O’CONNOR Ben AUS AG2R Citroën Team 00:49
5 MARTIN Guillaume FRA Cofidis 00:54
6 HINDLEY Jai AUS BORA-hansgrohe 00:57
7 MAJKA Rafal POL UAE Team Emirates 01:00
8 HAIG Jack AUS Bahrain Victorious 01:00
9 MEINTJES Louis RSA Intermarché-Circus-Wanty 01:00
10 RODRIGUEZ Carlos ESP INEOS Grenadiers 01:03
11 TRÆEN Torstein NOR Uno-X Pro Cycling Team 01:11
12 PEDRERO Antonio ESP Movistar Team 01:22
13 CASTROVIEJO Jonathan ESP INEOS Grenadiers 02:00
14 ALAPHILIPPE Julian FRA Soudal Quick-Step 02:06
15 MAS Enric ESP Movistar Team 02:14

Endstand:

1 VINGEGAARD Jonas DEN Jumbo-Visma 29:28:39
2 YATES Adam GBR UAE Team Emirates 02:23
3 O’CONNOR Ben AUS AG2R Citroën Team 02:56
4 HINDLEY Jai AUS BORA-hansgrohe 03:16
5 HAIG Jack AUS Bahrain Victorious 03:47
6 MARTIN Guillaume FRA Cofidis 04:51
7 MEINTJES Louis RSA Intermarché-Circus-Wanty 05:02
8 TRÆEN Torstein NOR Uno-X Pro Cycling Team 05:15
9 RODRIGUEZ Carlos ESP INEOS Grenadiers 05:19
10 ALAPHILIPPE Julian FRA Soudal Quick-Step 05:37
11 CICCONE Giulio ITA Trek-Segafredo 05:43
12 BERNAL Egan COL INEOS Grenadiers 06:44
13 POOLE Max GBR Team DSM 06:53
14 MAJKA Rafal POL UAE Team Emirates 07:31
15 JOHANNESSEN Tobias Halland NOR Uno-X Pro Cycling Team 08:00
16 HARPER Chris AUS Team Jayco-AlUla 08:30
17 MAS Enric ESP Movistar Team 08:40
18 MARTINEZ Lenny FRA Groupama-FDJ 09:21
19 BUCHMANN Emanuel GER BORA-hansgrohe 10:27
20 CHAMPOUSSIN Clément FRA Team Arkéa-Samsic 11:42

Jai Hindley beendet das Critérium du Dauphiné als Vierter der Gesamtwertung

Das Critérium du Dauphiné ging heute mit einer schweren, 157km langen Etappe in Grenoble zu Ende. Nach fünf kategorisierten Anstiegen und fast 4000 Höhenmetern wartete im Finale eine bis zu 30% steile Rampe zur Zielankunft an der Bastille von Grenoble auf die Fahrer. G. Ciccone sicherte sich nach langer Flucht den Etappensieg als Solist. Jai Hindley erreichte den Schlussanstieg mit der ersten Verfolgergruppe und den Favoriten auf die Gesamtwertung. Am Ende überquerte Hindley die Ziellinie an der Bastille als Etappen-Sechster. In der Gesamtwertung gab es keine Veränderung, der Australier beendet die achttägige Rundfahrt auf Rang vier des Gesamtklassements.

Reaktionen im Ziel

„Ein harter Tag am Ende einer harten Woche hier bei der Dauphiné! Ich bin stolz, wie wir hier als Team gefahren sind, die Jungs waren die ganze Woche richtig stark. Ein großer Dank an die Mannschaft! Am Ende hat es zwar leider nicht ganz für das Podium gereicht, ich bin aber trotzdem sehr zufrieden mit meinem Rennen. Mit Blick auf die Tour de France bin ich genau dort, wo ich sein wollte – es bleiben ja noch drei Wochen. Ich gehe jetzt zurück ins Höhentrainigslager und gönne mir dann vor dem Grand Départ in Bilbao ein paar Tage Erholung zuhause.“ Jai Hindley

„Klar hätten wir es am Ende gerne noch auf das Podium geschafft, Vingegaard, Yates und O’Connor waren aber einfach stärker und stehen am Ende der Dauphiné absolut zurecht auf dem Podium. Die Jungs sind die ganze Woche ein super Rennen gefahren, zumal wir ja bis auf Jai Hindley und Emanuel Buchmann eher mit der Sprinterfraktion hier waren. Der Plan war, das Rennen in den Top-5 zu beenden und einen Etappensieg zu holen. Auch wenn uns der Etappensieg verweht geblieben ist, insgesamt sind wir sehr zufrieden.“ Bernhard Eisel, Sportlicher Leiter

Vingegaard and Ciccone light fireworks at La Bastille

Giulio Ciccone (Trek Segafredo) capped off the Critérium du Dauphiné 2023 with a one-man show on the 8th and final stage, packed with gruelling ascents all the way to the finish on the slopes leading to La Bastille Fort. The Italian climber was the last survivor from a breakaway also featuring Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal Quick-Step). On his birthday, the French star gave everything to take a second win this week and move up in the overall standings. But only Ciccone could resist Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma), who dropped all his rivals to take the 2nd place of the stage, ahead of Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates), and seal his overall victory, ahead of Yates as well. As he gets ready to defend his victory in the Tour de France, Vingegaard is the 2nd Danish rider to win the Critérium du Dauphiné, after Jakob Fuglsang in 2017 and 2019.

The final challenges of the Critérium du Dauphiné inspire the attackers, furthermore with an uphill start favouring a flurry of attacks. With the polka-dot jersey he claimed on the day before, Victor Campenaerts (Lotto Dstny) is extremely active. The Belgian baroudeur launches the first move of the day with two companions at km 2.5. And he relentlessly works to make the break.

At the bottom of the first ascent of the day, the cat-2 Côte de Pinet (summit at km 15.1), 10 riders lead the way, including David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ). Trek-Segafredo are not happy with this move. They chase the attackers and Giulio Ciccone gets on the move… with Campenaerts following him.

Alaphilippe is kept under control
Clément Champoussin (Arkéa Samsic) and Franck Bonnamour (AG2R Citroën) join them at km 13. And then Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal Quick-Step) and David de la Cruz (Astana Qazaqstan) at km 15. The battle for the break keeps going until Tiesj Benoot (Jumbo-Visma), Nelson Oliveira (Movistar) and Matteo Trentin (UAE Team Emirates) make it a 9-man group at km 36.
As Julian Alaphilippe only trails by 3’48’’ (7th) in the general classification, Jumbo-Visma control the gap. The attackers enjoy their maximum lead (2’50’’) at the bottom of the HC climb to Col du Granier (summit at km 105.1).

Castroviejo chases, Ciccone attacks
Alaphilippe accelerates again on this main ascent. Ciccone, Benoot and Champoussin join him at the front. In the peloton, Jonathan Castroviejo (Ineos Grenadiers) sets off in pursuit. At the summit, the Spaniard trails by 55’’ and the peloton by 1’20’’.
Castroviejo joins the leaders towards the summit of the Col du Cucheron (km 123.1). But he can’t react when Ciccone sets off on the cat-1 ascent of Col de Porte. The Italian climber drops everyone with 20 kilometres to go. Behind him, UAE Team Emirates try to set Adam Yates for the win.

Vingegaard is the strongest, again
Ciccone reaches Grenoble and faces the final 1.9 km (average gradient: 14.2%) with a lead of 55’’ on the bunch. Vingegaard attacks inside the last kilometre. Nobody can match his pace but Ciccone holds on for the stage win with a gap of 23’’.
Vingegaard secures the overall victory ahead of Yates (+2’23’’). Ben O’Connor (AG2R Citroën) completes the GC podium (+2’56’’) ahead of his Australian compatriots Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe, +3’16’’) and Jack Haig (Bahrain Victorious, +3’47’’). The stage is set for the Tour de France.

Criterium du Dauphine Libere 7. Etappe

Porte-de-Savoie – Col de la Croix de Fer – 148 Km


Photo HERBERT MOOS

1 VINGEGAARD Jonas DEN Jumbo-Visma 04:15:47
2 YATES Adam GBR UAE Team Emirates 00:41
3 HINDLEY Jai AUS BORA-hansgrohe 00:53
4 O’CONNOR Ben AUS AG2R Citroën Team 01:04
5 POOLE Max GBR Team DSM 01:10
6 HAIG Jack AUS Bahrain Victorious 01:10
7 MARTIN Guillaume FRA Cofidis 01:10
8 TRÆEN Torstein NOR Uno-X Pro Cycling Team 01:10
9 MARTINEZ Daniel COL INEOS Grenadiers 01:10
10 MEINTJES Louis RSA Intermarché-Circus-Wanty 01:10
11 RODRIGUEZ Carlos ESP INEOS Grenadiers 01:10
12 MARTINEZ Lenny FRA Groupama-FDJ 01:16
13 CHAVES Esteban COL EF Education-EasyPost 01:20
14 BERNAL Egan COL INEOS Grenadiers 01:27
15 JOHANNESSEN Tobias Halland NOR Uno-X Pro Cycling Team 01:46

Gesamt:

1 VINGEGAARD Jonas DEN Jumbo-Visma 25:22:18
2 YATES Adam GBR UAE Team Emirates 02:11
3 O’CONNOR Ben AUS AG2R Citroën Team 02:24
4 HINDLEY Jai AUS BORA-hansgrohe 02:36
5 HAIG Jack AUS Bahrain Victorious 03:04
6 MARTINEZ Daniel COL INEOS Grenadiers 03:27
7 ALAPHILIPPE Julian FRA Soudal Quick-Step 03:48
8 MARTIN Guillaume FRA Cofidis 04:14
9 MEINTJES Louis RSA Intermarché-Circus-Wanty 04:19
10 TRÆEN Torstein NOR Uno-X Pro Cycling Team 04:21
11 CHAVES Esteban COL EF Education-EasyPost 04:31
12 POOLE Max GBR Team DSM 04:32
13 RODRIGUEZ Carlos ESP INEOS Grenadiers 04:33
14 BERNAL Egan COL INEOS Grenadiers 04:43

15 JOHANNESSEN Tobias Halland NOR Uno-X Pro Cycling Team 04:53

Jai Hindley starker Dritter auf der Königsetappe des Critérium du Dauphiné

Der siebte Tagesabschnitt des Critérium du Dauphiné war die Königsetappe der Rundfahrt. Nach dem Start in Porte-de-Savoie führte die Etappe über den Col de la Madeleine und den Col du Mollard zur Bergankunft am Col de la Croix de Fer. Mit über 4000 Höhenmetern auf nur 147 Kilometer, ein schwerer Tag im Hochgebirge. Jai Hindley und Emanuel Buchmann kamen im Feld der Gesamtwertungs-Favoriten zum Schlussanstieg. J. Vingegaard war im Finale eine Klasse für sich und gewann die Etappe als Solist. Dahinter unterstrich Hindley mit Platz drei seine starke Form und konnte im Gesamtklassement wichtige Zeit gut machen. Mit zwölf Sekunden Rückstand auf Platz drei ist Jai Hindley aktuell Vierter der Gesamtwertung. Das Critérium du Dauphiné geht morgen mit einer weiteren, schweren Bergetappe in Grenoble zu Ende.

Reaktionen im Ziel
„Wie erwartet, ein extrem harter Tag! Ich habe mich gut gefühlt heute, die langen Anstiege hier liegen mir. Am Schlussanstieg war Vingegaard wieder in einer eigenen Liga unterwegs. Dahinter hatten wir einen guten Kampf um die weiteren Positionen. Ich freue mich sehr, es heute auf das Podium geschafft zu haben. Auch wenn es nicht ganz für Platz drei in der Gesamtwertung gereicht hat, mit meinem Rennen bin ich absolut zufrieden. Ein großer Dank auch heute wieder an meine Teamkollegen, die Jungs machen echt einen super Job hier. Auf der schweren Etappe morgen ist in der Gesamtwertun noch einiges möglich. Aber jetzt ist erstmal Erholung angesagt!“ Jai Hindley

Vingegaard, altitude lover

Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) displayed his climbing skills to conquer the highest stage finish in the history of the Critérium du Dauphiné, on Saturday. The Dane dropped all his rivals more than 5 kilometres away from the Col de la Croix de Fer (2,607m above the sea). A month before the defence of his 2022 victory in the Tour de France – where he won a stage at Col du Granon (2,404m) -, Vingegaard put 41“ between his first chaser Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates) and himself to increase his lead in the overall standings and comfort his yellow and blue jersey. Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe) completes the podium of the day just ahead of Ben O’Connor (AG2R Citroën). The final battles of the Critérium du Dauphiné 2023 will lead the riders to Grenoble, where the overall winner will be crowned on the slopes of La Bastille.

A 129-man peloton set off from Porte-de-Savoie to take on the Alpine challenges of the final week-end of the Critérium du Dauphiné 2023. The stage starts on the flat but the attackers are eager to hit the climbs of the day: they reach the bottom of the ascent to Col de la Madeleine (the first HC climb of the race, with 25.1km of ascent at 6.2%), at km 50, in just under an hour!
Four riders lead the way after they attacked at km 21: Rémi Cavagna (Soudal Quick-Step), Madis Mihkels (Intermarché-Circus-Wantty), Anthony Perez (Cofidis) and Victor Campenaerts (Lotto Dstny). At the bottom of the climb, Reuben Thompson (Groupama-FDJ), Anthon Charmig (Uno X), Matteo Vercher (Total Energies) and Tobias Bayer (Alpecin Deceuninck) trail by 1 minute. And the gap to the bunch reaches its maximum: 5’45’’.

Campenaerts goes solo
More fireworks are lit on the ascent. Pierre Latour (Total Energies) sets off with his teammate Mathieu Burgaudeau at the bottom of the climb and later joins Matteo Vercher to try and join the leaders. Meanwhile, Victor Campenaerts drops all his breakaway companions and goes solo over the top of La Madeleine. Anthony Perez trails by 1’, Latour, Charmig and Bayer by 1’25’’… The peloton, led at a strong pace by Ineos Grenadiers, summit with a gap of 2’30’’.
As the race travels through the Maurienne valley, Perez, Charmig and Bayer get together behind Campenaerts while the other chasers are caught. Jonas Vingegaard’s Jumbo-Visma pull the bunch.

Jumbo-Visma launch Vingegaard
At the bottom of the climb to Col du Mollard, Campenaerts is 1’55’’ ahead of his chasers while the peloton trail by 3’30’’. After 18.5km with an average gradient of 5.8%, Campenaerts is still at the front… But his lead is down to 15’’. The Belgian baroudeur takes the time to celebrate at the summit – he’s all but certain to take the polka-dot jersey at the end of the stage. He is caught right at the bottom of the final ascent of the day.
Jumbo-Visma up the ante and Vingegaard attacks with 5.5 kilometres to go. Right behind him, Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates) sets his own pace behind the Dane, who steadily increases his lead all the way to the summit.

A tight battle for the podium
Vingegaard wins 41’’ ahead of the Brit. Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe) comes 3rd (+54’’), after he accelerated in the last 2 kilometres. He gains a few seconds on his compatriot Ben O’Connor (AG2R Citroën) and Max Poole
In the overall standings, Yates (2nd, +2’11’’), O’Connor (3rd, +2’24’’) and Hindley (4th, +2’36’’) look set to battle for the podium positions on the way to La Bastille, on Sunday. But it will take an extraordinary coup to overthrow Vingegaard.

Criterium du Dauphine Libere 6. Etappe

Nantua – Crest-Voland – 170 Km


Plomi Foto

1 ZIMMERMANN Georg GER Intermarché-Circus-Wanty 04:02:50
2 BURGAUDEAU Mathieu FRA TotalEnergies 00:01
3 CASTROVIEJO Jonathan ESP INEOS Grenadiers 00:08
4 CICCONE Giulio ITA Trek-Segafredo 00:48
5 O’CONNOR Ben AUS AG2R Citroën Team 00:48
6 YATES Adam GBR UAE Team Emirates 00:48
7 HAIG Jack AUS Bahrain Victorious 00:48
8 HINDLEY Jai AUS BORA-hansgrohe 00:48
9 ALAPHILIPPE Julian FRA Soudal Quick-Step 00:48
10 MAS Enric ESP Movistar Team 00:48
11 VINGEGAARD Jonas DEN Jumbo-Visma 00:48
12 MARTIN Guillaume FRA Cofidis 00:48
13 BERNAL Egan COL INEOS Grenadiers 00:48
14 JOHANNESSEN Tobias Halland NOR Uno-X Pro Cycling Team 00:48
15 MAJKA Rafal POL UAE Team Emirates 00:48
16 TRÆEN Torstein NOR Uno-X Pro Cycling Team 00:48
17 CHAMPOUSSIN Clément FRA Team Arkéa-Samsic 00:48
18 CARAPAZ Richard ECU EF Education-EasyPost 00:48
19 CHAVES Esteban COL EF Education-EasyPost 00:48
20 MEINTJES Louis RSA Intermarché-Circus-Wanty 00:48

Gesamt:

1 VINGEGAARD Jonas DEN Jumbo-Visma 21:06:41
2 O’CONNOR Ben AUS AG2R Citroën Team 01:10
3 ALAPHILIPPE Julian FRA Soudal Quick-Step 01:23
4 YATES Adam GBR UAE Team Emirates 01:26
5 HINDLEY Jai AUS BORA-hansgrohe 01:37
6 HAIG Jack AUS Bahrain Victorious 01:44
7 MARTINEZ Daniel COL INEOS Grenadiers 02:07
8 MARTIN Guillaume FRA Cofidis 02:54
9 BJERG Mikkel DEN UAE Team Emirates 02:55
10 JOHANNESSEN Tobias Halland NOR Uno-X Pro Cycling Team 02:57
11 MEINTJES Louis RSA Intermarché-Circus-Wanty 02:59
12 CHAVES Esteban COL EF Education-EasyPost 03:01
13 TRÆEN Torstein NOR Uno-X Pro Cycling Team 03:01
14 MAJKA Rafal POL UAE Team Emirates 03:06
15 BERNAL Egan COL INEOS Grenadiers 03:06

Ausreißer setzen sich durch, Jai Hindley jetzt Fünfter der Gesamtwertung

Am sechsten Tag des Critérium du Dauphiné stand die erste von insgesamt drei Etappen in den Alpen an. Nach dem Start in Nantua galt es für die Profis 170km, vier Bergwertungen der zweiten und dritten Kategorie, sowie eine Bergankunft in Crest-Voland zu bewältigen. Drei Fahrer, einer ursprünglich 14-köpfigen Ausreißergruppe, konnten sich durchsetzen und am letzten Anstieg den Sieg unter sich ausmachen. Beim Etappenerfolg von G. Zimmermann überquerte Jai Hindley als Achter die Ziellinie. In der Gesamtwertung verbesserte sich Hindley um eine weitere Position und liegt jetzt auf Rang fünf, 1:37 Minuten hinter J. Vingegaard.

Reaktionen im Ziel

„Speziell die ersten 60km, bis die Ausreißergruppe weg war, hatten wir ein richtig hartes Rennen. Die Jungs haben wieder super Arbeit geleistet, Emanuel Buchmann war bis zum letzten Kilometer bei mir – vielen Dank an dieser Stelle. Insgesamt ein guter Tag für uns, ich freue mich auf die nächsten zwei Etappen.“ Jai Hindley

„Ein richtig schwerer Tag heute! Für uns läuft alles nach Plan, mit Jai Hindley auf Rang fünf sind wir sehr zufrieden und haben eine perfekte Ausgangslage für die letzten beiden Etappen. Leichter wird es nicht mehr hier bei der Dauphiné!“ Bernhard Eisel, Sportlicher Leiter

Zimmermann punches like a heavy weight


Plomi Foto

Georg Zimmermann (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty) took his 2nd professional victory, the first in the World Tour, in Crest-Voland, the arrival of stage 6 of the Critérium du Dauphiné. The young German was strong and smart enough to be part of a 14-man breakaway that only developed after more than 60 kilometres of battle. He then mastered a finale he already knew from the Tour de l’Avenir (he was 18th there in 2018) to get the best of Mathieu Burgaudeau (Total Energies) and Jonathan Castroviejo (Ineos Grenadiers). Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) attacked again but his GC rivals answered this move. The final week-end will offer them much more elevation to open differences in the mountains.

The road rises, the stakes are raised, and the attackers are very much inspired from the start in Nantua (where Julian Alaphilippe won a stage of the Tour de l’Ain in 2014). The riders cover 49.5km in the first hour… And it’s not enough to make the break! The battle keeps going after the cat-2 ascent of the Côte de Clermont-en-Genevois (summit at km 52.8) but Jumbo-Visma control the different attempts until they see a group they deem not too dangerous for Jonas Vingegaard’s yellow and blue jersey.
Six riders eventually get away at km 56. They’re joined by eight more attackers at km 60 to make the break of the day: Nans Peters (AG2R Citroën), Jonathan Castroviejo (Ineos Grenadiers), Andrea Bagioli, Dries Devenyns (Soudal Quick-Step), Andrey Amador (EF Education-EasyPost), Georg Zimmermann (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty), Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar), Matteo Trentin (UAE Team Emirates), Axel Zinglé (Cofidis), Lawson Craddock (Jayco AlUla), Mathieu Burgaudeau, Matteo Vercher, Alexis Vuillermoz (Total Energies), Simon Guglielmi (Arkéa Samsic).

The race explodes up the Col des Aravis
Meanwhile, the pace condemns a handful of weakened riders: Donavan Grondin (Arkéa Samsic), Natnael Tesfatsion (Trek Segafredo), Rudy Porter (Jayco AlUla) and Manuele Boaro (Astana Qazaqstan) withdraw from the race.
Jumbo-Visma control the gap, until it reaches a maximum of 3’15’’ at km 82. Then Uno X drive the chase, with the occasional support of Team DSM and Trek Segafredo. The gap is down to 1’50’’ as the race enters the final 30 kilometres.
The breakaway explodes on the slopes of the cat-2 ascent of Col des Aravis (7.8km at 5.7%, summit 18.3km away from the finish). At the summit, Jonathan Castroviejo, Mathieu Burgaudeau and Georg Zimmermann are 35’’ ahead of Matteo Trentin, Nans Peters, Simon Guglielmi and Andrea Bagioli. The peloton trail by 1’25’’.

Zimmermann punches to victory
The road rises again for the last 7km, with the climb of the Côte de Notre-Dame-de-Bellecombe (3.2km at 6.1%), immediately followed by the final ascent to Crest-Voland (2.3km at 6.6%). The chasers trail by 25’’ and the peloton by 1’40’’.
These differences are big enough for the three leaders to battle it out. Zimmermann attacks with 2km to go. It seems like his rivals can’t react… But Burgaudeau bridges the gap 500 metres away from the line. The Frenchman opens the sprint but the German clinches victory. Behind them, Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) tests his GC rivals into the last kilometre but he doesn’t manage to open differences.

Criterium du Dauphine Libere 5. Etappe

Cormoranche-sur-Saône – Salins-les-Bains – 191 Km

1 VINGEGAARD Jonas DEN Jumbo-Visma 04:03:42
2 ALAPHILIPPE Julian FRA Soudal Quick-Step 00:31
3 JOHANNESSEN Tobias Halland NOR Uno-X Pro Cycling Team 00:31
4 CHAMPOUSSIN Clément FRA Team Arkéa-Samsic 00:31
5 POOLE Max GBR Team DSM 00:31
6 HINDLEY Jai AUS BORA-hansgrohe 00:31
7 MAS Enric ESP Movistar Team 00:31
8 YATES Adam GBR UAE Team Emirates 00:31
9 MARTINEZ Lenny FRA Groupama-FDJ 00:31
10 CHAVES Esteban COL EF Education-EasyPost 00:31
11 BERNAL Egan COL INEOS Grenadiers 00:31
12 HAIG Jack AUS Bahrain Victorious 00:31
13 MEINTJES Louis RSA Intermarché-Circus-Wanty 00:31
14 CICCONE Giulio ITA Trek-Segafredo 00:31
15 MARTIN Guillaume FRA Cofidis 00:31
16 MAJKA Rafal POL UAE Team Emirates 00:31
17 LOPEZ Juan Pedro ESP Trek-Segafredo 00:31
18 LANDA Mikel ESP Bahrain Victorious 00:31
19 BENOOT Tiesj BEL Jumbo-Visma 00:31
20 GROSSSCHARTNE Felix AUT UAE Team Emirates 00:45

Gesamt:

1 VINGEGAARD Jonas DEN Jumbo-Visma 17:03:03
2 O’CONNOR Ben AUS AG2R Citroën Team 01:10
3 ALAPHILIPPE Julian FRA Soudal Quick-Step 01:23
4 YATES Adam GBR UAE Team Emirates 01:26
5 GROSSSCHARTNER Felix AUT UAE Team Emirates 01:27
6 HINDLEY Jai AUS BORA-hansgrohe 01:37
7 HAIG Jack AUS Bahrain Victorious 01:44
8 MARTINEZ Daniel COL INEOS Grenadiers 02:07
9 BJERG Mikkel DEN UAE Team Emirates 02:21
10 MARTIN Guillaume FRA Cofidis 02:54
11 WRIGHT Fred GBR Bahrain Victorious 02:55
12 JOHANNESSEN Tobias Halland NOR Uno-X Pro Cycling Team 02:57
13 MEINTJES Louis RSA Intermarché-Circus-Wanty 02:59
14 RODRIGUEZ Carlos ESP INEOS Grenadiers 03:00
15 CHAVES Esteban COL EF Education-EasyPost 03:01
16 TRÆEN Torstein NOR Uno-X Pro Cycling Team 03:01
17 QUINN Sean USA EF Education-EasyPost 03:05
18 MAJKA Rafal POL UAE Team Emirates 03:06
19 BERNAL Egan COL INEOS Grenadiers 03:06
20 CHAMPOUSSIN Clément FRA Team Arkéa-Samsic 03:11

Jai Hindley im schweren Finale der fünften Etappe auf Platz 6, Nils Politt mit starkem Auftritt in der Fluchtgruppe

Der fünfte Tagesabschnitt des Critérium du Dauphiné führte über 191km von Cormoranche-sur-Saôone nach Salins-les-Bains. Auf einen flachen, ersten Teil der Etappe folgte ein anspruchsvoller Abschnitt mit drei Bergwertungen der zweiten und dritten Kategorie. Nils Politt war Teil einer starken, sechsköpfigen Ausreißergruppe, die nach einer 170km langen Flucht 17km vor dem Ziel vom Feld gestellt wurde. Im Finale konnte sich J. Vingegaard am letzten Anstieg absetzen und die Etappe als Solist gewinnen. Jai Hindley überquerte als Sechster, 31s hinter Vingegaard, mit der ersten Verfolgergruppe die Ziellinie. Im Gesamtklassement liegt Hindley vor den letzten drei Etappen jetzt auf Rang sechs.

Reaktionen im Ziel

„Das Finale und die Anfahrt zum Ziel waren richtig schwer, deshalb hatte ich für heute schon etwas Bewegung in der Gesamtwertung erwartet. Es war super, Nils Politt in der Ausreißerguppe des Tages zu haben. Ich möchte mich auch bei meinen Teamkollegen für die super Unterstützung bedanken! Vingegaard war am letzten Anstieg in einer anderen Liga, dahinter haben wir um die Plätze gekämpft. Ich bin zufrieden heute – bis zur Tour sind es ja noch ein paar Wochen.“ Jai Hindley

„Es war unser Plan, Nils Politt heute in der Ausreißergruppe zu haben. Natürlich hätten wir auch gehofft, dass die Gruppe es bis zur Ziellinie schafft. Nils hat ein super Rennen gezeigt heute – Chapeau! Ein Tag der fast maßgeschneidert schien für eine Ausreißergruppe wurde am Ende zu einer Etappe fürs Gesamtklassement; so ist moderner Radsport. Jai ist jetzt starker Sechster in der Gesamtwertung, damit sind wir aktuell sehr zufrieden und freuen uns auf die nächsten Etappen.“ Bernhard Eisel, Sportlicher Leiter

Vingegaard masters Thésy

Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) showed his class on day 5 of the Critérium du Dauphiné 2023 as he soloed away from the GC group to take the stage win and the yellow and blue jersey as the overall leader of the race. After an attack by Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) on the slopes of the Côte de Thésy, the Danish winner of the Tour de France 2022 dropped everyone with 16 kilometres to go. Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal Quick-Step) finished 2nd in Salins-les-Bains, 31’’ behind Vingegaard. The Frenchman is also 2nd of the GC, 1’23’’ behind the winner of the day. Mikkel Bjerg (UAE Team Emirates) crashed at the bottom of the Côte de Thésy.

After the individual time trial and ahead of a mountainous week-end, attackers are inspired from the start in Cormoranche-sur-Saône. Nils Politt (Bora-Hansgrohe) is very active and his efforts launch the break of the day at km 5, with Georg Zimmermann (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty), Jonas Gregaard (Uno-X), Edvald Boasson Hagen (Total Energies) and Leon Heinschke (Team DSM) alongside him. Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Dstny) quickly bridges the gap to make it six men at the front while the other counter-attackers are reeled in by the bunch.
The leaders fly towards the main challenges of the day. They cover 50.8 kilometres in the first hour, and 46.2 kilometres in the second hour, despite hitting the first ascent of the day (the cat-3 Côte de Château-Chalon, summited at km 97.7).

Relentless pace
Their efforts give them a maximum lead of 4’15’’ at km 78. Soudal Quick-Step and Bahrain Victorious participate in the chase alongside Mikkel Berg’s UAE Team Emirates). The pace is too high for Maxim Van Gils, who has to abandon due to illness according to his team Lotto Dstny.
The peloton seriously up the ante, but so do the attackers. They cross the finish line for the first time and take on a 48.7 km loop around Salins-les-Bains, with the climbs of Côte d’Ivory (cat-3, 36.7km to go after the summit) and Côte de Thésy (cat-2, 14.4km to go). The gap is still up to 3’05’’.

Carapaz and Alaphilippe try…
The many ups and downs wear the peloton, but EF Education-EasyPost take the reins to bring the gap down to 1’ for the last 30 kilometres. The gap is down to 20’’ at the bottom of the Côte de Thésy (3.6km at 8.8%). Mikkel Bjerg (UAE Team Emirates) hits the deck. He quickly gets back up on his bike but can’t make his way back to the front.
Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) attacks 3 kilometres away from the summit. Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal Quick-Step) tries to follow but only Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) can match the Ecuadorian’s pace… And the Danish rider even drops his rival 1.5km away from the summit, with 16km to go.

Vingegaard takes it all
Atop the Côte de Thésy, Vingegaard is 35’’ ahead of the GC group, not featuring Carapaz, David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) or Dani Martinez (Ineos Grenadiers), who were all dropped on the ascent.
Vingegaard keeps up with his effort all the way to the finish. Julian Alaphilippe is the fastest from the GC group to take the 2nd place of the day and of the overall standings, ahead of the final three mountainous challenges

Criterium du Dauphine Libere 4. Etappe

Cours – Belmont-de-la-Loire – ITT – 31 Km

1 BJERG Mikkel DEN UAE Team Emirates 00:37:28
2 VINGEGAARD Jonas DEN Jumbo-Visma 00:12
3 CAVAGNA Remi FRA Soudal Quick-Step 00:27
4 WRIGHT Fred GBR Bahrain Victorious 00:34
5 O’CONNOR Ben AUS AG2R Citroën Team 00:41
6 GROSSSCHARTNE Felix AUT UAE Team Emirates 00:44
7 HERREGODTS Rune BEL Intermarché-Circus-Wanty 00:54
8 YATES Adam GBR UAE Team Emirates 00:57
9 OLIVEIRA Nelson POR Movistar Team 01:02
10 CASTROVIEJO Jonathan ESP INEOS Grenadiers 01:05
11 MARTINEZ Daniel COL INEOS Grenadiers 01:07

12 DURBRIDGE Luke AUS Team Jayco-AlUla 01:08
13 HINDLEY Jai AUS BORA-hansgrohe 01:08
14 ALAPHILIPPE Julian FRA Soudal Quick-Step 01:12
15 HAIG Jack AUS Bahrain Victorious 01:15
16 CRADDOCK Lawson USA Team Jayco-AlUla 01:15
17 SHAW James GBR EF Education-EasyPost 01:33
18 JORGENSON Matteo USA Movistar Team 01:37
19 DE LA CRUZ David ESP Astana Qazaqstan Team 01:42
20 QUINN Sean USA EF Education-EasyPost 01:44
21 LAPORTE Christophe FRA Jumbo-Visma 01:50
22 POLITT Nils GER BORA-hansgrohe 01:53

Gesamt:

1 BJERG Mikkel DEN UAE Team Emirates 12:59:19
2 VINGEGAARD Jonas DEN Jumbo-Visma 00:12
3 WRIGHT Fred GBR Bahrain Victorious 00:34
4 O’CONNOR Ben AUS AG2R Citroën Team 00:41
5 GROSSSCHARTNER Felix AUT UAE Team Emirates 00:44
6 HERREGODTS Rune BEL Intermarché-Circus-Wanty 00:50
7 YATES Adam GBR UAE Team Emirates 00:57
8 ALAPHILIPPE Julian FRA Soudal Quick-Step 01:00
9 MARTINEZ Daniel COL INEOS Grenadiers 01:07
10 HINDLEY Jai AUS BORA-hansgrohe 01:08

11 HAIG Jack AUS Bahrain Victorious 01:15
12 LAPORTE Christophe FRA Jumbo-Visma 01:27
13 JORGENSON Matteo USA Movistar Team 01:37
14 QUINN Sean USA EF Education-EasyPost 01:44
15 RODRIGUEZ Carlos ESP INEOS Grenadiers 02:00

Jai Hindley rückt mit starkem Zeitfahren auf Platz 10 der Gesamtwertung vor

Die vierte Etappe des Critérium du Dauphiné wurde als 31,1km lange Zeitfahrprüfung ausgetragen. Auf dem anspruchsvollen Kurs zwischen Cours und Belmont-de-la-Loire holte sich M. Bjerg den Tagessieg. BORA – hansgrohe Kapitän Jai Hindley landete mit 1:08min. Rückstand auf Rang 13. Vor den entscheidenden Etappen in den Alpen liegt Hindley jetzt auf Rang zehn der Gesamtwertung.

Reaktionen im Ziel

„Ich bin schon länger kein 30km Zeitfahren mehr gefahren, dementsprechend hart war es heute für mich. Ich bin zufrieden mit meiner Leistung und der Renneinteilung, aber auch mit dem Bike Set-up und der Arbeit des ganzen Teams. Im Höhentrainingslager in Tignes haben wir viel auf dem Zeitfahrrad gearbeitet, scheint sich bezahlt gemacht zu haben. Ich freue mich jetzt auf die kommenden Etappen und die Berge!“ Jai Hindley

Bjerg’s successful flight

Mikkel Bjerg (UAE Team Emirates) had a stunning and visibly emotional performance in stage 4 of the Critérium du Dauphiné 2023, an individual time trial that saw him get the best of Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma). The Danish winner of the Tour de France 2022 had the best start but his younger compatriot was stronger and stronger as the kilometres went by, until he set the best time at the finish: 37’28’’ to cover 31.1km (49.8km/h), 12’’ ahead of Vingegaard and 27’’ ahead of Rémi Cavagna (Soudal Quick-Step). Christophe Laporte (Jumbo-Visma) finished 21st (+1’50’’) and lost his leader’s jersey to Bjerg, who claims at 24 years old his first professional victory, in line with his three titles as the U23 ITT world champion.

The sun is out to accompany the 140 riders gearing up to take on one of the most important challenges of the Critérium du Dauphiné 2023: a 31.1 km time trial with 445 metres of elevation from Cours to Belmont-de-la-Loire.
Donavan Grondin (Arkéa Samsic) is the first rider to start, at 13:41. He’s also the first rider at the finish, but Dylan van Baarle (Jumbo-Visma) immediately sets a better time (41’13’’). And he’s quickly beaten by Ryan Mullen (Bora-Hansgrohe) as well, with a time of 39’23’’.
As the experts up the ante, the times go down: 38’33’’ for Jonathan Castroviejo (Ineos Grenadiers), 38’30’’ for Nelson Oliveira (Movistar)… And 37’55’’ for Rémi Cavagna (Soudal Quicl-Step). Can he make it four French victories in four stages? His impressive reference stands for a long time. But not until the end.

Vingegaard starts strong, Bjerg finishes stronger
A three-time U23 ITT world champion, Mikel Bjerg (UAE Team Emirates) takes a good start and increases the pace in the second part of the race, so much that he puts 27’’ behind him and Cavagna, who was 9’’ ahead of him after 10.7km. With an average speed of 49.8km/h, he sets a reference of 37’28’’.
Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) is the fastest at the first intermediate point, 20’’ ahead of Bjerg. But The Danish winner of the Tour de France 2022 eventually takes the 2nd best time, 12’’ behind Bjerg.

Laporte’s run in yellow and blue comes to an end
After that, nobody comes close to Bjerg but Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious) takes the 4th best time (+34’’). Ben O’Connor (AG2R Citroën) is the best among Vingegaard’s rivals for the GC battle, dropping 29’’ on the Danish rider. Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates) follows closely, with a gap of 45’’ to Vingegaard.
As for Christophe Laporte (Jumbo-Visma), he takes the 21st best time, 1’50’’ behind the winner fo the day. Mikkel Bjerg doesn’t only take the stage win, but also the yellow and blue jersey!

Criterium du Dauphine Libere 3. Etappe

Monistrol-sur-Loire – Le Coteau – 194 Km

1 LAPORTE Christophe FRA Jumbo-Visma 04:43:28
2 BENNETT Sam IRL BORA-hansgrohe 00:00
Relegiert auf Rang 33 wegen Verlassens der Fahrlinie im Sprint
3 GROENEWEGEN Dylan NED Team Jayco-AlUla 00:00
4 TRENTIN Matteo ITA UAE Team Emirates 00:00
5 MENTEN Milan BEL Lotto Dstny 00:00
6 HOFSTETTER Hugo FRA Team Arkéa-Samsic 00:00
7 GOVEKAR Matevz SLO Bahrain Victorious 00:00
8 BAYER Tobias AUT Alpecin-Deceuninck 00:00
9 ZINGLE Axel FRA Cofidis 00:00
10 MIHKELS Madis EST Intermarché-Circus-Wanty 00:00
11 BUGGE Martin Urianstad NOR Uno-X Pro Cycling Team 00:00
12 VAN POPPEL Danny NED BORA-hansgrohe 00:00
13 ABERASTURI Jon ESP Trek-Segafredo 00:00
14 TAMINIAUX Lionel BEL Alpecin-Deceuninck 00:00
15 VAN GILS Maxim BEL Lotto Dstny 00:00
16 OLIVEIRA Ivo POR UAE Team Emirates 00:00
17 VERNON Ethan GBR Soudal Quick-Step 00:00
18 HEINSCHKE Leon GER Team DSM 00:00
19 VERCHER Mattéo FRA TotalEnergies 00:00
20 BRENNER Marco GER Team DSM 00:00

Bennett and Groenewegen are relegated, here’s the new top 5

1. Christophe Laporte (Jumbo-Visma)
2. Matteo Trentin (UAE Team Emirates)
3. Milan Menten (Lotto Dstny)
4. Hugo Hofstetter (Arkéa Samsic)
5. Matevz Govekar (Bahrain Victorious)

Gesamt:

1 LAPORTE Christophe FRA Jumbo-Visma 12:21:28
2 ALAPHILIPPE Julian FRA Soudal Quick-Step 00:11
3 CARAPAZ Richard ECU EF Education-EasyPost 00:17
4 HERREGODTS Rune BEL Intermarché-Circus-Wanty 00:19
5 VAN GILS Maxim BEL Lotto Dstny 00:23
6 WRIGHT Fred GBR Bahrain Victorious 00:23
7 BRENNER Marco GER Team DSM 00:23
8 BOASSON-HAGEN Edvald NOR TotalEnergies 00:23
9 JOHANNESSEN Tobias Halland NOR Uno-X Pro Cycling Team 00:23
10 ZINGLE Axel FRA Cofidis 00:23
11 GROSSSCHARTNE Felix AUT UAE Team Emirates 00:23
12 BERNAL Egan COL INEOS Grenadiers 00:23
13 CHAMPOUSSIN Clément FRA Team Arkéa-Samsic 00:23
14 MARTIN Guillaume FRA Cofidis 00:23
15 RODRIGUEZ Carlos ESP INEOS Grenadiers 00:23
16 VINGEGAARD Jonas DEN Jumbo-Visma 00:23
17 STANNARD Robert AUS Alpecin-Deceuninck 00:23
18 O’CONNOR Ben AUS AG2R Citroën Team 00:23
19 CHAVES Esteban COL EF Education-EasyPost 00:23
20 YATES Adam GBR UAE Team Emirates 00:23

Danny van Poppel Zehnter im Sprint der dritten Etappe des Critérium du Dauphiné, Sam Bennett relegiert

Die dritte Etappe des Critérium du Dauphiné war mit 194km der längste Tagesabschnitt der Rundfahrt. Dank überschaubar topografischer Schwierigkeit bot die Etappe eine der wenigen Möglichkeiten für die Sprinter. Für Chaos sorgte 47km vor dem Ziel ein Massensturz im Feld, der aber glücklicherweise für alle BORA – hansgrohe Profis glimpflich verlief.
Im technisch anspruchsvollen Finale leistete BORA – hansgrohe perfekte Vorarbeit für Sam Bennett, der sich nur C. Laporte geschlagen geben musste. Bennett wurde nach dem Rennen von der Jury auf den letzten Platz seiner Gruppe relegiert, weil er im Sprint seine Linie verlassen hatte.

Reaktionen im Ziel
„Wir sind froh, heute trotz mehrerer Stürze und etwas Chaos im Feld, alle Fahrer sicher über die Ziellinie gebracht zu haben. Patrick Gamper kam zwar zu Boden, konnte das Rennen aber mit leichten Blessuren beenden. Die Jungs sind ein super Rennen gefahren, haben Jai Hindley eskortiert und für Sam Bennett den Sprint perfekt vorbereitet. Nach dem Rennen wurde Sam Bennett relegiert, weil er seine Linie verlassen hatte. Klar ist die Relegation von Sam schade, aber wir akzeptieren natürlich die Entscheidung der Jury.“ Bernhard Eisel, Sportlicher Leiter

Laporte keeps the French party going

Make it two stage wins for Christophe Laporte (Jumbo-Visma) in the Critérium du Dauphiné 2023, and three for the French stars! With his yellow and blue jersey on his shoulders, the leader of overall standings dominated the sprint of Le Coteau on Tuesday, after Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal Quick-Step) won stage 2 on the day before. This is the first time since 1960 that French riders win the first three stages of the Critérium du Dauphiné. In the final run-in to the line, Laporte got the best of the pure sprinters Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco AlUla). But the two of them were relegated after the stage. Laporte also strengthens his overall lead on the eve of a 31.1km time trial from Cours to Belmont-de-la-Loire.

The 141-man peloton start from Monistrol-sur-Loire at noon. And two riders immediately get on the move: Mathieu Burgaudeau (Total Energies) sets off, Lorenzo Milesi (Team DSM) follows him. They quickly open a gap of 1’55’’ but the Italian youngster doesn’t keep up with his effort after 15km. Burgaudeau is alone at the front. And his lead reaches a maximum of 6’05’’ at km 30.
Dylan Groenewegen’s Jayco AlUla and Sam Bennett’s Bora-Hansgrohe are the first teams to move to the front of the bunch to control the stage. Attacks fly again on the first ascent of the day, the cat-2 Côte de Bellevue-la-Montagne (summit at km 40.9).
Burgaudeau goes first at the summit, and Pierre Latour (Total Energies) follows to take 3 points. But Donavan Grondin’s polka-dot jersey remains out of reach after the youngster from Arkéa Samsic claimed 7 points in the first two stages.

Alaphilippe tries to upset Laporte
With a hardened pace, the peloton only trail by 4 minutes at the summit. Some teams try to create splits in the bunch. But everybody is vigilant and the situation settles down. Burgaudeau waits for the peloton and is caught at km 69. From there, a bunched pack makes its way to the finish in Le Coteau, with a short neutralisation to go past a protest at km 91.

Soudal Quick-Step and Julian Alaphilippe try to make the most of the intermediate sprint. The Frenchman is 2nd in the overall standings, with the same time as Christophe Laporte (Jumbo-Visma)… But he also takes the second place in Sainte-Foy-Saint-Sulpice (km 139.5), behind Christophe Laporte (Jumbo-Visma), who snatches 3 bonus seconds (vs 2 for Alaphilippe).

Bennett tries, Laporte succeeds
Many riders hit the deck with a mass crash 48 kilometres away from the line. Andrey Zeits (Qazaqstan) is forced to abandon while riders such as Alaphilippe, Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar) and Matteo Trentin (UAE Team Emirates) gradually make their way back to the bunch.
The sprinters survive the final ascent of the day, the cat-4 Côte de Pinay, summited with 18.5 km to go. The sprinters survive the climb and fly to a high-speed battle in Le Coteau. Alaphilippe suffers a mechanical with 7km to go but he manages to get back 3.5km before the finish.
Bora-Hansgrohe launch the sprint for Sam Bennett but the Irish star falters in the final 50 metres. Christophe Laporte seizes this opportunity to claim his second stage win in the Critérium du Dauphiné 2023.

Criterium du Dauphine Libere 2. Etappe

Brassac-les-Mines – La Chaise-Dieu – 167 Km


Foto Plomi

1 ALAPHILIPPE Julian FRA Soudal Quick-Step 03:54:53
2 CARAPAZ Richard ECU EF Education-EasyPost 00:00
3 TESFAZION Natnael ERI Trek-Segafredo 00:00
4 LAPORTE Christophe FRA Jumbo-Visma 00:00
5 VAN GILS Maxim BEL Lotto Dstny 00:00
6 STANNARD Robert AUS Alpecin-Deceuninck 00:00
7 WRIGHT Fred GBR Bahrain Victorious 00:00
8 ONLEY Oscar GBR Team DSM 00:00
9 BRENNER Marco GER Team DSM 00:00
10 CHAMPOUSSIN Clément FRA Team Arkéa-Samsic 00:00
11 BENNETT Sam IRL BORA-hansgrohe 00:00
12 VUILLERMOZ Alexis FRA TotalEnergies 00:00
13 ABERASTURI Jon ESP Trek-Segafredo 00:00
14 O’CONNOR Ben AUS AG2R Citroën Team 00:00
15 GROSSSCHARTNE Felix AUT UAE Team Emirates 00:00
16 MAS Enric ESP Movistar Team 00:00
17 BOASSON-HAGEN Edvald NOR TotalEnergies 00:00
18 GRMAY Tsgabu ETH Team Jayco-AlUla 00:00
19 CHAVES Esteban COL EF Education-EasyPost 00:00
20 JOHANNESSEN Tobias Halland NOR Uno-X Pro Cycling Team 00:00
21 VINGEGAARD Jonas DEN Jumbo-Visma 00:00
22 BERNAL Egan COL INEOS Grenadiers 00:00
23 HARPER Chris AUS Team Jayco-AlUla 00:00
24 MARTIN Guillaume FRA Cofidis 00:00
25 OSBORNE Jason GER Alpecin-Deceuninck 00:00
26 BUCHMANN Emanuel GER BORA-hansgrohe 00:00

Gesamt:

1 LAPORTE Christophe FRA Jumbo-Visma 07:38:13
2 ALAPHILIPPE Julian FRA Soudal Quick-Step 00:00
3 CARAPAZ Richard ECU EF Education-EasyPost 00:04
4 HERREGODTS Rune BEL Intermarché-Circus-Wanty 00:06
5 VAN GILS Maxim BEL Lotto Dstny 00:10
6 STANNARD Robert AUS Alpecin-Deceuninck 00:10
7 WRIGHT Fred GBR Bahrain Victorious 00:10
8 BRENNER Marco GER Team DSM 00:10
9 CHAMPOUSSIN Clément FRA Team Arkéa-Samsic 00:10
10 BOASSON-HAGEN Edvald NOR TotalEnergies 00:10
11 JOHANNESSEN Tobias Halland NOR Uno-X Pro Cycling Team 00:10
12 MARTIN Guillaume FRA Cofidis 00:10
13 BERNAL Egan COL INEOS Grenadiers 00:10
14 VINGEGAARD Jonas DEN Jumbo-Visma 00:10
15 CICCONE Giulio ITA Trek-Segafredo 00:10
16 GROSSSCHARTNE Felix AUT UAE Team Emirates 00:10

Sam Bennett verpasst im Bergaufsprint der zweiten Etappe die Top 10 nur knapp

Am zweiten Tag des Critérium du Dauphiné stand eine 167km lange Etappe auf dem Programm. Nach dem Start in Brassac-les-Mines ging es durch hügeliges Terrain, ehe in La Chaise-Dieu eine leicht ansteigende Zielgerade auf die Fahrer wartete. Eine sechsköpfige Ausreißergruppe wurde vom Peloton kontrolliert, die letzten Ausreißer konnten auf den finalen drei Kilometern gestellt werden. Im Massensprint sicherte sich J. Alaphilippe den Tagessieg, Sam Bennett verpasste knapp die Top 10 und landete auf Rang 11.

Reaktionen im Ziel
„Ich habe mich zu Beginn der Etappe nicht super gut gefühlt, das wurde dann aber zum Finale hin wesentlich besser. Es war einer dieser Tage, an denen die Beine im Verlauf der Etappe zu drehen beginnen. Auf den letzten 200m war ich in guter Position, habe dann aber vielleicht etwas zu lange gewartet. Im Vergleich zu gestern war ich heute aber immerhin im Finale dabei!“ Sam Bennett

Alaphilippe, the great rebound

Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal Quick-Step) took a significant stage win on day 2 of the Critérium du Dauphiné, outsprinting a reduced bunch in La Chaise-Dieu. „I’m tired of speaking of bad luck“, the French star said ahead of the Critérium du Dauphiné. And indeed, he sent a very different message with his legs as he edged the Olympic Champion Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) to take his second victory of the year and the first in the UCI WorldTour since a stage of the Itzulia Basque Country in 2022. Natnael Tesfatsion (Trek Segafredo) rounds out of the podium of the day, just ahead of Christophe Laporte (Jumbo-Visma), who retains the yellow and blue jersey ahead of stage 3, leading to Le Coteau. This is the third stage win for Julian Alaphilippe in the Critérium du Dauphiné, after previous successes in 2018 and 2019. Each of them was followed by stellar performances in the Tour de France.

After the showers from day 1, the sun accompanies the 144 riders at the start of stage 2, in Brassac-les-Mines. The first kilometres are nonetheless eventful, with many attacks and a significant crash at km 8. Three riders are forced to withdraw: Steven Kruijswijk (Jumbo-Visma), Staff Cras (Total Energies) and Romain Combaud (Team DSM).
The first baroudeurs to open differences set off at km 6.5: Andrea Piccolo (EF Education-EasyPost), Jonas Gregaard (Uno-X), Victor Campeanaerts (Lotto Soudal) and Donavan Grondin (Arkéa Samsic).
Attacks keep flying and three more riders make it a 7-man breakaway: Nans Peters (AG2R Citroën) bridges the gap at km 21, Pierre Latour (Total Energies) and Kenny Elissonde (Trek Segafredo) do it at km 23.

Grondin’s delight
After an intense battle, the peloton let the attackers go. But Jumbo-Visma quickly control the gap at under 2 minutes.
With the polka-dot jersey on his shoulders after his previous breakaway in stage 1, Donavan Grondin makes the most of the cat-3 ascents of the Col de Toutée (summit at km 46.7) and Col des Fourches (km 53.8) to consolidate his lead in the KOM standings
The attackers head to the final circuit with the peloton coming hot on their heels. Grondin lets his companions go 5 kilometres before they cross the line for the first time and take on a 35.1km circuit featuring the cat-4 climb of Côte des Guêtes (1km at 8%, to be summited 9.7km away from the finish).

Grondin’s struggle
Into the last 50km, Soudal Quick-Step and Jumbo-Visma control the gap between 35 and 55’’. The intensity is too high for Grondin, who needs to stop on the side of the road as he visibly suffers from his left thigh. The Frenchman gets back on his bike to try and complete the stage, with another polka-dot jersey to claim on the podium.
Latour goes first atop the first ascent of the Côte des Guêtes but his legs abandon him a few kilometres later and he drops back to the bunch with 39km to go. Peters, Piccolo, Elissonde, Gregaard, Victor Campeanaerts are 35’’ ahead of the bunch as they enter the final lap. Grondin trails by 9’30’’.

Another thrilling finale
The peloton up the ante in the final lap and the gap is down to 15’’ when Campenaerts attacks, with 28 km to go. Only Elissonde follows him. And the two of them manage to bring their lead back up to 30’’ ahead of the final ascent of the Côte des Guêtes. But they’re caught halfway through the climb.
Tobias Bayer (Alpecin Deceuninck) immediately counter-attacks and opens a gap of 13’’ at the summit, with 10km to go. He is caught after 6km at the front. Harrison Sweeny (Lotto Dstny) also attacks but Andrea Bagioli (Soudal Quick-Step) reels him in. And Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) himself pulls in the last kilometre, like he did on the day before.
But this time, Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) opens up the sprint. Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal Quick-Step) follows him and pounces to victory. Christophe Laporte (Jumbo-Visma) retains the yellow and blue jersey but settles for the fourth position on the day, behind Natnael Tesfatsion (Trek-Segafredo).
As the winners of the day collected their prizes, Grondin finished the stage 22’48“ after the leaders, just inside the time-cut of 23’30“.

Criterium du Dauphine Libere 1. Etappe

1. Christophe Laporte (FRA, Jumbo-Visma) 3:43:30
2. Matteo Trentin (ITA, UAE Team Emirates) 0:00
3. Rune Herregodts (BEL, Intermarché – Circus – Wanty) 0:00
4. Axel Zingle (FRA, Cofidis) 0:00
5. Maxim Van Gils (BEL, Lotto Dstny) 0:00
6. Danny Van Poppel (NED, BORA – hansgrohe) 0:00
7. Andrea Bagioli (ITA, Soudal – Quick Step) 0:00
8. Fred Wright (GBR, Bahrain – Victorious) 0:00
9. Robert Stannard (AUS, Alpecin-Deceuninck) 0:00
10. Marco Brenner (GER, Team DSM) 0:00
11. Tobias Bayer (AUT, Alpecin-Deceuninck) 0:00
12. Markus Hoelgaard (NOR, Trek – Segafredo) 0:00
13. Giulio Ciccone (ITA, Trek – Segafredo) 0:00
14. Richard Carapaz (ECU, EF Education-EasyPost) 0:00
15. Guillaume Martin (FRA, Cofidis) 0:00

Danny van Poppel zum Auftakt des Critérium du Dauphiné auf Platz 6

Die Auftaktetappe des achttägigen Critérium du Dauphiné (2.UWT) in Frankreich fand auf einem anspruchsvollen, 158km langen Rundkurs in Chambon-sur-Lac statt. Das Rennen war geprägt von immer wieder einsetzendem Gewitterregen und dementsprechend schwierigen Verhältnissen. Der letzte Fahrer einer fünfköpfige Ausreißergruppe wurde erst auf der Ziellinie vom deutlich reduzierten Feld gestellt. Während sich Danny van Poppel im Sprint Rang sechs sicherte, überquerte Jai Hindley ex aequo mit dem Tagessieger C. Laporte und ohne Zeitverlust in der Gesamtwertung die Ziellinie.

Reaktionen im Ziel

„Die Etappe war schwer einzuschätzen, von Sprint bis Ausreißersieg war alles möglich. Am Ende war es ein schweres Rennen mit harten Positionskämpfen auf dem letzten Kilometer. Vielleicht bin ich etwas zu früh gegangen, andererseits wäre ich sonst im Finale blockiert gewesen. Ich freue mich, meine erste Dauphiné in zehn Jahren mit einer Top 10 Platzierung zu beginnen.“ Danny van Poppel

„Wie erwartet ein harter Tag, der durch den Regen noch schwerer geworden ist. Dass es kein klassischer Massensprint werden würde, hatten wir bereits vermutet. Trotzdem hätten wir auf eine Zielankunft mit Sam Bennett spekuliert. Am Ende haben aber nur noch Jumbo-Visma und wir auf einen Sprint hingearbeitet, dementsprechend schnell und schwer zu kontrollieren hat sich das Rennen entwickelt. Insgesamt sind die Jungs heute stark gefahren. Mit dem sechsten Platz von Danny van Poppel sind wir sehr zufrieden und auch mit Blick auf die Gesamtwertung hatten wir einen soliden Start in die Rundfahrt.“ Bernhard Eisel, Sportlicher Leiter

Laporte strikes with the perfect timing

Christophe Laporte (Jumbo-Visma) is the first leader of the 75th Critérium du Dauphiné after a thrilling ending of stage 1, this Sunday in Chambon-sur-Lac. The winner of the Tour de France Jonas Vingegaard himself had to pull a reduced bunch to reel in Rune Herregodts (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty), who attacked at the beginning of the day and was only caught inside the last 20 metres. The young Belgian baroudeur even finished 3rd on the day… But he couldn’t resist Laporte, who powered to his third victory in 2023, in only nine days of racing. He now wants to honour the jersey on day 2, another leg sapping stage from Brassac-les-Mines to La Chaise-Dieu.

The 147-man peloton set off from the shores of Chambon-sur-Lac early in the afternoon. The demanding course inspires attackers and it takes 12 kilometres of battle to shape the breakaway of the day. Rune Herregodts (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty) and Fabio Van den Bossche (Alpecin Deceuninck) are the first riders to get away. They are quickly joined by Donavan Grondin (Arkéa Samsic), and then Dorian Godon (AG2R Citroën) and Brent Van Moer (Lotto Dstny).

The Belgian attacker participates in the Critérium du Dauphiné for the third time, and it’s also the third time he makes the break on day 1. In 2020, he crashed out of the race while riding at the front, but in 2021, he was the first leader of the Critérium du Dauphiné… The peloton may be wary of him and his strong companions: Jumbo-Visma and Bora-Hansgrohe quickly start pulling to control the gap.

Hayter abandons
On roads that will be visited by the Tour de France and the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift next month, Donavan Grondin (Arkéa Samsic) chases the first KOM points, up the cat-4 ascents of Côte du Mont-Dore (km 33.8) and Côte de La Stèle (km 41.6). Meanwhile, the bunch control the gap at around 2 minutes.
Rains shower the riders as they reach Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise, 75km into the stage. On wet and slippery roads, several riders hit the deck, including Ethan Hayter (Ineos Grenadiers) one of the favourites for the stage. As he chases his way back to the bunch, the British rising star goes down again and is forced to abandon as the race enters the final circuit, with a loop of 23.1km to cover three times.

Temperature rises despite the rain
As they cross the line for the first time, the gap is up to 2’45’’. It even reaches 3’ on the first ascent of the cat-4 Côte du Rocher de l’Aigle (1km at 7.3%, summit 11.1km away from the line). Donavan Grondin (Arkéa Samsic) goes first over the top and all but secures the polka dot jersey.
The intensity increases on the closing circuit. Grondin is dropped from the breakaway with 44km to go, and Van den Bossche suffers the same fate a kilometre later. Meanwhile, Jumbo-Visma and Soudal Quick-Step set a strong pace and many riders are dropped, including sprinters such as Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco AlUla).

Heartbreak for Herregodts
Into the final lap, Van Moer is also dropped from the lead group with 18km to go. Godon and Herregodts still push together but the peloton is only 20 seconds behind.
The Belgian drops Godon on the final ascent of the Côte du Rocher de l’Aigle. The peloton only trail by 8’’… But Herregodts pushes his lead to 15’’ on the downhill towards Chambon-sur-Lac!
All of Jumbo-Visma teammates are spent and Jonas Vingegaard has to pull the bunch under the last kilometre banner. Herregodts pushes. But it’s heartbreak for the Belgian youngster as Christophe Laporte (Jumbo-Visma) flies past him inside the last 20 metres to take the stage ahead of Matteo Trentin (UAE Team Emirates) and the attacking hero of the day.

CRITÉRIUM DU DAUPHINÉ 2023 VINGEGAARD… LIKE A BOSS?

Key points:
 Even without the super-domestiques who flanked him last summer, the winner of the 2022 Tour de France, Jonas Vingegaard, is the man to beat in the 75th edition of the Critérium du Dauphiné.
 The Jumbo–Visma leader will face tough competition from dogged challengers such as David Gaudu, who finished ahead of him in Paris–Nice, as well as Mikel Landa, Enric Mas, Adam Yates, Egan Bernal and Richard Carapaz.
 Julian Alaphilippe, whose return to the highest level is eagerly awaited by the French fans after a string of crashes and physical woes that have dented his form, could also turn a corner in the Dauphiné.

The Critérium du Dauphiné, a week-long showdown for all-rounders, is a litmus test that gauges the potential of the favourites to shine in July. Will the pedal strokes between Chambon-sur-Lac, near Clermont-Ferrand, and the Bastille in Grenoble make sparks fly and bathe the air in bright yellow? It is up to Jonas Vingegaard, the reigning champion of the Tour de France, to figure it out. Last year, he laid the foundation for his triumph in Paris by taking second in the Dauphiné in a friendly scuffle with his teammate Primož Roglič. The Dane has since risen to a new level and no longer has to share the leadership of Jumbo–Visma, which he will lead in his quest for success with the backing of Christophe Laporte, Dylan van Baarle and others. Before coming here, the hero of last summer took a barnstorming victory in the Tour of the Basque Country —a good omen ahead of the Grand Départ in Bilbao. Also on his mind will be the fact that David Gaudu finished one step higher than him on the podium of Paris–Nice, his latest appearance in France. The Breton’s track record in the Race to the Sun makes him a serious contender for the Dauphiné, but he is far from the only one. Mikel Landa’s dazzling performances in the first part of the season (runner-up in the Vuelta a Andalucía and the Tour of the Basque Country and third in the Flèche Wallonne) suggest that the 33-year-old is finally ready to grab the big win that has eluded him so far. Similarly, his 28-year-old compatriot Enric Mas could build on his second place in the last Vuelta and blossom into a champion on the roads of the Alps.

No review of the favourites would be complete without mentioning UAE Team Emirates, which is fielding Adam Yates, fresh off his triumph in the Tour de Romandie, and Marc Soler, fourth in Catalonia. Ineos Grenadiers, a regular fixture at the top of the classification, with seven wins out of the last twelve, are an unknown quantity this time round, with question marks hanging over Egan Bernal’s form and the condition of the winner of the 2020 edition, Dani Martínez. Same story for their former star Richard Carapaz, who has been stuck in the doldrums since his transfer to EF Education–EasyPost, and the Australian Jai Hindley, whose rise seems to have stalled since his 2022 Giro victory. Meanwhile, over at AG2R Citroën, Ben O’Connor is a cut below the level that saw him finish on the bottom step of the podium last year.

Besides the podium hopefuls, the start list includes riders who are expected to spice up the race, starting with Julian Alaphilippe. The two-time world champion, who has a couple of Dauphiné stage wins to his name (2018 and 2019), could strike gold in Chambon-sur-Lac (stage 1) or La Chaise-Dieu (stage 2) if he can find the legs of his halcyon days. Finally, the sprinters will get their day in the sun in Le Coteau (stage 3), where Dylan Groenewegen, Ethan Hayter, Sam Bennett and Axel Zingle will jostle for glory.

21 teams, the leading riders (as of May 24)

Australia
Jayco AlUla: Groenewegen (NED) and Craddock (USA)

Bahrain
Bahrain-Victorious: Landa (ESP) and Haig (AUS)

Belgium
Soudal Quick-Step: Alaphilippe, Cavagna (FRA) and Bagioli (ITA)
Lotto Dstny: Kron (DEN), Van Gils and Campenaerts (BEL)
Alpecin–Deceuninck: Stannard (AUS)
Intermarché–Circus–Wanty: Meintjes (RSA)

Germany
Bora–Hansgrohe: Hindley (AUS), Bennett (IRL), Buchmann and Politt (GER)

France
AG2R Citroën Team: O’Connor (AUS), Bonnamour (FRA) and Van Avermaet (BEL)
Groupama–FDJ: Gaudu, Madouas and Martinez (Fra)
Cofidis: Martin, Perez and Zingle (FRA)
Team Arkéa–Samsic: Champoussin, Delaplace, Hofstetter (Fra)
TotalEnergies: Latour, Vuillermoz (FRA) and Boasson Hagen (NOR)

Kazakhstan
Astana Qazaqstan Team: De la Cruz (ESP)

Netherlands
Jumbo–Visma: Vingegaard (DEN), Laporte (FRA) and Van Baarle (NED)
DSM: Combaud (FRA) and Poole (GBR)

Norway
Uno-X Pro Cycling Team: T. Johannessen (NOR) and Charmig (DEN)

Spain
Movistar Team: Mas (ESP) and Jorgenson (USA)

United Arab Emirates
UAE Team Emirates: Soler (ESP), Yates (GBR), Trentin (ITA) and Großschartner (AUT)

United Kingdom
Ineos Grenadiers: Bernal, Martínez (COL), Rodríguez (ESP) and Hayter (GBR)

United States
EF Education–EasyPost: Carapaz (ECU) and Chaves (COL)
Trek–Segafredo: Ciccone (ITA) and López (ESP)

@ASO