Danish Jonas Vingegaard (left) and Slovenian Tadej Pogocar.
Photo: EFE – Papon Bernard / Pool
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For the first time from the last Tour de France, the Slovenian Tadej Pogacar and the Danish Jonas Vingegaard will see the faces in the same race during the Daashiné criterium, which presents an exception poster three weeks after the 'Grande Boucl'.
The Pogacar-Vingegaard duel, the presences of Remco Evenepoel and Mathieu van der Poel or the withdrawal of the Romain Bardet premises are some of the attractions presented by this 77th edition, which starts on Sunday from Domérat, inside France, to arrive seven days later to the Alps.
“With the exception of the Tour, this is the squad of the year, the best in the world are here,” summarizes the French Bardet, 34, whose last pedalos will mark the rhythm of the week, especially during the third stage with departure in his hometown Briude.
Normally, the Critérium-Dauphiné, with its rugged stages of the beginning, the counterreloj in half and its traditional Alpine triptych to finish, serves as a general trial for the Tour de France (July 5 to 27), of which it is a kind of miniature replica.
This year that preparation role is reinforced by the presence of Pogacar and Vingegaard, winners of the last five editions of the Tour, but that do not usually cross the rest of the calendar. From the triumph of the Slovenian in the Tour 2024, his trajectories returned to take opposite directions.
In this edition of the Dauphiné there will be five Colombians in competition: the Bogota Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain-Victorus) and Esteban Chaves (EF Education-Easypost), the Antioquia Sergio Higita (Astana), the Huilense Harold Tejada (Astana) and the Boyacense Juan Guillermo Martínez (Picnic Postnl).
The best in the world
Pogacar has won almost everything, with an exciting season of Classic that concluded with a solo ride to win the Liege-Rasta-Lieja, test after which he started a pause. Vingegaard, meanwhile, has not participated in any evidence since March 13, when he left the Paris-Niza.
These last weeks, the two champions have trained in height, in the Spanish Sierra Nevada, as well as Remco Evenepoel and a good part of the runners who will participate in the Tour de France. As of Sunday, the cards on the table will put, although they will surely want to keep their wrings for the tour.
Because the Dauphiné is both an objective, especially for Pogacar, which has only played it once (4th in 2020), and a preparation career. Shortly after this test, the squad will return to height concentrations to make the last settings before the tour. Until then, the psychological war has already begun.
From the Visma Lease training, Bike is dropped that Vingegaard arrives in a form: “Yes, I think I can win (to Pogacar) and be much better than last year,” says Danish, who can count on the support of Americans Sepp Kusss and Matteo Jorgenson, second classified last edition, eight seconds from the winner Primoz Roglic.
“We are not afraid of Vingegaard or anyone else. Tadej is used to being up throughout the year and we expect the same in the Dauphiné,” says Andrej Haptman, sports director of the talented Slovenian pedalist at the UAE.
Third of the Tour de France, Evenepoel appears as the third cyclist in discord, from which a role of judge between Pogacar and Vingegard is expected. Even if the Belgian says he does not set “a precise objective”, his Soudal Quick-Step team announces that he arrives with less weight (1.5 kg) than in 2024.
The race should be decided on the final weekend. On Friday the platoon will reach the fearsome ascension of Domancy, where Vingegaard knocked out Pogacar in the Tour of 2023.
A day later the queen stage will be held, with a terrible profile that includes three special category ports: La Madelaine, the Croix-De-Fer and the final ascent towards Valmeinier 1800. and things could change even on Sunday, with the arrival of the Mont-Cenis massif.
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