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Saturday, June 8, 2024

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2023 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia

A well-adjusted person is one who makes the same mistake twice without getting nervous. - Alexander Hamilton

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Les Woodland's book Cycling's World Championships: The Inside Story is available in print, Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Current racing:

• June 2 - 9: Critérium du Dauphiné
• June 5 - 9: ZLM Tour

Upcoming racing:

• June 9 - 16: Tour de Suisse
• June 12 - 16: Baloise Belgium Tour
• June 15 - 18: La Route d'Occitanie Cancelled because security forces busy with Olympics
• June 21 - 26: Many National Championships
• July 1 - 23: Tour de France
• July 27 - August 11: Olympic cycling

Latest completed racing:

• June 7: GP Canton Aargau
• June 2: Brussels Cycling Classic
• May 29: Circuit Franco-Belge
• May 4 - 26: Giro d'Italia
• May 23 - 26: Tour of Norway
• May 26: Rund um Köln
• May 14 - 19: 4 Days of Dunkirk
• May 18: Veenendaal - Veenendaal Classic
• May 11: Tour du Finistère
• May 5: Tro-Bro Léon
• May 4: GP du Morbihan
• May 1: Rund um den Finanzplatz Eschborn-Frankfurt

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Critérium du Dauphiné stage six reports

We posted the report from the race organizer on the results page.

Here's the report from stage winner and new race leader Primoz Roglic's Team Bora-hansgrohe:

On the climb to the Collet d'Allevard, Primož Roglič completed his team-mates' work perfectly by winning stage 6. It was the first of three mountain top finishes in a row at the Critérium du Dauphiné. With his stage win, Roglič also takes the yellow jersey and goes into the challenging final weekend as the race leader.

Primoz Roglic winning the stage. Sirotti photo

Primož Roglič:
"As a team, we worked hard right from the first day. During the second stage we worked all day, but it didn't work out. Yesterday every single one of us took quite a hard hit. I'm really happy with the spirit within the team. We did it together today, and we'll see how it goes for the next days. It's just the first of three mountain stages. But everything from now on is a bonus."

BORA – hansgrohe laid the foundations for the stage win on the approach to the Collet d'Allevard. The team positioned itself perfectly with all seven riders. In the first half of the climb, the group of favourites continued to take shape. Around 20 riders went into the last 5 kilometres. Laurens de Plus attacked there - Aleks Vlasov followed, which turned out to be a key move for the finale. A short time later, Roglič split the chasing group with an increase in speed and caught up with Vlasov. Vlasov continued to accelerate with Roglič on his wheel and together with Giulio Ciccone they set off on the final 1.5 kilometres. Vlasov kept the pace so high to the 300-metre mark that all the chasers were distanced. It was there that Roglič took the lead and 100 metres later launched his sprint to celebrate a confident stage win.

Here's the report from Remco Evenepoel's Team Soudal Quick-Step:

The first of the three grueling mountain stages scheduled this week took place Friday afternoon, when the peloton returned to Collet d’Allevard after more than a decade. It was a hard and complicated day which took its toll on many riders, especially when the steep gradients of the final climb began to bite, inside the final five kilometers.

Soudal Quick-Step did a fantastic job the entire day, controlling the breakaway and protecting Remco Evenepoel. On the steepest part of the ascent, a couple of riders increased the tempo and began attacking the yellow jersey, who suffered and lost contact with his general classification opponents. Mikel Landa took over the pace-setting in the group, trying to limit the losses, before the Belgian – who in the meantime had found his rhythm – rode away with two kilometers to go.

Remco concluded the stage in eighth, 42 seconds behind winner Primoz Roglic (Bora-hansgrohe) and sits in second overall going into Saturday’s short but tough stage to Samoëns 1600, which he will start with the white jersey on his shoulders.

Remco Evenepoel traded his yellow jersey for the Best Young Rider's white jersey. Sirotti photo

“I knew before the climb that my legs were a bit heavy and that it would be difficult to stay with the best, which is a bit normal, as I’m not in top form. Mikel put in a strong effort for me, then I found my own rhythm and went alone to try to limit the loss. At the same time, two weeks ago I couldn’t have produced this kind of power, so despite conceding time today there are some really encouraging signs”, Remco said after the finish.

Here's the report from stage 6 second-place Giulio Ciccone's Team Lidl-Trek:

The first of three mountain top finishes ended with a two-up sprint to the line and Giulio Ciccone back fighting at the front of a race.

The Italian, who has already finished fourth on both Stage 2 and 3 of the Critérium du Dauphiné, proved that his comeback is well and truly on the right track as he climbed to second on Stage 6.

Giulio Ciccone finishes second. Sirotti photo

Ciccone made a call on the radio approaching the final climb to say that he was feeling good and it wasn’t long before Mads Pedersen hit the front of the bunch to start pushing the pace to help catch the remaining breakaway riders.

The bunch began to shrink quickly and the gradients rose towards the finish but Ciccone held his position at the front of the field, staying calm when the first attacks were made before launching his own.

In the end, it was just Ciccone left battling it out with the Bora-Hansgrohe duo of Primož Roglič and Alexandr Vlasov with the Slovenian able to get the better of the Lidl-Trek rider in just the final 100 meters of the stage to get the win

Giulio’s post-race reaction:
“I said I had a good feeling and then he [Mads Pedersen] did everything perfect so, I need to say a big thanks for the effort. But what else can I say? Nothing. Roglič won and I tried to do my best. My feeling was good so I can be happy. I tried to follow him [Roglič] two times and it was a really fast pace and then we found Vlasov, who was in the front, and he just continued with a hard tempo so I was already a bit on the limit when he started his sprint but, I am, overall, happy with this result.”

And here's the report from GC third-place Matteo Jorgenson's Team Visma | Lease a Bike:

Matteo Jorgenson finished fifth in the sixth stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné. On the difficult final climb of Le Collet d'Allevard, the 24-year-old American crossed the finish line seventeen seconds behind stage winner Primoz Roglic. Jorgenson remains third in the general classification.

Matteo Jorgenson finishes fifth and remains third in the GC.

After Dylan van Baarle and Steven Kruijswijk had to abandon due to their crash on the fifth stage, Team Visma | Lease a Bike had five riders left at the starting line in Hauterives. The 174-kilometre mountain stage was the first challenge in a hard final weekend of the Critérium du Dauphiné.

“It is very unfortunate what happened to Dylan and Steven, especially now that their Tour de France participation is gone”, sports director Grischa Niermann stated. "But this Dauphiné is not over for us. There are still five motivated riders here who will still give it their all. Matteo can go into the final stages in an excellent position. He already proved to have good form this week."

Six riders formed the day’s breakaway, but their attempt stranded on the final climb. The fans had to wait until the foot of Le Collet d'Allevard before the race opened up. With five kilometres to go, the GC riders attacked each other for the first time. Laurens De Plus, Aleksandr Vlasov, Giulio Ciccone and Primoz Roglic accelerated. Among others, overall leader Remco Evenepoel was dropped at the front. Meanwhile, Jorgenson chose his own pace in the chasing group behind the leaders. Roglic eventually proved the strongest in the steep final. Jorgenson finished fifth, seventeen seconds behind the former Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider.

“I felt good today”, Jorgenson responded afterwards. "At the end I reached my limit, but on a finish like that you can expect that. My goal today was to race conservatively, partly with the next tough stages in mind. So on the final climb I opted for a steady pace. I tried to follow Roglic as long as possible, but that went a bit too fast."

“I'm happy with how we showed ourselves as a team”, Jorgenson added. "Sepp Kuss did not have his best day and Bart Lemmen was involved in yesterday's crash, but still they did what they could to assist me. The conditions were not ideal, but also Tiesj Benoot and Koen Bouwman were of great value today to protect me. We will keep fighting on Saturday and Sunday.”

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