The display of power by Tadej Pogacar in the first mountain stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné has made a big impression. Rival Jonas Vingegaard was so upset that he did not speak to the press afterwards.
Pogacar put on an impressive show on the final climb. The world champion rode away from the group of favorites 7 kilometers from the top and kept his competitors Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel more than a minute behind him.
Pogacar thus sent a strong signal towards the Tour de France, which starts in three weeks. It is expected that the battle for the overall victory will turn into a three-way battle between three-time winner Pogacar, two-time winner Vingegaard and Evenepoel.
“I think I just felt very good today,” Pogacar stated dryly afterwards. “I just went full throttle and knew I had to keep it up for fifteen minutes. So I chose my pace and my legs followed. It was a good choice to ride ahead. Taking a minute is positive.”
The world champion had to process a disappointment on Wednesday when Vingegaard beat him by half a minute in the time trial. “The time trial certainly gives me headaches,” said Pogacar. “I never like to lose time. But I know now that I have to work on it for the Tour.”
Vingegaard was so disappointed that he did not speak to the press afterwards. Visma-Lease a Bike only released statements from team leader Grischa Niermann after the finish, who noted that the differences were greater than expected.
“Of course we had hoped that Jonas could stay closer on the final climb. But this was a stage that suited Pogacar very well. From the start it was already visible that UAE had plans for today. If someone is better, you can only accept that and congratulate him on the victory.”
Evenepoel did speak to the press and was quite impressed by Pogacar. He lost almost two minutes. “They started the climb as if the finish was 2 kilometers away,” he told, among others, Sporza. “Pogacar was just superior again. He shows who the best rider in the world is.”
Evenepoel thinks that the crash on Thursday may have had an effect. “Maybe it was because of the crash or I just had a bad day. That can happen. I immediately felt when they started that it was going to be difficult. Vingegaard also slowed down a bit, but me even more.”
Friday’s spectacle promises something for Saturday, when the queen stage in the Dauphiné is on the program. The riders will then conquer the Col de la Madeleine, the Col de la Croix de Fer and the Valmeinier 1800, three climbs of the hors catégorie. Pogacar starts the stage as the leader in the standings.