Mathieu van der Poel narrowly missed securing a stage victory in the Critérium du Dauphiné on Tuesday. The Dutchman was at the front for the entire day but saw fellow escapee Iván Romeo take the win.
Van der Poel was part of a breakaway group of thirteen riders in the hilly stage to Charantonnay. The thirty-year-old Dutchman didn’t shy away from the work and was able to compete for the stage win with his fellow escapees in the final.
The group fell apart on a steep climb with about 20 kilometers to go. Van der Poel wasn’t at the front but came back in the descent. After that, he tried it himself and parried the attacks of other leaders.
When Romeo took off a little later, Van der Poel kept his legs still. That turned out to be the decision. The 21-year-old Spaniard from Movistar soloed to the finish. Van der Poel eventually finished fifth, after finishing third in the first two stages.
Van der Poel has been impressive for three days in a row in his first Dauphiné. This raises expectations for the Tour de France, which starts on July 5 in Lille. In the hilly first week, there are opportunities for a rider like him.
Due to his victory and associated bonus seconds, Romeo takes over the leader’s jersey from Jonathan Milan. Van der Poel retains the green points jersey. General classification riders Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, and Remco Evenepoel kept quiet.
That will be different on Wednesday, because then a 17-kilometer time trial is on the program in the Critérium du Dauphiné. After that, the mountain stages begin. The French stage race lasts until Sunday.