Pogacar strikes first
June 8 th 2025 - 15:08
Stage 1 of the Critérium du Dauphiné already delivered a thrilling chapter into the royal rumble anticipated this week with the likes of Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel and Mathieu van der Poel battling it out. The four superstars took the first four positions in Montluçon after a thrilling finale. Vingegaard put the hammer down with just over 5 kilometres to go and his three major rivals followed his move, alongside Santiago Buitrago. The Colombian climber was swallowed by the bunch in the sprint but the other four managed to get the better of the field, with Pogacar flying past Van der Poel with only 25 metres to go. Vingegaard finished 2nd in between the winner of the Tour of Flanders and the conqueror of Paris-Roubaix. Five years after his first participation, Pogacar takes his first stage win in the Dauphiné, and his tenth success as the reigning UCI World Champion.
Domérat and Montluçon are only separated by a handful of kilometres but a 195.8-km stage 1 of the Critérium du Dauphiné lies ahead of the peloton as they set off from the former in the morning. The opening 132-km loop will be followed by 2 laps on the final circuit (31.8km) around Montluçon. And many riders aye glory on this first day of action.
Two French riders attack as soon as the flag drops: Paul Ourselin (Cofidis) and Pierre Thierry (Arkea-B&B Hotel)s. They rapidly open a gap of 3’55’’ (at km 12) before Jonathan Milan’s Lidl-Trek and Pascal Ackermann’s Israel-Premier Tech put men at the front of the bunch to control the day.
Ourselin rules the early climbs, Pogacar shows himself
As the attackers make their way back to Montluçon, they face the first categorised climbs of the day. Ourselin goes first atop the Côte de Sainte-Thérence (km 107.5), Côte d’Argenty (km 114), Côte de Buffon (km 125.5) and Côte de Domérat (km 140) to all but secure the polka-dot jersey. He is then dropped while Thierry keeps going at the front.
EF Education-EasyPost up the ante on the second ascent of the Côte de Buffon and Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) already accelerates with almost 40 km to go. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) is right on his wheel and the big guns look at each other.
Vingegaard makes the difference
Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious) seizes the opportunity to bridge the 10-second gap to Thierry. The two men work together to push their lead to 45’’ into the final lap (31.8 km). Thierry holds on to go first atop the Côte de Domérat, before Wright goes solo into the last 25 km.
The Londoner is caught on the last ascent of the Côte de Buffon (0.6km at 8.6%, to be summited with 6.7km to go), marked by strong attacks from Axel Laurance (Ineos Grenadiers) and Lukas Nerurkar (EF Education-EasyPost). Attacks keep flying over the top until Vingegaard puts the hammer down with 5.6 km to go.
Pogacar outsprints Van der Poel
Pogacar and Van der Poel immediately follow the Danish climber. Evenepoel and Buitrago rapidly bridge the gap. And the five men fly towards the finish line, with the peloton right in their wake.
Sprinters get back to them inside the last kilometre… But Van der Poel has already opened his sprint. Only Pogacar and Vingegaard manage to get past him, inside the last 30 metres, while Evenepoel finishes 4th ahead of Jake Stewart (Israel-Premier Tech).
