Rush hour

June 12 ^th 2025 - 05:35

The ITT has passed, at blazing speed, especially for Remco Evenepoel, new wearer of the yellow and blue jersey. And the big mountains of the Critérium du Dauphiné 2025 are almost there, looming on the horizon for a final three gruelling days, after a final rush towards Mâcon on day 5. The 183 kilometres laid out in front of the riders, starting from Saint-Priest, are far less demanding than what’s coming in the Alps, but the stage still packs enough climbing to create real uncertainty about the scenario the riders will deliver.

After passing the cat-4 Côte de Saint-Amour, the peloton will face a sequence of three cat-3 ascents, until they summit the Côte des Quatre Vents into the last 30 kilometres. Will it be attackers’ terrain? Or will the sprint teams manage to control the day and deliver a mass gallop with the bigger thighs of the bunch?

So far, Jonathan Milan is the only sprinter to have claimed victory in this Critérium du Dauphiné, in Issoire (stage 2). The Italian powerhouse also showed some circumstantial weaknesses when the road rises, as he aims to sharpen his climbing legs for the Tour de France next month. It’s easy to imagine his Lidl-Trek teammates turning the tables with aggressive racing. It’s also easy to imagine Milan’s rivals in the sprints - starting with Mathieu Van der Poel and Fred Wright - setting a strong pace over the climbs to try and get rid of the heavyweight that got the better of them earlier in the race. What’s for sure is Mâcon will crown a special champion.