Vingegaard masters Thésy

June 8 ^th 2023 - 16:36

Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) showed his class on day 5 of the Critérium du Dauphiné 2023 as he soloed away from the GC group to take the stage win and the yellow and blue jersey as the overall leader of the race. After an attack by Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) on the slopes of the Côte de Thésy, the Danish winner of the Tour de France 2022 dropped everyone with 16 kilometres to go. Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal Quick-Step) finished 2nd in Salins-les-Bains, 31’’ behind Vingegaard. The Frenchman is also 2nd of the GC, 1’23’’ behind the winner of the day. Mikkel Bjerg (UAE Team Emirates) crashed at the bottom of the Côte de Thésy.

After the individual time trial and ahead of a mountainous week-end, attackers are inspired from the start in Cormoranche-sur-Saône. Nils Politt (Bora-Hansgrohe) is very active and his efforts launch the break of the day at km 5, with Georg Zimmermann (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty), Jonas Gregaard (Uno-X), Edvald Boasson Hagen (Total Energies) and Leon Heinschke (Team DSM) alongside him. Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Dstny) quickly bridges the gap to make it six men at the front while the other counter-attackers are reeled in by the bunch.
The leaders fly towards the main challenges of the day. They cover 50.8 kilometres in the first hour, and 46.2 kilometres in the second hour, despite hitting the first ascent of the day (the cat-3 Côte de Château-Chalon, summited at km 97.7).

Relentless pace
Their efforts give them a maximum lead of 4’15’’ at km 78. Soudal Quick-Step and Bahrain Victorious participate in the chase alongside Mikkel Berg’s UAE Team Emirates). The pace is too high for Maxim Van Gils, who has to abandon due to illness according to his team Lotto Dstny.
The peloton seriously up the ante, but so do the attackers. They cross the finish line for the first time and take on a 48.7 km loop around Salins-les-Bains, with the climbs of Côte d'Ivory (cat-3, 36.7km to go after the summit) and Côte de Thésy (cat-2, 14.4km to go). The gap is still up to 3’05’’.

Carapaz and Alaphilippe try...
The many ups and downs wear the peloton, but EF Education-EasyPost take the reins to bring the gap down to 1’ for the last 30 kilometres. The gap is down to 20’’ at the bottom of the Côte de Thésy (3.6km at 8.8%). Mikkel Bjerg (UAE Team Emirates) hits the deck. He quickly gets back up on his bike but can't make his way back to the front.
Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) attacks 3 kilometres away from the summit. Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal Quick-Step) tries to follow but only Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) can match the Ecuadorian’s pace… And the Danish rider even drops his rival 1.5km away from the summit, with 16km to go.

Vingegaard takes it all
Atop the Côte de Thésy, Vingegaard is 35’’ ahead of the GC group, not featuring Carapaz, David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) or Dani Martinez (Ineos Grenadiers), who were all dropped on the ascent.
Vingegaard keeps up with his effort all the way to the finish. Julian Alaphilippe is the fastest from the GC group to take the 2nd place of the day and of the overall standings, ahead of the final three mountainous challenges