Roglic back in command
June 7 th 2024 - 17:36
The 2022 Criterium du Dauphiné winner is back in command: Primoz Roglic surged in the gruelling final climb to Le Collet d’Allevard to snatch his second stage win on the race and dislodge Belgian arch-rival Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quick Step) from top spot. As planned, the outcome of the race was decided in the last ascent, in which Frenchman Romain Gregoire remained the last escapee standing until 3 km to go. But then the GC leaders launched the big battle and Roglic, with a little help from Bora-Hansgrohe team-mate Aleksandr Vlasov, took the upper hand, crossing the line ahead of Italy’s Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek). Overall, Roglic now leads Evenepoel by 19 seconds and Paris-Nice winner Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a bike) by 58 seconds ahead of the queen stage of this edition to Samoens on Saturday.
Six-man breakaway
The start was given to 132 riders at 12:55. Juan Ayuso (UAE Emirates), Jasha Sutterlin, Rainer Kepplinger and Kamil Gradek (Bahrain), Lukas Nerurkar and Harry Sweeny (EF Education-Easypost), Odd Christian Eiking (Uno-X) and Kobe Goosens (Intermarché-Wanty) did not start. From the flag, six riders parted with the peloton – Magnus Cort (Uno-X), Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ), Thibault Guernalec (Arkea-B&B Hotels), Arjen Livyns (Lotto Dtsny), Mason Hollyman (Israel-Premier Tech), Alessandro Fancellu (Q36.5). The peloton resisted for a few kilometres but finally let the break go and it gradually increased, to reach 3:45 at the top of the first climb, on which Guernalec picked a point (km 36.1). Alex Kirsch (Lidl-Trek) and Andreas Kron (Lotto Dstny) called it quits after an hour of racing.
Crash in the descent
The six worked perfectly together and their lead reached a maximum of 5:55 after 105 km. The intermediate sprint of the day (Les Echelles, km 105.3) was won by Magnus Cort, who collected 10 points and moved provisionally to the top of the points standings on 41 points. On Col du Granier (2nd cat, Km 129.4), Guernalec was in the lead ahead of Gergoire, but the Arkea-B&B Hotels rider and Hollyman missed a corner in the descent and crashed. They were both back on their bikes but struggled to make it back to the front.
Gregoire on his own
There was another fright for the escapees as they went the wrong way with 30 km to go but were quickly back on the course and did not lose too much time on the peloton, which had split briefly in the descent. The five escapees only had 1:30 left as they tackled the final climb and Romain Gregoire attacked from the bottom, followed by Magnus Cort. At the back, Tao Geoghegan Hart (Lidl-Trek) and Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a bike) were among the first leaders to be dropped. With 8 km to go, stage 1 winner Cort finally lost ground, leaving his French breakaway companion on his own in the front.
Roglic takes over
Ineos Grenadiers seized the reins at the front of the pack in the last 8 km and Gregoire’s lead gradually dwindled. With 5 km to go, Laurens de Plus attacked, followed by Aleksandr Vlasov (Bora-Hansgrohe). Two kilometres later, Roglic, Derek Gee (Israel-Premier Tech), Ciccone, Jorgenson and Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers) went up a gear and dropped yellow and blue jersey holder Remco Evenepoel. With two kilometres to go Ciccone and Roglic made it back on De plus and Vlasov, who decided to work for his leader and lead the way into the finale. Perfectly led out, Roglic easily dropped Ciccone in the final stretch to snatch his second stage victory on the Dauphiné, a race he won in 2022. Evenepoel crossed the line 42 seconds behind the Slovenian.
