Disappointed to not win Wednesday’s time trial, Jonas Vingegaard took his revenge by earning Thursday’s Critérium du Dauphiné stage solo and assumed the race lead from Mikkel Bjerg (Denmark/UAE-Emirates). It was the Dane’s ninth triumph of the season counting overall GC titles. Vingegaard now leads Julian Alaphilippe by 1:23 at the top of the table.
The Course
All Thursday’s action was in the second half of 191 km from Cormoranche-sur-Saône to Salins-les-Bains. Three categorized climbs loomed; first came Cat. 3 Côte de Château-Chalon just past the midway point. With 41 km to go came Cat. 3 Côte d’Ivory. But the big scraps would be preserved for Cat. 2 Côte de Thésy, a challenging 3.7 km of 8.2 percent cresting 14 km from the finish.
An opportunity for the #Dauphine puncheurs today in Salins-les-Bains? pic.twitter.com/qHzpNcPUbl
— Soudal Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team (@soudalquickstep) June 8, 2023
A sextet of fugitives bounced free early in the stage. Thomas De Gendt, a veteran campaigner, was in its ranks, as was Edvald Boasson Hagen, another cagey vet with five Critérium du Dauphiné stages on his palmares. With Soudal-Quick Step and Bjerg’s UAE-Emirates doing the pacemaking in the field, the gap was 2:00 by the foot of Côte d’Ivory. On those slopes, the pink forces of EF Education-Easypost grabbed the reins and chaps started dropping off the back.
Côte de Thésy
Bjerg immediately had problems as the road kicked up. He crashed coming off a turn on a sidewalk. A surge from Richard Carapaz doomed the remnants of the breakaway. Vingegaard went with the Ecuadorian champion.
Vingegaard dropped Carapaz and tipped over the top with a 33-second gap back to a high-powered chase containing Adam Yates, Jai Hindley and Alaphilippe. Bjerg was even further adrift. Disappointingly, the 18-strong Yates group wasn’t prepared to ride. Alaphilippe led the group over the line 31 seconds later.
Friday’s sixth stage concludes on the 2.4-km, 7-percent Crest-Voland.
75th Critérium du Dauphiné Stage 5
1) Jonas Vingegaard (Denmark/Jumbo-Visma) 4:03:42
2) Julian Alaphilippe (France/Soudal-Quick Step) +0:31
3) Tobias Halland Johannessen (Norway/Uno-X) s.t.
75th Critérium du Dauphiné GC
1) Jonas Vingegaard (Denmark/Jumbo-Visma) 17:03:03
2) Julian Alaphilippe (France/Soudal-Quick Step) +1:23
3) Ben O’Connor (Australia/AG2R Citroën) +1:24
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