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Monday June 9, 2025

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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia

All the war-propaganda, all the screaming and lies and hatred, comes invariably from people who are not fighting. - George Orwell

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Bill and Carol McGann's book The Story of the Giro d'Italia, A Year-by-Year History of the Tour of Italy, Vol 2: 1971 - 2011 is available in print, Kindle eBook and audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Current racing:

• June 8 - 15: Critérium du Dauphiné

Upcoming racing:

• June 13: GP Kanton Aargau
• June 15 - 22: Tour de Suisse
• June 18 - 22: Baloise Belgium Tour
• July 5 - 27: Tour de France

Latest completed racing:

• June 8: Brussels Cycling Classic
• May 9 - June 1: Giro d'Italia
• May 29 - June 1: Tour of Norway
• May 14 - 18: 4 Jours de Dunkerque
• May 18: Rund um Köln
• May 13: Classique Dunkerque
• May 11: Tro-Bro Léon
• May 10: GP du Morbihan
• May 9: Tour du Finistère

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Critérium du Dauphiné stage one reports

We posted the race organizer's report with the results.

Here's the report from stage winner Tadej Pogacar's UAE Team Emirates-XRG:

The World champion begins Critérium du Dauphiné in style, out-sprinting Jonas Vingegaard to the line, as Ivo Oliveira triumphs on Tour of Slovenia final day
The script was well and truly ripped up on stage 1 of the Critérium du Dauphiné, with Tadej Pogačar storming to the day’s victory for UAE Team Emirates-XRG.

Going against all pre-race expectations, the world champion formed a late breakaway alongside the likes of Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step), before winning a breathtaking sprint in Montluçon.

Tadej Pogacar wins the first stage.

It was a captivating opening encounter in France, with Vingegaard and Pogačar both on the attack on a day that would ordinarily have ended in a bunch sprint. Under their initiative, an all-star breakaway broke free of the peloton late in the stage, promising a thrilling showdown between the Tour de France favourites.

Alongside Pogačar and Vingegaard were Evenepoel, Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious), with the five-man group going clear of the peloton with a little under 5km to ride. The world’s best had gathered at the Dauphiné and with the Côte de Buffon (0.6km à 8.8%) softening the bunch, there was no suitable response to this remarkable move.

There was tension within the final kilometre, all the same, as those behind prepared a rearguard action to bring things back together for a bunch sprint. Feeling their presence over his shoulder, Van der Poel launched a lengthy sprint with 300m to go, offering an opening for Pogačar to take advantage of his recent Paris-Roubaix foe.

As Van der Poel faded, Pogačar surged, powering his way to the stage 1 victory ahead of Vingegaard and the Dutchman. Evenepoel was forced to settle for fourth, as Buitrago was swallowed by the peloton behind. With the stage victory, Pogačar rides his way into the lead of the Critérium du Dauphiné.

In turn, he will begin tomorrow’s second stage in the yellow jersey, a feeling he will hope becomes familiar over the next couple of months.

Pogačar: “I was all prepared to come back to the bus pretty fast after the finish, to take a shower and a comfortable seat. But I don’t mind being here as well!

“I followed the moves on the steep parts of the climb and then Visma were clearly going for the stage win. They were trying with everybody to attack me on the top, and fortunately, I had good legs and I covered all the attacks.

“Even Jonas, for the cherry on the top, he attacked me and that one was painful. But we were downhill almost all the way down to the finish, so I could recover a bit and around 2km to go, I was thinking more about the sprint.

“I knew that Van der Poel was the fastest in this group, but after a finish like this, you can’t count anybody out. I switched my focus around 2km to go to prepare the sprint and it worked.

“It’s a stage win. I can go home from Dauphiné happy already but I still want to see how the shape will be in the TT and on the mountain stages. The real test is coming at the end of the weekend.”

Here's the race report from second-place Jonas Vingegaard's Team Visma | Lease a Bike:

Jonas Vingegaard made a strong return to the peloton. In the opening stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné, the 28-year-old Dane sprinted to an impressive second place after a spectacular finale. He was narrowly beaten by Tadej Pogacar in a sprint from a select group of top contenders.

The 77th edition of the French stage race also marked Vingegaard’s comeback to competition. The two-time Tour de France winner lined up for his first race since early March. The 195-kilometre stage between Domérat and Montluçon got off to a calm start, with the French duo Pierre Thierry and Paul Ourselin being allowed some space by the peloton for an early breakaway. 

As the race entered its final phase, the breakaway was reeled in. In the local laps, Fred Wright launched a solo attack, but the Briton was also caught. The local circuit included the climbs of the Côte de Buffon and the Côte de Domérat. The short but steep Côte de Buffon, in particular, was a good hill for late attacks. 
It was Vingegaard himself who opened the action with around six kilometres to go. At the top of the Côte de Buffon, he launched a sharp acceleration. He was joined by Pogacar, Mathieu van der Poel, Remco Evenepoel, and Santiago Buitrago. The five riders quickly built a small gap, working well together. Although the peloton gave chase, the five just managed to stay ahead. In the final sprint, Vingegaard finished strongly, but fell just centimetres short of victory. 

Jonas Vingegaard on his way to the start line. Sirotti photo

"I think it might be the first time I’ve ever finished second in a bunch sprint," Vingegaard said with a smile. "I’m happy with how I felt today. It was great to be up front right away and to make an impact. I didn’t have much confidence in my sprint against that group, but a second place is definitely something to be pleased with. I also picked up six bonus seconds, so it’s a successful start."

Here's the Critérium du Dauphiné stage one report from fourth-place Remco Evenepoel's Team Soudal Quick-Step:

Remco Evenepoel visited the podium at the end of the opening day, following an electrifying finish in Montluçon, where the race concluded for the first time in history. The Olympic Champion played a huge role in the outcome of a stage that on paper should have belonged to the sprinters, his presence at the front helping the dangerous move that formed after the last climb hold off the bunch by the smallest of margins.

The stage finish: Evenepoel is just behind winner Pogacar. Sirotti photo

Despite the presence of some small climbs on the course, the fast men were hoping to fight for glory Sunday afternoon, but their plans went up in smoke once a strong five-man group formed just four kilometers from the finish. Making his first outing with the team since the Tour de Romandie, where he won the second individual time trial, Remco was one of this breakaway’s main engines, his long pulls at the front ensuring the group a five-second gap going under the flamme rouge.

With 500 meters to go, the bunch was rapidly making up ground and looked poised to catch them, but the five launched their effort early, which was the last blow to the sprinters’ ambitions. Evenepoel finished fourth on the stage won by Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), a confidence-boosting result that put him in the white jersey.

“I wasn’t expecting to be in the mix for the stage win, but we knew that the last climb was going to be important. What happened just shows the way modern cycling is, as anything can happen. I joined the move and it was nice to be part of that strong group. I felt pretty good today and I am satisfied with this”, Evenepoel explained after the stage. “It’s a pity I lost some bonus seconds, as I started my sprint a bit too early in the headwind, but the fact I was there with the other GC guys it’s an encouraging sign. We’ll now try to carry this feeling into the next stages and keep the same motivation.

Here's the race report from fifth-place Jake Stewart's Team Israel-Premier Tech:

It was a case of 50 or so meters too short for Jake Stewart on the first stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné with the 25-year-old Brit sprinting to fifth place, winning the bunch sprint, but unable to pull back the late attack.

Stewart and the reduced peloton just caught the back of the five-man leading group as Tadej Pogačar celebrated the win in Montluçon on what was far from a predictable sprint stage with late attacks from the General Classification contenders shaking things up in the final laps of the finish circuit.

The peloton halfway into the stage led by an Israel-Premier Tech rider.

“We always knew it would be chaos in the final but I don’t think anyone really expected the GC guys to try and light it up so it was interesting,” explained Stewart. “Lidl – Trek were clearly keen for a sprint finish as well, with Milan, so we collaborated with them all day to control the race. Unfortunately, Acki [Ackermann] had a puncture going into the last lap so he handed it over to me for the sprint, and I’m happy with the result.

“Because the finish was so fast over the top, guys were probably expecting it to come back faster than it did. The guys in front clearly worked well together as well. We could see them around five or 10 seconds ahead as we hit the flamme rouge and Lutsenko did a really good pull for me there which I massively appreciate. It was close on the finish but it was a few meters too short in the end.”

While Stewart made the most of the opportunity in today’s finale, he’s focused on the crucial role he’ll be playing in Ackermann’s sprint train this week.

“I’m here to do the lead out with Acki and that’s the job that I prefer doing. I don’t really like the pressure so much when we start racing and I know it’s all for me for the final. But like today, or like what happened in Dunkirk, if the opportunity arises, then I’ll always take it, but we’re focused on Acki this week.”

Here's the report from Team Groupama-FDJ:

The sprinters were hoping to fight for the win this Sunday in the first stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné, but the peloton’s “big guns” had other plans. Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, and Remco Evenepoel attacked after the day’s final climb and were able to stay away from the pack by a few lengths at the finish line. Paul Penhoët, right in the mix in this explosive final, eventually took tenth. Towards Issoire tomorrow, they’ll have to tackle a few more hills to reach the finish.

A hilly circuit was set to welcome the riders of the 77th Critérium du Dauphiné this Sunday, on the occasion of the opening stage, from Domérat to Montluçon. In the last seventy kilometres, three climbs of the Côte de Buffon (600m at 8.8%) and two of the Côte de Domérat (1.8km at 3.7%) were to be faced, with a final ascent of the first mentioned hill just seven kilometres from the finish. Despite this relatively bumpy profile, the sprinters’ teams immediately took the reins of the race behind a breakaway of only two men. As the first classified climbs approached, around the halfway point, the pace increased more and more, and an attack from Tadej Pogacar shook the peloton for the first time forty kilometres from the finish. A few minutes later, the riders entered the final lap of the circuit, during which Paul Penhoët was perfectly guided by Clément Russo.

A continuous battle for positioning took place in the forty minutes before the finish, but the young sprinter from Groupama-FDJ was able to tackle the final climb of the Côte de Buffon in the upper part of the pack. “I found myself in a pretty good position, and I knew accelerations were going to come from the back,” he said afterwards. “That’s more or less what happened, but I had good legs on the climb, and I had what it took to follow.”

Groupama-FDJ rider Guillaume Martin signs an autograph before the stage start. Sirotti photo

So much so that he found himself in the wheel of Jonas Vingegaard at the top, in tenth position in the peloton. One kilometre later, however, on a slight uphill section, the top riders accelerated more sharply and found themselves together in front. “I was on Van der Poel’s wheel when he decided to jump across,” added Paul. “I was on the limit. I think I could have gone with him, but I would have had to empty myself, and I still had the sprint in mind. I stayed in the wheels; I knew my teammates weren’t far behind and that it was possible to close the gap.”

Unfortunately, the peloton wasn’t organized enough in the final five kilometres, and despite a good pull from Clément Braz Afonso, the “fantastic four” managed to maintain a small margin to fight for victory. Tadeg Pogacar won ahead of Jonas Vingegaard and Mathieu van der Poel, while Paul Penhoët took tenth place. “In the end, the group made it, but it was a promising day in terms of shape,” Paul concluded. “We were hoping for the podium and not for tenth place, but the overall ranking doesn’t really reflect our performance,” confirmed Benoît Vaugrenard.

“Even though we’re disappointed with the result, Paul was up there in the tough parts, and that’s encouraging for what’s to come, especially since the courses are really hard over the next few days. It’ll be up to us to ride better to make sure Paul get the most of his opportunities.”

Guillaume Martin, Clément Russo, Clément Braz Afonso, and Brieuc Rolland also finished in the first 80-man peloton on Sunday. On Monday, the peloton will head towards Issoire, where the finish line will also be preceded by a small climb (800m at 4%), with five kilometers to go.

Team INEOS Grenadiers posted this Critérium du Dauphiné report:

A lively finale to stage one of the Criterium du Dauphine saw the INEOS Grenadiers in the mix as the day ended in a bunch kick.

Sam Watson sprinted to 16th into Montlucon on a day which saw an expected sprint, but unexpected winners.

Axel Laurance launched an attack on the day's final climb, the Cote de Buffon, with seven kilometres to go, kick-starting a chain of events.

Team INEOS Grenadiers at the stage's opening ceremonies. Sirotti photo

Following the summit a number of GC contenders launched clear, narrowly holding on to the finish, with Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates - XRG) edging out the sprint. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin - Deceuninck) rounded out the podium places.

Watson had been well positioned in the chasing group behind and opted to hit out early in the sprint.

With all the riders ultimately handed the same time as the winners, Carlos Rodriguez and Magnus Sheffield also finished safely in the peloton without time-loss heading into a week of hard racing.

And here's the report from Team Picnic-PostNL:

The Critérium du Dauphiné got underway with a interesting opening stage from Domérat to Montluçon. A two-man breakaway animated much of the day, with the Team Picnic PostNL riders in the meantine grouped together and well-positioned in the bunch, anticipating a tense finale. The final breakaway rider was caught with 7km to go, at the same time as the final kicked when the race hit the Côte de Buffon for the final time.

Attacks flew, and splits formed as the GC contenders came to the fore. After the crest, a group of five GC favourites managed to go clear. Romain Bardet attempted to bridge across, but he was closely marked by rivals. Despite a strong chase behind, the front five managed to stay clear and sprinted for the stage win and the first yellow jersey of the race. Max Poole was our first rider across the line.

The peloton comes racing in to the finish. Sirotti photo

After the race, Team Picnic PostNL coach Phil West said: “It was a strange day, actually — a long, quiet one. Some teams were aiming for a sprint, so the race never really opened up. Our focus was on looking after Max and Romain and making sure they were in position for the final — both to avoid losing time and to be ready when the action kicked off.

"We were where we needed to be at that key moment, which was good. From the top of that last climb, though, it turned into a real scramble. We could, perhaps, have been better as a unit at that moment, so… We didn’t suddenly lose anything, but I think there’s some steps for tomorrow we can make.”

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