Critérium du Dauphiné stage 4: Mikkel Bjerg pips Jonas Vingegaard in time trial in GC shakeup

This article originally appeared on Velo News

Jonas Vingegaard didn’t win the day, but he could well be on the way to winning the overall title at the Criterium du Dauphine.

The defending Tour de France champion kicked to second Wednesday in the decisive 31.1km individual time trial behind compatriot Mikkel Bjerg (UAE Team Emirates), who also doubled up to snatch the overall leader’s jersey.

Vingegaard might not have the yellow jersey yet, but he’s well-positioned with the a string of searing climbs looming this weekend in the French Alps after finishing 12 seconds slower than Bjerg but well ahead of GC rivals.

“Of course I would have hoped to win the stage and take the yellow jersey. Mikkel did a good time trial today, and I also did a good time trial. Hopefully I can take the jersey in the next few days. We don’t have to pull tomorrow. That was the plan to go off hard. Maybe I went a bit too hard. I tried to save a bit, and go again in the last part, but when I had to go, there was nothing to go with.”

Overnight leader Christophe Laporte (Jumbo-Visma) faded as expected, and French rider Remi Cavagna (Soudal Quick-Step) set an early marker and would eventually finish third on the stage.

Bjerg, a three-time U23 world time trial champion, turned on the afterburners to claim his first pro victory.

“I’ve worked so hard for this. It’s my first pro victory. I am just so relieved that I finally won now. I had so many chances to do it, and I just didn’t live up to my own expectations,” Bjerg said. “Even this morning I doubted myself and said the course was too hard. I am just so happy. The first climb I wanted to go hard but not over my limit.

“I just stayed within my limit and I didn’t take too much risk. The last 5km, I was tied on time, and I just powered it home. I just thought about my wife, and sprinted to the finish line.”

Vingegaard moves into the “virtual GC,” nearly 30 seconds ahead of his closest GC rival in Ben O’Connor (Ag2r-Citroen).

The 75th Dauphine continues Thursday with the 191km fifth stage from from Cormoranche-sur-Saone to Salins-les-Bains. A short but steep second-category climb with 14km to go will surely prompt attacks if a breakaway doesn’t hold sway.

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Stage 3: Christophe Laporte wins again, Bennett and Groenewegen relegated in controversial finale

Christophe Laporte (Jumbo-Visma) won for the second time in three days in a crash-marred finale Tuesday that came alive with crashes and speed after an otherwise routine stage at the Criterium du Dauphine.

Sam Bennett (Bora Hansgrohe) opened up the sprint, but closed the door on the right hand side to stifle Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco-AlUla). Laporte saw a clean shot to the line and finished it off to widen his lead in the overall standings, with Bennett second and Groenewegen, clearly angry at Bennett, in third.

Somewhat surprisingly, the race jury not only relegated Bennett, but Groenewegen as well.

Here’s the new top-5:

1. Christophe Laporte (Jumbo-Visma)
2. Matteo Trentin (UAE Team Emirates)
3. Milan Menten (Lotto Dstny)
4. Hugo Hofstetter (Arkea Samsic)
5. Matevz Govekar (Bahrain Victorious)

With Bennett and Groenewegen sprinting along the fences, Laporte found the door wide open down the middle of the finishing stretch, and bolted to another victory to match his win Sunday to open the French stage race.

“It's a bit unexpected. Of course, I wanted to sprint but I always said I'm fast but not enough to beat these riders. Things went my way today,” Laporte said. “Dylan Groenewegen was boxed on the right side, Bennett was on the limit. and it allowed me to pass on the left.”

Bennett saw the perfect leadout, but didn’t seem to have the legs to get to the tape, and veered right off his line to close down the fast-charging Groenewegen, who was forced to double-back and shook his head in frustration. The jury relegated both, but it didn’t matter anyway, as Laporte came off the wheels to drive straight across the finishing line without anyone in front of him.

“The team protected Jonas [Vingegaard] and I enjoyed their work. That was the plan. I was a bit boxed in with 500 metres to go but then I found the opening,” Laporte said. “It’s always nice when it’s unexpected. It's a good day. I'm not sure I'll be able to defend the jersey tomorrow. I like time trials, but I prefer when they're shorter, like 15, maybe 20 kilometers. Over 30 kilometers, I think it will be difficult but I'll try to do well and to honor the jersey.”

With Wednesday’s time trial on tap, the sprinter teams wanted to deliver the bunch sprint for their fast finishers.

With a bunch sprint in the cards, no one even bothered to try to ride into a breakaway. One rider from Total Energies gave a tepid attempt early, and then realized he’d be on a road to nowhere, and quickly sat up.

The bunch rode tempo before things got spicy in the closing 20km, with a pileup on a narrow bridge and then yesterday’s winner Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal Quick-Step) puncturing at a bad moment with 7km to go. A few more riders crashed coming through a roundabout with under 2km to go. Yet another crash with 850km took down a few more.

The Dauphine continues Wednesday with the 31.1km fourth stage from Cours to Belmont-de-la-Loire. The rolling course will shake up the GC, and should see Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) surge into the yellow jersey.

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Stage 2: Julian Alaphilippe back in high life again

Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal Quick-Step) sprinted back into the winner’s circle Monday with a perfectly timed sprint to win stage 2 at Criterium du Dauphine.

The two-time world champion celebrated his second win in 2023 after a washed-out spring campaign after coming off a surprise shot from Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost), who snatched six seconds in time bonuses with second. Natnael Tesfatsion (Trek-Segafredo) crossed the line third in the grinding, uphill finale.

“It was a difficult victory to claim, but it feels good because the last few months have felt quite long,” Alaphilippe said. “I worked hard and to taste success again, especially in the Dauphine, it's a relief.

“I had good legs and every one around me looked to be struggling. I did my effort at the right moment. I couldn't dream of anything better,” he said. “I said I wanted to win a stage and I've already done it on the second day. I can be more relaxed now but I'll give my best because I'm very motivated.”

Pre-race favorite Jonas Vingegaard finished safely in the bunch after playing the role of leadout man for the second day in a row, but suffered the loss of key helper Steven Kruijswijk. The Dutch rider crashed out early, leaving Jumbo-Visma with only six riders remaining in the race.

Team officials later confirmed that Kruijswijk broke his collarbone and pelvis, meaning that he will miss next month’s Tour de France. Just this weekend, team brass confirmed that the veteran would be part of the team to support Vingegaard in his yellow jersey defense.

Overnight leader Christophe Laporte (Jumbo-Visma) couldn’t repeat as the winner or grab finish-line bonus sprints to finish fourth, but retained the leader’s jersey, now tied with his compatriot.

“It was a hard stage, with a hard finale. I was at the front pretty early and I had to open up the sprint from a bit too far. Maybe it wasn't the best decision but waiting more would have been risky,” Laporte said. “I felt the other riders and I missed a little bit to win again. The legs did the talking. To retain the leader's jersey is a nice satisfaction.”

An early break tapped away early on the circuit course, with two riders -- Kenny Elissonde (Trek-Segafredo) and Victor Campernaerts (Lotto Dstny) -- reeled in on the final short climb on the closing circuit about 10km from the line.

“At the start this morning, the tactic was kind of ‘you never know, maybe Jumbo-Visma will let the jersey slip away’. So I made the breakaway and we tried our luck,” Campernaerts said. “I’m coming back from injury, so it was already important to be able to spend a stage at the front. What I will remember is that I had a good time, and we worked well with Elissonde in the final. Combativity is not the prize we dream of the most, but to be on the podium of the Criterium du Dauphine, you have to be in good shape.”

Tobias Bayer (Alpecin Deceuninck) launched a flare on the climb to clear the Cote des Guetes to put pressure on the sprinters who suffered across the lumpy stage. Vingegaard reeled a late attack from EF Education-EasyPost, and Carapaz jumped early only to set up Alaphilippe.

The race continues Tuesday with the 194.1km stage from Monistrol-sur-Loire to Le Coteau opens with short but sharp second-category that will trigger a break, but the sprinters will want another chance for the spoils. A fourth-category climb with under 8km to go will be little more than a speed bump ahead of a likely mass gallop.

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Stage 1: Laporte breaks heart of breakaway hero to win opener

Christophe Laporte (Jumbo-Visma) broke the heart of breakaway survivor Rune Herregodts (Intermarche-Circus-Wanty) when he nipped sprint victory in stage 1 of the Criterium du Dauphine.

Herregodts was part of the day’s early break Sunday and managed to fend off the fast-charging peloton all the way through to the final hundred meters of a tough hilly stage.

The catch was made agonizingly close for Herregodts, who had made a ragged last-gasp pursuit for victory.

Laporte’s powerful kick out of the reduced bunch rocketed him past the young Belgian and scored him a third victory of the season.

“It was really on the limit, with the rain on the downhill,” Laporte said afterward. “The last rider at the front [Herregodts] was going really fast, he gained some time.

“It was a hard nervous day. We could see him in front of us but you never really know, and all the team gave everything. Even Jonas [Vingegaard] led me out until the last 300 meters.”

Matteo Trentin (UAE Emirates) finished second, while Herregodts saw some consolation by finishing third.

Laporte’s victory hands him the Dauphine’s first leader’s jersey with a four-seconds advantage over Trentin.

Top GC favorites like Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma), David Gaudu (Groupama FDJ), Adam Yates (UAE Emirates), and Ben O’Connor (Ag2r Citroen) all finished at the same time in the group.

Racing was tough all day Sunday in the Puy-de-Dome Department of France.

Herregodts got away with four others in the opening kilometers of the stage in what looked like a typical “doomed” breakaway for the TV cameras.

When Soudal Quick-Step and Jumbo-Visma set a savage pace in the bunch, it looked like all would play per the script.

The tempo dropped pure sprinters like Dylan Groenewegen (Jayo-AlUla) and Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe) and rapidly shrank the gap to the escapees.

Herregodts’ last remaining breakaway companion was caught around 10km from the line when Jumbo-Visma began piledriving on the front for Laporte, and it looked like the 24-year-old Belgian’s day was done.

However, Herregodts made the descending TT of his life as he nursed just a handful of seconds advantage at the front of the race. The final minute of the stage went down to the wire, and it briefly looked like the sprint teams might just have missed their chance.

But it wasn’t to be as more and more teams added to the chase, and Herregodts had his heart broken within sight of the finish line.

Sprint contenders Ethan Hayter (Ineos Grenadiers) and Hugo Page (Intermarche-Circus-Wanty) were both forced to abandon after intermittent storms left roads slick and caused a spate of crashes.

Racing resumes Monday in a stage to La Chaise-Dieu which may work out more favorably for the fast-finishers that missed out Sunday.

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