Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) arrived at the Critérium du Dauphiné looking for clarity both about his own condition and how much ground his rivals Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) had gained since his Tour de France triumph last year. But after a puzzling performance in the stage 4 time trial, where he lost time to both competitors, doubts began to swirl. Was he underprepared? Struggling with equipment? Deliberately holding back? Or, as he claimed, simply mistimed his effort?
Those doubts were emphatically silenced on stage 6 to Combloux, where Pogačar dropped all contenders on the penultimate climb and soloed to victory and back into the yellow jersey. “Honestly, I didn’t expect such a big gap,” Pogačar told CyclingProNet afterward. “I thought a few riders would follow and maybe try attacking me. But I really committed on the steep parts and pushed on the flatter sections. If you don’t have the legs, you can’t do that, so I’m happy they were there.”
The world champion noted the performance reassured him. “The shape is good, and now the pressure after the time trial is gone. We’ll still review it, but clearly, I’m in form.”
Executing the Strategy
Before the stage, Pogačar spoke in Valserhône about staying composed, warning against letting ego derail the week. His team stayed in control from the start, planning to set a foundation over the 126km route and then launch an attack. That plan nearly unraveled when Visma-Lease a Bike surged on the Côte de Mont-Saxonnex, momentarily dropping his support riders.
“We always planned this, but Visma caught us off guard when they tore things apart on the first-category climb,” Pogačar said. Fortunately, teammates Sivakov, Wellens, and Narváez rejoined to support him on the final ascents. “We regrouped and stuck to the plan. I went all-in on the steep section and gave everything I had.”
Pogačar surged clear after a brutal pull from Narváez, with Vingegaard the only rider able to follow though not for long. Pogačar’s acceleration left the Dane behind in a damage control effort.
Afterward, the Slovenian joked that he attacked early to finish in time to watch his partner Urška Žigart complete her stage at the Tour de Suisse women’s race. “Why wait?” he grinned. “We had nothing to lose. It was a tough, hot day, and I wanted to catch the end of Urška’s race. I just made it.”
Eyes on the Queen Stage
While the victory was convincing, the real test looms with Saturday’s queen stage, featuring the Col de la Madeleine, Col de la Croix de Fer, and the final climb to Valmeinier 1800. Pogačar remains optimistic, even without the elite climbing squad he’ll have at the Tour de France.
“Tomorrow could bring anything, but today showed I’m in good shape and so is the team,” he said. “We’ll do our best to defend the yellow jersey. It won’t be easy we’re not a pure climbing squad but the guys have been riding really strongly. I’m confident we can do it.”
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