Less than three weeks before the start of the Tour de France, an event in which he will be the big favorite with his compatriot Tadej Pogacar, Primoz Roglic won the 74th edition of the Critérium du Dauphiné, at the end of the last stage between Saint-Alban- Leysse (Savoie) and the Plateau de Solaison (Haute-Savoie).
He succeeds Richie Porte, winner in 2021, on the winners list of the event. His teammate Jonas Vingegaard (2nd overall) offered himself the stage victory, crossing the line hand in hand with Roglic. Ben O’Connor (3rd overall) completes the podium ahead of Esteban Chaves (EF Education-EasyPost).
On the other hand, it is disappointing for David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ), who still dreamed of a podium with his sixth place in the general classification on the eve of the outcome of this edition, 1′40 behind the yellow jersey Primoz Roglic. But the 25-year-old Frenchman, winner of the 3rd stage in the sprint by styling on the Wout van Aert line, completely exploded eight kilometers from the finish. He finished 17th overall.
The French riders will in any case have animated this 74th edition of the Critérium du Dauphiné with, in addition to David Gaudu, two other stage victories for Valentin Ferron (TotalEnergies), in Gap, and his teammate Alexis Vuillermoz, in Brives-Charensac. Pierre Rolland (B&B Hotels-KTM), at the forefront this week, leaves with the best climber’s polka dot jersey.