Tadej Pogačar Claims First Critérium du Dauphiné Title, Boosting Tour de France Hopes
UAE Team Emirates‘ star rider Tadej Pogačar sealed his maiden Critérium du Dauphiné title on Sunday, finishing third on the race’s eighth and final stage. The world champion successfully withstood a late challenge from Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) on the decisive climb, ultimately crossing the line just behind stage winner Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious).
Pogačar’s triumph marks a week of clear dominance by UAE Team Emirates-XRG, who raced to three stage wins and celebrated their 45th overall victory of the season. The result provides a significant morale boost before the imminent Tour de France. Notably, Pogačar became the first reigning world champion since Bernard Hinault (1981) to claim the Dauphiné crown.
Throughout the final stage, there was little change atop the general classification. Pogačar and Vingegaard proved their superiority, while a fierce battle for the last podium place unfolded behind. Riders like Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) and Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) contested third overall, with Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) igniting the day’s first significant attack on the last ascent.
Support from Tim Wellens of UAE Team Emirates proved pivotal, as he drove the pace ahead of the summit. Meanwhile, Lenny Martinez emerged from the breakaway to shake off Enric Mas and secure stage glory on the Col du Mont-Cenis. Behind, Vingegaard surged clear with 6.6km remaining, but Pogačar matched the move, and the duo collaborated to distance their pursuers.
At the finish, Vingegaard edged ahead for second on the stage, with Pogačar satisfied to lock in his commanding overall triumph.
“After the 2020 Dauphiné, I remember how hard that week was. To come back with this form just before the Tour de France feels really good. It’s a big boost for the team’s morale and motivation. Now, some rest first, then we’ll focus a bit on the time trial, but we won’t rush anything in our Tour preparation,” said Tadej Pogačar.
He added, “The weekend was even tougher than it looked on paper, so I knew it was going to be hard to come back after the time trial, but I’m very happy I managed to do it.”
Team V.4-EM-UAE
