Pogacar won three stages of this year's race Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar secured his first Criterium du Dauphine title after finishing third in Sunday's final stage. The reigning Tour de France and road world champion began the final day one minute and one second ahead of his closest rival Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard thanks to back-to-back stage wins on Friday and Saturday. And the UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider safely negotiated the 133.3km stage from Val-d'Arc to the Plateau du Mont-Cenis to finish alongside Vingegaard, 34 seconds behind stage winner Lenny Martinez. "It's been a really amazing week," said Pogacar, who topped the overall classification by 58 seconds. "Once again today, the team did a great job. We managed to defend the [yellow] jersey and we can go home happy and prepare for the Tour [de France]. "There's a lot of positives from this week and we turned all the negatives into positives, so it's all good. "There's not much to do ahead of the Tour. I rest a bit, maybe some extra work for the time-trial, and then I'm ready." The 26-year-old becomes the third reigning world champion to win the race, after French pair Louison Bobet and Bernard Hinault in 1955 and 1981 respectively. German Florian Lipowitz completed the overall podium ahead of Belgian Remco Evenepoel. French rider Martinez, 21, got past Spaniard Enric Mas eight kilometres from the finish of the mountainous stage to add to his wins in the Tour de Romandie and Paris-Nice earlier this year. Attention will now switch to the Tour de France which begins on Saturday, 5 July. Meanwhile, Marlen Reusser defended the leader's yellow jersey which she had held from the opening stage to win the women's Tour de Suisse. The Movistar rider held a three-second advantage over last year's winner Demi Vollering going into Sunday's 129km circuit around Kussnacht am Rigi and launched a solo attack with around 8km with Vollering unable to respond. The opening stage of the men's race - the final leading stage race before the Tour de France - was won by Frenchman Romain Gregoire thanks to a late solo breakaway.
Pogacar safely secures maiden Dauphine title
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"Tadej Pogacar Wins First Criterium du Dauphine Title Ahead of Tour de France"
Bbc News
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TruthLens AI Summary
Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia has successfully clinched his first Criterium du Dauphine title, finishing third in the final stage of the competition held on Sunday. The reigning Tour de France and road world champion entered the last stage with a lead of one minute and one second over his nearest competitor, Jonas Vingegaard from Denmark, thanks to his impressive performance in the preceding stages where he secured victories on both Friday and Saturday. The final stage spanned 133.3 kilometers from Val-d'Arc to the Plateau du Mont-Cenis, where Pogacar maintained his position alongside Vingegaard, ultimately finishing 34 seconds behind stage winner Lenny Martinez. After the race, Pogacar expressed his satisfaction with the week, stating, "It's been a really amazing week," and praised his team's efforts in defending the yellow jersey. He emphasized the positives derived from the week’s racing, indicating his readiness to prepare for the upcoming Tour de France with a focus on rest and potential time-trial training.
At just 26 years old, Pogacar has made history by becoming the third reigning world champion to win the Criterium du Dauphine, following in the footsteps of French legends Louison Bobet and Bernard Hinault, who achieved this feat in 1955 and 1981, respectively. Florian Lipowitz from Germany rounded out the overall podium in second place, while Belgian cyclist Remco Evenepoel finished in fourth. In the meantime, Lenny Martinez, a 21-year-old French rider, showcased his talent by overtaking Spaniard Enric Mas just eight kilometers from the finish line, adding this victory to his previous wins in the Tour de Romandie and Paris-Nice earlier this year. As the cycling world turns its attention to the Tour de France set to commence on July 5, Marlen Reusser also made headlines by defending her leader's yellow jersey in the women's Tour de Suisse, maintaining a narrow lead to secure her victory in the event.
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