The final stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné 2025 witnessed a captivating breakaway, with 12 riders forging ahead on Stage 8. The race, held on Sunday, June 15th, promised excitement from the outset, and it delivered. Early attacks defined the day as riders battled for position.
The Breakaway Group Takes Shape
Approximately 15km into the race, a group of ten courageous cyclists seized the opportunity presented by the Côte de Saint-Georges-d'Hurtières (a Category 2 climb of 4.9 km with a 5.7% gradient) to establish a significant lead. This bold move set the stage for a dramatic finale.
The initial group included notable names like Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a Bike), Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal-Quick Step), Bruno Armirail (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), Alexey Lutsenko (Israel-Premier Tech), Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious), Enric Mas (Movistar), Ivan Roméo (Movistar), Maxim Van Gils (Red Bull Bora-Hansgrohe), and, surprisingly, Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), wearing the green jersey by proxy.
Chasing and Connecting
Sensing the potential of the breakaway, several counter-attacks ensued. While Sergio Higuita (XDS Astana) and Guillaume Martin Guyonnet (Groupama-FDJ) were unsuccessful in their attempts to join, Tobias Foss (INEOS Grenadiers) and Jake Stewart (winner of Stage 5) managed to bridge the gap, increasing the leading group to 12 riders. Julien Bernard (Lidl-Trek) found himself in a precarious position, trailing the leaders by 1 minute and 30 seconds.
The breakaway group established a lead of approximately 4 minutes over the peloton, where Romain Bardet, despite his ambition, appeared to be feeling the effects of his efforts in previous stages. The final kilometers promised a fierce battle for the stage victory.
Vingegaard's Perspective
Despite finishing second to Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates XRG) on Stage 7, Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) remained confident. He limited his losses to his Slovenian rival and solidified his second-place position in the general classification, trailing by 1'01". Vingegaard expressed satisfaction with his performance, stating, "I rode at my own pace. I didn't lose much at the end, so I can be happy with how things went today." He aims to improve his performance at the upcoming Tour de France.
Stage 7 Top Finishers
- Jonas VINGEGAARD (Team Visma | Lease a Bike)
- Florian LIPOWITZ (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)
- Tobias Halland JOHANNESSEN (Soudal Quick-Step)