Jumbo-Visma rider Jonas Vingegaard has emerged triumphant at the Criterium du Dauphine, just weeks before his upcoming bid to defend his Tour de France title, set to commence on July 1.
Denmark’s Vingegaard secured the victory, outpacing Adam Yates from Team Emirates and Britain by a remarkable two minutes and 23 seconds in the overall standings.
The eight-stage competition, held in France, concluded in Grenoble, with Giulio Ciccone from Trek-Segafredo securing the final stage win.
Ciccone crossed the finish line at La Bastille, 23 seconds ahead of Vingegaard.
“I’m pleasantly surprised by the time gaps. I can only express my utmost satisfaction. My form is excellent. Now, I’ll take a few days to relax and fine-tune my preparations for the Tour,” said the 26-year-old Vingegaard.
Ciccone’s stage victory comes after his withdrawal from the Giro d’Italia in May due to his battle with Covid-19.
“I had a 10-day break from cycling, and my condition wasn’t at 100%. I entered this race with the Tour de France in mind, but I observed my condition improve throughout the week. I’m truly delighted to conclude this week with a win,” Ciccone shared.
“The last 500 meters felt never-ending, but the presence of the cheering crowd made it really special. I glanced behind and saw that I was still in the lead with a significant gap, so I pressed ahead. I’m overjoyed,” he added.
Stage Eight Results:
- Giulio Ciccone (Ita/Trek-Segafredo) – 4hrs 6mins 4secs
- Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Jumbo-Visma) +23secs
- Adam Yates (Gbr/Team Emirates) +33secs
- Ben O’Connor (Aus/Citroen Team) +49 secs
- Guillaume Martin (Fra/Cofidis) +54secs
- Jai Hindley (Aus/Bora-Hansgrohe) +57 secs
- Rafal Majka (Pol/Team Emirates) +1min
- Jack Haig (Aus/Bahrain Victorious) Same time
- Louis du Bouisson Meintjies (SA/Intermarche) Same time
- Carlos Rodriguez Cano (Spa/Ineos Grenadiers) +1min 3secs
General Classification:
- Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Jumbo-Visma) – 29hrs 28mins 39secs
- Adam Yates (Gbr/Team Emirates) +2mins 23secs
- Ben O’Connor (Aus/Citroen Team) +2mins 56secs
- Jai Hindley (Aus/Bora-Hansgrohe) +3mins 16secs
- Jack Haig (Aus/Bahrain Victorious) +3mins 47secs
- Guillaume Martin (Fra/Cofidis) +4mins 51secs
- Louis du Bouisson Meintjies (SA/Intermarche) +5mins 2secs
- Torstein Traeen (Nor/Uno-X) +5mins 15secs
- Carlos Rodriguez Cano (Spa/Ineos Grenadiers) +5mins 19secs
- Julian Alaphilippe (Fra/Soudal Quick-Step) +5mins 37secs