Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel: dress rehearsal for the Tour de France favorites at the Critérium du Dauphiné

It's a week to get together, gauge each other, and learn. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a bike), Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step), and other big names in the peloton will compete on the roads of the Critérium du Dauphiné, which begins with a stage between Domérat and Montluçon (Allier) on Sunday, June 8. It's an opportunity to learn more about both their personal fitness and that of their rivals, whom they will meet in less than a month at the Tour de France (July 5-27).

"The Dauphiné is always a key moment in the preparation for the Tour de France," Remco Evenepoel recalled on Saturday. The leader of the Soudal Quick-Step team, like his main rivals, is aware that this race is a dress rehearsal for the Tour de France. A revelation to gain confidence after encouraging results, or to realize the gap that remains to be closed before reaching his best level.

In recent years, several contenders for Tour success have skipped the Dauphiné, which is attracting more attention for its 77th edition due to the presence of top contenders, ambitious outsiders, and French riders to watch. In the first category, Tadej Pogacar appears the most confident in his strength. The Slovenian, who has been training in the Sierra Nevada mountains (Spain) in recent weeks, like much of the peloton, has had a tremendous start to the season, in line with his 2024 campaign.

In fourteen days of racing, the leader of Team UAE Emirates has won six times, including a final victory in his final outing on April 27, during Liège-Bastogne-Liège. It is therefore natural that he is seen as the big favorite for this Dauphiné. "I'm not putting too much pressure on myself, my priority is above all the Tour de France," said the world champion on Saturday, before sharing his impatience to face Jonas Vingegaard, "who seems in great shape."

Three hundred and twenty-two days have passed since the two rivals last met in competition. Jonas Vingegaard had faltered in the 2024 Tour de France, and the Dane arrives at this Dauphiné with less certainty than the Slovenian, having only raced ten days since the beginning of the year. His crash in Paris-Nice on March 13 forced him to abandon the next day, then to withdraw from the Tour of Catalonia.

"I think I can beat him [Pogacar] and be much stronger than last year," assured the winner of the 2023 Dauphiné. He will be surrounded, within the Visma-Lease a bike, by Sepp Kuss and Matteo Jorgenson, lieutenant who has moved up a rank with his victories in the last two editions of Paris-Nice. Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard will have a first opportunity to measure themselves on the time trial of the 4th stage, Wednesday, before the three last meetings at the end of the week in the mountains.

The referee of this top-flight duel could be Remco Evenepoel, who has also only raced for ten days since the start of the season. Injured in December during training – breaking his ribs, shoulder blade and right hand – the Belgian made his comeback in mid-April . "I wasn't in great shape, but I didn't panic and I feel better now than last year. It's going to be a good test to see where I stand, but I think I can get closer to Tadej and Jonas," he said the day before the start.

Sharper and lighter than last year, Remco Evenepoel is looking to improve on his 7th place finish in the 2024 Dauphiné. That edition was won by Primoz Roglic, who was a notable absentee this week and decided to skip the event to focus on the Tour de France. Leading his Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe team will be German Florian Lipowitz, who finished 2nd in the last Paris-Nice, and could be a serious outsider.

Other riders will try, as much as possible, to influence the general classification, like Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers), Enric Mas (Movistar), Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain-Victorious) or the French Lenny Martinez (Bahrain-Victorious) and Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet (Groupama-FDJ). Their young compatriot Paul Seixas (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale), aged only 18 and described as a prodigy, will be closely scrutinized for his first World Tour race as leader.