
Attack, high-frequency pedaling, and goodbye to rivals. Tadej Pogačar dominates the sixth stage of the Criterium du Dauphine 2025, the Valserhône - Combloux of 126.7 km. No time to think or strategize, the Slovenian in just a few meters distanced Jonas Vingegaard, securing his 97th career victory at just 26 years old: an absolute domination by the reigning world champion who sent a clear signal ahead of the Tour de France. The king, at the moment, has no intention of abdicating.
THE RACE. The best group let the usual breakaway go. Seven men were in the lead: Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin – Deceuninck), Romain Bardet (Team Picnic PostNL), Michael Leonard (INEOS Grenadiers), Bruno Armirail (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team), Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X Mobility), Anthony Turgis (Team TotalEnergies), Alex Baudin (EF Education – EasyPost).
Among the general classification riders, Florian Lipowitz was the first to break the passivity (42 km from the finish). The German tried to recover ground on Alex Baudin and Michael Leonard but was immediately reabsorbed by the big names. With 7 kilometers to go, on the Côte de Domancy, the Slovenian pushed hard on the pedals, first dropping Remco Evenepoel, who started with the yellow leader's jersey, and then his longtime rival Jonas Vingegaard: the Dane immediately cracked, while the UAE captain caught the two escapees, winning the stage and taking the first position in the general classification.
FEELINGS. In the finale, there was even an embrace between the two contenders, with the Visma captain congratulating the reigning world champion, just a step away from his first Dauphine. "We had a plan, but Visma anticipated it" - he said at the finish line -. "I had already done this climb, the team prepared the terrain perfectly. I felt good, I attacked immediately in the hardest part of the climb. It was a hot, tough day. I felt really good. The minute on Vingegaard? Clearly, it's a nice advantage. It was definitely a good response after what happened in the time trial, it's always a challenge for me and the team."
Tomorrow is the seventh and penultimate stage, Grand-Aigueblanche - Valmeinier 1800 of 131.6 km: Vingegaard is 43" behind, but today the gap between the two seems truly insurmountable.
STAGE RESULTS
1. Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) in 2h59'46"
2. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) +1'01"
3. Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) +1'22"
4. Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike) +1'30"
5. Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) +1'50"
6. Alex Baudin (EF Education – EasyPost) +1'56"
7. Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) +2'03"
8. Louis Barré (Intermarchè - Wanty) +2'04"
9. Ben Tulett (Visma-Lease a Bike) s.t.
10. Paul Seixas (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team) s.t.
GENERAL CLASSIFICATION
1. Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) 21h35'08"
2. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) +43"
3. Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) +54"
4. Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) +1'22"
5. Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike) +1'41"
6. Eddie Dunbar (Team Jayco AlUla) +2'28"
7. Louis Barré (Intermarchè - Wanty) +2'39"
8. Paul Seixas (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team) +2'49"
9. Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) +3'21"
10. Ben Tulett (Visma-Lease a Bike) +3'26"