Pogačar Outsprints Elite Field to Win Dauphiné Stage 1 in Thrilling Finale

Slovenian champion edges Van der Poel in final 25 meters after Vingegaard’s late attack sets up dramatic conclusion

MONTLUÇON, France — Tadej Pogačar delivered a masterclass in tactical racing Sunday, outsprinting Mathieu van der Poel in the final 25 meters to claim his first-ever stage victory at the Critérium du Dauphiné. The Slovenian’s triumph came after a dramatic finale that saw cycling’s four biggest stars—Pogačar, Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel, and van der Poel—battle for supremacy on the opening day of France’s premier warm-up race for the Tour de France.

The 195.8-kilometer stage from Domérat to Montluçon set the tone for what promises to be an explosive week of racing, with Vingegaard initiating the decisive move with just over five kilometers remaining. His attack on the final ascent of the Côte de Buffon immediately drew responses from his three major rivals, creating a select group that would ultimately contest the stage victory.

“I was not expecting to win,” Pogačar admitted after his tenth victory as the reigning world champion. “I was prepared to go to the bus after the finish, take a shower and enjoy the rest of the day… I don’t mind being here! I hadn’t won in the Dauphiné yet so it’s a nice feeling.”

The stage began with an early breakaway from two French riders, Paul Ourselin of Cofidis and Pierre Thierry of Arkéa-B&B Hotels, who established a maximum advantage of 3’55” by the 12-kilometer mark. Ourselin dominated the day’s categorized climbs, taking maximum points atop four summits to virtually secure the polka-dot jersey before being dropped by his companion.

“When we spoke to the team this morning, I was named to try and get into the breakaway,” Ourselin explained. “It really means something to wear this jersey in a race like the Dauphiné, especially as it escaped me on stage 1 of Paris-Nice two years ago.”

The tactical fireworks began when EF Education-EasyPost increased the pace on the second passage of the Côte de Buffon, prompting Pogačar to test his rivals with nearly 40 kilometers remaining. Vingegaard immediately marked the move, setting up the day’s decisive confrontation.

Fred Wright of Bahrain Victorious briefly animated the finale by bridging to the lone leader Thierry and extending their advantage to 45 seconds entering the final circuit. However, their collaboration ended on the steep slopes of the Côte de Buffon, where Vingegaard’s calculated attack with 5.6 kilometers to go proved to be the race-defining moment.

“Jonas [Vingegaard] put the cherry on the top with his attack. It was a painful one,” Pogačar recalled. “Then, I could recover on the downhill to the finish. And from 2 kilometers to go, I started thinking of the sprint.”

Evenepoel was forced to dig deep to bridge the gap to the leaders, a move that surprised even the Belgian. “It’s a bit of a surprise, I didn’t expect to be racing for victory on this stage,” he said. “When Jonas Vingegaard attacked, it wasn’t in a place where he’s used to. So I had to work hard to bridge the gap, but I had the legs to do it.”

The five-man group—Pogačar, Vingegaard, van der Poel, Evenepoel, and Colombian climber Santiago Buitrago—raced toward the finish with the peloton in hot pursuit. The sprinters managed to reconnect in the final kilometer, but van der Poel had already begun his sprint when the groups merged.

In a thrilling finale that showcased the tactical acumen of cycling’s elite, only Pogačar and Vingegaard possessed the speed to overtake the Dutch champion in the final meters. Evenepoel secured fourth place, while Buitrago was caught by the charging peloton.

“I knew Mathieu Van der Poel was the fastest but after such a finale you can’t discard anyone,” Pogačar said of his sprint calculation. Evenepoel noted the challenging conditions, suggesting that “in the finale, there was a headwind, and I think that in other conditions, Mathieu Van der Poel would have won easily.”

The stage victory, combined with time bonuses, gives Pogačar a four-second advantage over Vingegaard in the general classification, with van der Poel a further two seconds back. The result marks a significant psychological victory for the Slovenian, who now wears the yellow jersey with the race’s time trial and mountain stages still to come.

“I can already be happy with my Dauphiné but I want to see how the legs will be in the TT and on the mountains,” Pogačar said. “We have to see how we defend the jersey in the coming days. We’ll rapidly be at the ITT and we’ve seen how strong Remco [Evenepoel] and Jonas are. The main ambition is to have the jersey next Sunday.”

For Thierry, whose aggressive riding animated much of the stage, the day represented a perfect introduction to the Dauphiné. “I’m discovering the Dauphiné and I think this is the best way to do it!” he said. “I’m in the running for the mountain classification, so we’ll see how we work on that with the team.”

The opening stage served as an early indicator of the form and tactics that will likely define the remainder of the race, with all four superstars demonstrating their readiness for the battles ahead. With time trial specialists like Evenepoel and climbers like Vingegaard yet to showcase their strengths on terrain better suited to their abilities, Pogačar’s early advantage may prove short-lived in what promises to be one of the most competitive editions of the Dauphiné in recent memory.

Stage 1 Results

General Classification After Stage 1