Stewart Captures First World Tour Victory in Critérium du Dauphiné Stage 5 as Evenepoel Survives Crash to Retain Yellow

Israel-Premier Tech sprinter prevails in Mâcon as race leader prepares for Alpine showdown

MÂCON, France — Jake Stewart powered to his breakthrough UCI World Tour victory on Thursday, timing his sprint to perfection as the final flat stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné concluded in dramatic fashion with race leader Remco Evenepoel hitting the deck in the finale but escaping serious injury.

The 183-kilometer stage from Saint-Priest to Mâcon represented the calm before the storm, with three grueling Alpine stages looming on the horizon. But what appeared on paper as sprinters’ terrain delivered tactical intrigue and breathless racing as breakaway artists tested the resolve of the fast men’s teams throughout the hilly middle section.

“It’s huge! That one feels really good,” Stewart said after his victory. “Apart from the Tour de France, it doesn’t really come bigger than winning at the Critérium du Dauphiné. It’s certainly the biggest win of my career.”

The stage began with immediate aggression as Enzo Leijnse and Pierre Thierry escaped at kilometer 1.5, quickly joined by Jordan Labrosse. The peloton, marshaled by sprint powerhouses Lidl-Trek and Israel-Premier Tech, kept the breakaway on a tight leash, allowing a maximum gap of just 2 minutes and 10 seconds.

The tactical complexion shifted dramatically as the race entered its hilly midsection. Benjamin Thomas and Thibault Guernalec bridged to the leaders at kilometer 75, extending their advantage to 1:50. But the rolling terrain of the Côte de Saint-Amour and subsequent category-3 climbs sparked a flurry of counterattacks that would define the stage.

Mathieu Burgaudeau, Matteo Vercher, and Tobias Foss launched a dangerous move on the Col de Fontmartin, soon joined by Alex Baudin and Gregor Muhlberger. The multiple groups ahead created a complex chess match behind, with sprint teams forced to chase while climbing specialists sensed opportunity.

“We tried to hold off the peloton on the climbs and make up time on the descents,” explained Thomas, who emerged as the most dangerous attacker. “We came a little short with the headwind in the final kilometers. I think that prevented us from going all the way.”

The decisive moment came on the day’s final climb, the Côte des Quatre Vents, with 27 kilometers remaining. Jonathan Milan, the race’s only previous sprint winner, was distanced near the summit—a vulnerability that rival teams had anticipated and exploited throughout the week.

“We’ve seen Jonathan Milan struggle a bit on the climbs the last few days but he was really strong today,” Stewart acknowledged. “I was following him into the last three kilometers, then I navigated a bit and I found my way through.”

Milan’s Lidl-Trek teammates executed a perfect rescue operation, bringing the Italian powerhouse back to the peloton as multiple teams collaborated to reel in the stubborn breakaway. The catch came with less than two kilometers remaining, setting up a mass gallop that had seemed unlikely just hours earlier.

Stewart positioned himself perfectly behind Milan in the closing kilometers, then unleashed his decisive kick with 300 meters to go. The Israel-Premier Tech rider held off the charging Axel Laurance and Soren Waerenskjold to claim his first victory at cycling’s highest level.

“I knew I needed to kick before Milan,” Stewart explained. “I went with 300 metres to go and I managed to hold it to the line.”

The victory celebration was briefly overshadowed by concern for Evenepoel, who crashed in the finale but quickly reassured fans about his condition. The Belgian, who dominated Thursday’s time trial to seize the race lead, maintained his four-second advantage over Florian Lipowitz heading into the crucial mountain stages.

“I don’t really have an explanation for what happened when I fell in the finale,” Evenepoel said. “But my hands were really wet and I lost my grip on the handlebars. In any case, I’m not in any pain, I just have a graze on my right knee, but it won’t affect me going forward.”

Looking ahead to Saturday’s mountain stage, Evenepoel struck a measured tone that belied the intense competition expected in the Alps. “We’ll need to be ready for tomorrow, as it will be the first big test in the battle we’re going to face over the next three days,” he said. “The final climb is maybe twenty minutes of effort at most, which is nothing compared to what we’ll have on Saturday.”

The stage marked the end of opportunities for pure sprinters, with Jonathan Milan managing only fifth place despite his team’s controlling efforts. The Italian’s struggles on the climbs this week have provided a preview of the challenges he’ll face in next month’s Tour de France, where mountain stages will test his developing climbing abilities.

“In any case, there will certainly be a lot of riders trying to break away, so it will be very lively at the start,” Evenepoel predicted. “And then we’ll see who’s in great shape and who’s not quite so good.”

As the race heads into the Alps, the general classification remains tantalizingly close, with defending Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard lurking just 16 seconds behind Evenepoel, and former winner Tadej Pogačar positioned at 38 seconds back despite a disappointing time trial performance.

The three-day Alpine finale promises to reshape the race entirely, with Saturday’s mountain stage offering the first true test of the contenders’ form ahead of the Tour de France. For Stewart and Israel-Premier Tech, however, the mission is already accomplished—a breakthrough victory that validates years of development and positions the British sprinter among cycling’s elite fast men.

Stage 5 Results

General Classification After Stage 5