Slovenian Primoz Roglic (Bora Hansgrohe) was proclaimed winner of the 76th edition of the Dauphiné at the end of the eighth and final stage between Thônes and Plateau des Glières, 160.6 kilometers, in which Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos) won after blowing the race on the last pass.
“It’s a victory that comes very well to reinforce confidence. I think we have done a good team work, I have felt very good and I finish this race in good shape and with optimistic feelings for the future,” said the cyclist from Granada at the finish line.
“The idea was to put people in the breakaway and then help in the last pass, setting the pace and selecting the front group. Everything went perfectly and I was able to finish,” he added.
There was suspense, excitement until the last meter. All because of an attack by Rodríguez 5 kilometers from the finish line that brought Roglic’s weakness to the surface, and together with Jorgenson he was on the verge of a surprising turnaround in the general classification on the last day. The Grenadian took the stage and fourth place, Roglic his second Dauphiné and Jorgenson and Canadian Derek Gee the runner-up spots on the podium.
Rodriguez put the agony on Roglic, who saved the yellow
Rodríguez (Almuñecar, 23 years old) achieved an epic victory that gives him a morale boost three weeks before the Tour de France and puts Roglic to shame. He entered the summit of Gliéres with a time of 4h.18.02 with Jorgenson, at an average of 37.3 km / hour. Third, also in agony Gee at 15 seconds, and Roglic crossed at 48. He was 8 seconds away from losing the yellow jersey.
The last stage was controlled throughout by Roglic’s Bora, who allowed a breakaway of 10 riders, but without allowing too much joy. In the breakaway was again Marc Soler, with Fraile, Armirail, Gaudu, Guillaume Martin and Fortunato, among others. A breakaway of entity, which managed to reach the decisive part with 2.30 minutes ahead.
Soler took the lead at the top of Le Salève (1a,12.2 km at 6.8%), but the steepest part and the final climb remained. Roglic’s men set the pace to prepare for the final assault towards a possible third consecutive victory for the Slovenian.
The breakaway reached the foot of the Col des Glières (1st, 9.3 km at 7.6) barely half a minute ahead. It was a prelude to a sentence that was proposed by the men of Ineos and above all, of Bora, although Lidl with Carlos Verona as shuttle was the most decisive team to bring down the adventure of the day.
Roglic sows doubts three weeks before the Tour
Frenchman Guillaume Martin tried to hold on to celebrate his 31st birthday on the summit of Glières, with no chance against a group that was already making moves to manage the finish. Roglic was in the saddle with Hindley and Vlasov, confident and with the confidence of two consecutive mountain victories.
The work of Lidl had the card of Ciccone, able to attack with 7 to go, opening a small gap. The reaction of Laurens De Plus (Ineos) selected the main group, sank Evenepoel and Vlasov and neutralized the Italian.
With 5 kilometers to go, Carlos Rodriguez attacked, an initiative that brought out the miseries of Roglic, also susceptible to trouble. The Granada-born rider went ahead with the podium men, Jorgenson and Derek Gee, 4 kilometers from the finish line. Behind, the Slovenian, without overdoing it, lost 31 seconds after the hardest part of the climb, against the ropes, weathering the storm as best he could.
Rodriguez and Jorgenson were ahead with 2 kilometers to go. The American, second overall, still dreaming of the yellow jersey, and the Spaniard with the third place on the podium. More emotion impossible, with everything to be resolved until the last meter.
The union made the strength and put an unexpected emotion, because Roglic had been superior to everyone in the two previous mountain stages. But the Slovenian, winner of 3 Vuelta and 1 Giro, did not have his day and sent clues to his rivals in the Tour, where he will go for the pending glory.
“It’s crazy to win the Dauphiné after everything that happened, the crashes and everything that happened in between. It’s unbelievable. I struggled at the end, I was listening to the references, but finally I made it and I’m satisfied for the team because I needed to win this race,” said at the finish line the triple winner of the Vuelta a España, who saved the yellow jersey by just 8 seconds.
“The Dauphiné is one thing and the Tour is another. First I want to be happy because you don’t win a race like this every day, and then I’ll think about the Tour,” he concluded.
Critérium du Dauphiné (2.UWT)
Resuts Stage 8 | Thônes – Plateau des Glières (160,6 km)
| 1 | Carlos Rodríguez | INEOS Grenadiers | 4:18:02 |
| 2 | Matteo Jorgenson | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | ,, |
| 3 | Derek Gee | Israel – Premier Tech | 0:15 |
| 4 | Laurens De Plus | INEOS Grenadiers | 0:35 |
| 5 | Santiago Buitrago | Bahrain – Victorious | ,, |
| 6 | Primož Roglic | BORA – hansgrohe | 0:48 |
| 7 | Giulio Ciccone | Lidl – Trek | ,, |
| 8 | Remco Evenepoel | Soudal Quick-Step | 0:58 |
| 9 | Aleksandr Vlasov | BORA – hansgrohe | ,, |
| 10 | Mikel Landa | Soudal Quick-Step | 1:10 |
Ranking General
| 1 | Primož Roglic | BORA – hansgrohe | 25:35:40 |
| 2 | Matteo Jorgenson | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | 0:08 |
| 3 | Derek Gee | Israel – Premier Tech | 0:36 |
| 4 | Carlos Rodríguez | INEOS Grenadiers | 1:00 |
| 5 | Laurens De Plus | INEOS Grenadiers | 2:04 |
| 6 | Aleksandr Vlasov | BORA – hansgrohe | 2:06 |
| 7 | Remco Evenepoel | Soudal Quick-Step | 2:25 |
| 8 | Giulio Ciccone | Lidl – Trek | 2:54 |
| 9 | Oier Lazkano | Movistar Team | ,, |
| 10 | Mikel Landa | Soudal Quick-Step | 4:13 |
| 11 | Santiago Buitrago | Bahrain – Victorious | 4:28 |