The third stage of the 76th edition of the Critérium du Dauphiné was won by surprise by Derek Gee. In an unexpected finish, the Israel – Premier Tech rider managed to surprise the favorites and then proved to be the fastest after 181.7 kilometers between Celles-sur-Durolle and Les Estables.
The Canadian rider took the victory ahead of Frenchman Romain Grégoire (Groupama – FDJ) and Briton Lukas Nerurkar (EF Education – EasyPost), snatching the leader’s jersey from Denmark’s Magnus Cort (Uno-X Mobility).
The day’s breakaway was led by three brave riders: Australian Harry Sweeny (EF Education – EasyPost) and Frenchmen Nicolas Prodhomme (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team) and Rémy Rochas (Groupama – FDJ). Later they were joined by the Danish Christopher Juul-Jensen (Team Jayco AlUla), however, in the final stretch all were neutralized by the peloton.
As for the Colombians, three arrived with the main group. Harold Tejada (Astana Qazaqstan Team) was in the top 5, Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain – Victorious) was 6th, and Ivan Ramiro Sosa (Movistar) was 38th, while Santiago Umba (Astana Qazaqstan Team) was 53rd, 16 seconds behind the winner.
The French round will continue on Wednesday, June 5, with the fourth stage, a 34.4-kilometer individual time trial between Saint-Germain-Laval and Neulise. The successor to Danish Jonas Vingegaard, last year’s champion, will be announced on Sunday in Plateau des Glières (France).
Critérium du Dauphiné (2.UWT)
Results Stage 3 | Celles-sur-Durolle – Les Estables (181,7 km)
| 1 | Derek Gee | Israel – Premier Tech | 4:22:18 |
| 2 | Romain Grégoire | Groupama – FDJ | ,, |
| 3 | Lukas Nerurkar | EF Education – EasyPost | 0:03 |
| 4 | Giulio Ciccone | Lidl – Trek | ,, |
| 5 | Harold Tejada | Astana Qazaqstan Team | ,, |
| 6 | Santiago Buitrago | Bahrain – Victorious | ,, |
| 7 | Aleksandr Vlasov | BORA – hansgrohe | ,, |
| 8 | Clément Champoussin | Arkéa – B&B Hotels | ,, |
| 9 | Matteo Jorgenson | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | ,, |
| 10 | Primož Roglic | BORA – hansgrohe | ,, |
Ranking General
| 1 | Derek Gee | Israel – Premier Tech | 11:45:20 |
| 2 | Magnus Cort | Uno-X Mobility | 0:03 |
| 3 | Romain Grégoire | Groupama – FDJ | 0:04 |
| 4 | Primož Roglic | BORA – hansgrohe | 0:07 |
| 5 | Matteo Jorgenson | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | 0:09 |
| 6 | Lukas Nerurkar | EF Education – EasyPost | ,, |
| 7 | Bruno Armirail | Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team | 0:11 |
| 8 | Clément Champoussin | Arkéa – B&B Hotels | 0:13 |
| 9 | Giulio Ciccone | Lidl – Trek | ,, |
| 10 | Carlos Rodríguez | INEOS Grenadiers | ,, |
Source: Revista Mundo Ciclístico