In four weeks it will already be the Tour de France: the race will start on Saturday 29 June from Florence, and in Italy there will be three stages (arrivals in Rimini, Bologna and Turin), plus the start of the fourth from Pinerolo. As per tradition, the Dauphiné Criterium, organized like the Tour da Aso, opens the approach to the yellow jersey. Today first stage in Saint Pourçain sur Sioule, in the Lyon area: clear victory in the sprint for the Dane Mads Pedersen, who to say he is a sprinter is an understatement. Launched to perfection by the Latvian Skuijns, the Luxembourg champion Kirsch and the South African champion Gibbons, the 2019 world champion holds the inside line very well in the right-hander with a very slight uphill finish and overtakes the Irishman Sam Bennett (Decathlon-Ag2R) and the Frenchman Hugo Page (Intermarché); Michele Gazzoli (Astana), sixth, first of the Azzurri. Pedersen, 28 years old, thus achieved the 42nd victory of his career, the eighth of the season: he was the green points jersey at the 2022 Vuelta and won stages in all three grand tours (first in Naples at the 2023 Giro). In the spring he conquered Ghent-Wevelgem, came third in Paris-Roubaix and fourth in Milan-Sanremo.
so do the big names
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The Dauphiné is the return race of the Flemish Remco Evenepoel and the Slovenian Primoz Roglic, who crashed on 4 April in the Tour of the Basque Country together with Vingegaard (still in the pits: he is training in the Alps in Tignes). The two big names finished in the group: Roglic 72nd and Evenepoel 98th, as well as Antonio Tiberi, 49th, who after fifth place in the Giro is firmly aiming for the general classification and confirmation at a high level, and Giulio Ciccone, 62nd, looking for answers towards the Tour de France.
I arrive uphill
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On Monday there was an uphill finish, although not difficult: second stage, Gannat-Col de la Loge, 142 km, finish line at an altitude of 1251 meters after a 10.9 km climb at 3.6%. The Dauphiné Criterium will end on Sunday 9 June.
