© ASO/Billy Ceusters
Criterium du Dauphiné: Vingegaard’s impresssive demonstration
Defending champion and one of the main favorites for the next Tour de France, Jonas Vingegaard delivered a masterclass at the Critérium du Dauphiné. Very well protected all week by his team, and also effective leadout man for teammate Christophe Laporte who won two sprint stages of his own, the Dane from the Jumbo-Visma then crushed the competition with two stage victories and a 2nd place in the time trial which took place in the Loire.
Overall winner by more than two minutes (a record margin since 1993) ahead of the runner-up, Adam Yates, Vingegaard was in a class of his own. “It is very important for me to win this race, perhaps the biggest one-week race,” Vingegaard said at the finish. “I am very happy and proud of it. It’s been a totally perfect week, which we managed well. I can be very satisfied with the whole week, I’m in good shape.”
This victory at the Dauphiné allows Vingegaard to send a message to all the competition, and especially to Tadej Pogacar, before the big start of the Tour de France on July 1. “I don’t think about that, you have to ask my opponents if they take that as a message or not,” he said. “But I think I can still improve a little bit.” And this is perhaps the most worrying thought for all these adversaries.
The results: 1. Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) ; 2. A. Yates (UAE Team Emirates) ; 3. O’Connor (AG2R Citroën Team)…
Stages won by: Laporte (Jumbo-Visma) ; Alaphilippe (Soudal-Quick Step) ; Laporte (Jumbo-Visma) ; Bjerg (UAE Team Emirates) ; Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) ; Zimmermann (Intermarché – Circus – Wanty) ; Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) ; Ciccone (Trek-Segafredo).
*****
ZLM Tour: Kooij, a star at home
Olav Kooij can take a big breath. The Jumbo-Visma sprinter won the ZLM Tour, the most important stage race in his country, the Netherlands. Leading on the evening of the second stage, the native of Numansdorp won the general classification but was forced to wait for the 4th and last stage to add a stage win to his overall success.
After a lot of work from his teammates to put him in the perfect position, the young sprinter did not hesitate and won easily. Kooij also rode so dominantly that he won not only the leader’s jersey, but the sprint leader’s jersey and the best young rider’s jersey.
The results : 1. Kooij (Jumbo-Visma) ; 2. Welsford (Team DSM) ; 3. Eekhoff (Team DSM)…
Stages won by Eekhoff (Team DSM) ; Vandevelde (TDT-Unibet Cycling Team) ; Mareczko (Alpecin-Deceuninck) ; De Kleijn (Tudor Pro Cycling Team) ; Kooij (Jumbo-Visma)…
*****
Course de la Paix Grand Prix Jeseníky : Huby and France shine
The French team particularly distinguished itself during the Peace Race which ended in Jesenik, in the Czech Republic, with the final victory of the young Antoine Huby.
Racing in the tricolor jersey, and a member of the Vendée U team, the 22-year-old Breton managed to win ahead of Dane Simon Dalby, by four seconds, and the Italian Davide De Cassan, by eighteen, even though Huby never won a stage (though he was 2nd in stage 2).
In addition to Huby’s overall win, the French team had already tasted success thanks to the two stage victories by Pierre Gautherat, a member of AG2R Citroën team, in the opening prologue and the first stage.
The results : 1. Huby (France) ; 2. Dalby (Danemark) ; 3. De Cassan (Italie)…
Stages won by : Gautherat (France) ; Gautherat (France) ; Dalby (Danemark) ; Rootkin-Gray (Grande-Bretagne).
*****
Grosser Preis des Kantons Aargau: Thibau Nys wins
Junior and U23 cyclocross world champion, Thibau Nys (20 years old) won the Grosser Preis des Kantons Aargau. The Belgian won the 59th edition on the rugged circuit of Leuggern (Switzerland) by dominating in the sprint ahead of the Swiss Marc Hirschi (UAE Team Emirates), winner last year, and the Spaniard Pello Bilbao (Bahrain- Victorious). This is the young Nys’ second success among the pros after a first victory taken on a stage of the Tour of Norway in May.
The results : 1. Nys (Trek-Segafredo) ; 2. Hirschi (UAE Team Emirates) ; 3. Bilbao (Bahrain-Victorious)…
*****
Upcoming races :
Until 18 June: Tour de Suisse, https://www.tourdesuisse.ch/fr/
13 June: CIC Mont Ventoux, http://cicmontventoux.com/
14-18 June: Baloise Belgium Tour, https://baloisebelgiumtour.be/fr/
14-18 June: Lotto Belgium Tour, https://www.lottobelgiumtour.be/
14-18 June: Tour of Slovenia, https://tourofslovenia.si/en
15-18 June: Route d’Occitanie, https://www.laroutedoccitanie.fr/