NewKerala.com

Key Points

Tadej Pogacar delivered another dominant performance, securing his second consecutive stage win at the Criterium du Dauphine. He surged ahead with 12km left, leaving Jonas Vingegaard struggling in pursuit. UAE Team Emirates controlled the race despite Visma-Lease a Bike's aggressive tactics. Pogacar now holds a 1:01 lead heading into the final stage.

Key Points: Tadej Pogacar Extends Criterium du Dauphine Lead With Stage 7 Win

  • Pogacar attacks early on final climb to secure solo win
  • Vingegaard chases but settles for second place
  • UAE Team Emirates defends lead despite Visma pressure
  • Pogacar now leads GC by 1:01 ahead of final stage
3 min read

UAE Team Emirates maintains lead in Criterium du Dauphine

UAE Team Emirates' Pogacar dominates stage 7, outpacing Vingegaard to strengthen his yellow jersey lead in the Criterium du Dauphine.

"I just committed because I didn’t want any attacks from behind. – Tadej Pogacar"

Paris, June 15

With another searing performance, Tadej Pogacar made it two victories in as many days at the Criterium du Dauphine, as he further strengthened his grip on the yellow jersey as race leader.

The UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider attacked with 12km of the final mountain to ride on stage 7, quickly distancing his rivals and going alone to the finish.

As Pogacar made his acceleration, not even Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) could hold the wheel, with the Dane forced into a lengthy but futile pursuit of the world champion.

At first, Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) united with Vingegaard to mount a chase, but Vingegaard was too strong for the white jersey holder, and he would ride to second place over the line.

Pogacar, meanwhile, settled into his rhythm and powered his way to the top of Valmeinier 1800 (16.2km at 6.8%). The yellow jersey wearer claimed the 98th victory of his career, extending his advantage in the lead of the race to 1:01 heading into Sunday's final stage.

Earlier in the stage, Visma-Lease a Bike had tried to gain the upper hand on the Emirati squad. Setting a hard pace on the Col de la Croix de Fer, the team of Vingegaard maintained healthy numbers as those by Pogacar's side dwindled. However, there was to be no isolating the world champion, with Pavel Sivakov producing a gritty display to maintain UAE Team Emirates-XRG control on the day.

Pogacar said, "We had our own plan but then Visma started to go full gas on the first category climb and actually before the start, I didn't know, but this climb I definitely did before, and it brought back memories.

"Today we wanted to take control on all the climbs but Visma tried with all the attacks. I was pretty happy with how Pavel was riding today, and the team, so it was a sort of defence not to get attacked by everyone from Visma. I launched it and I maintained a good pace to the top, so I am happy that I could defend the jersey like this.

"Visma attacked towards the top of the Croix de Fer, then I think they wanted to drop me on the downhill. When Pavel came back, he took control again and it was all fine. On the last climb, Pavel said that he could not do much longer so he prepared me for the attack. I just committed because I didn't want any attacks from behind."

Criterium du Dauphine 2025 stage 7 results: Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) 4:10:00, Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) +14'', Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) +1:21.

General classification after Criterium du Dauphine stage 7: Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) 25:44:58, Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) +1:01, Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) +2:21. (ANI/WAM)

- ANI

Share this article:

Reader Comments

R
Rahul K.
What an incredible performance by Pogacar! UAE Team Emirates is dominating this season. As an Indian cycling fan, I wish we had more infrastructure to develop world-class riders. Maybe one day we'll see an Indian competing at this level! 🇮🇳🚴‍♂️
P
Priya M.
The rivalry between Pogacar and Vingegaard is getting intense! It's like watching a chess match on wheels. Though I wonder if UAE's dominance is good for the sport - we need more competition to keep things interesting.
A
Arjun S.
These European cycling events are fascinating but I wish Indian media gave more coverage to our own cycling heroes like Deborah Herold. We have talent but lack the support system these foreign teams enjoy.
S
Sunita R.
The strategy talk in this article shows how cycling is more than just physical strength. It's about teamwork and tactics too. Reminds me of how our kabaddi players plan their moves! Different sport but same intelligence required.
V
Vikram J.
UAE investing so much in sports is impressive. Meanwhile in India, we're still struggling with basic cycling lanes in cities. Maybe our Gulf neighbors can teach us something about sports infrastructure development!
N
Neha P.
The endurance these athletes show is unbelievable! Cycling up those mountains looks tougher than climbing our Western Ghats. Hats off to their fitness levels 👏 Maybe Indian athletes can train in these conditions to improve performance.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Leave a Comment

Minimum 50 characters 0/50