Jumbo-Visma rider Laporte just catches up with the escapee and wins the first stage in Dauphiné | Cycling

Jun 04, 2023 at 5:19 PMUpdate: 3 minutes ago

Christophe Laporte won the first stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné on Sunday. The thirty-year-old Frenchman only passed the early Belgian escapee Rune Herregodts in the very last meters.

In the absolute final of the 158-kilometer stage, Herregodts – as the last remaining adventurer he did not give in – was just unable to stay ahead of the thinned, onrushing peloton. Matteo Trentin also pushed his wheel over the finish line even earlier than the battle-weary Intermarché-Circus-Wanty rider.

With Danny van Poppel, one Dutchman finished in the top ten of the stage in which the peloton had to climb a fourth category climb five times. The BORA-hansgrohe rider finished sixth.

The mostly rainy stage led to some crashes. Antwan Tolhoek (Trek-Segafredo) was involved in one of those crashes and had to retire. This also applied to the Briton Ethan Hayter and the Frenchman Hugo Page.

For Laporte, who wears the leader’s jersey on Monday, his victory fits in with the successful season he is experiencing at Jumbo-Visma. The Frenchman already won Gent-Wevelgem and Dwars door Vlaanderen in March.

On Monday, the riders will again face a hilly ride in the Dauphiné. They cover 169 kilometers between Brassac-les-Mines and La Chaise-Dieu and have to conquer four climbs. Primoz Roglic won the French stage race last year, but will not participate this year.

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