Laporte wins stage in Dauphiné interrupted by protest, Groenewegen set back | Cycling

Jun 06, 2023 at 5:08 PMUpdate: 21 minutes ago

Christophe Laporte also won the third stage in the Critérium du Dauphiné on Tuesday. The Jumbo-Visma rider was the strongest in the bunch sprint of a stage that was temporarily interrupted by a protest. Dylan Groenewegen was later put back in the result.

Laporte initially kept Sam Bennett (second) and Groenewegen (third) behind him in the sprint. Later Bennett and Groenewegen were put back because they had sprinted illegally. Matteo Trentin is the new number two, ahead of Milan Menten.

In the run-up to the bunch sprint, several Groenewegen teammates crashed. The Dutchman lost his train because of this and was therefore already short to participate in the battle for victory.

Laporte also won the opening stage in the Dauphiné on Sunday and strengthened his leading position in the general classification thanks to his victory in the third stage. He is now eleven seconds ahead of his compatriot Julian Alaphilippe.

The Dauphiné will last until Sunday. The French WorldTour race continues on Wednesday with an individual time trial over 31.1 kilometers.

The stage was temporarily neutralized due to a protest. Photo: Getty Images

Alaphilippe involved in mass crash

The third stage took the peloton over 194.1 kilometers from Monistrol-sur-Loire to Le Coteau. Along the way, the riders faced climbs of the second and fourth categories.

In the first hours, the stage was colored by a breakaway by Mathieu Burgaudeau. The Frenchman rode alone for a long time, but was caught again with more than 100 kilometers to go.

Moments later, the peloton was suddenly held up by a demonstration on the course. The stage was neutralized and the organization came up with a route change. Fifteen minutes later, the riders were able to continue on the normal course and the ride was resumed.

With 50 kilometers to go, the peloton was then startled by a massive crash. Alaphilippe and Daniel Martínez, among others, were involved, while Andrey Zeits had to give up.

In the end, the peloton stayed together until the finish, so that a bunch sprint had to bring the decision. Laporte passed Bennett just before the line.

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