At the Critérium du Dauphiné Pogacar disappeared from Vingegaard's sight

Remco Evenepoel was waiting for the Côte de Domancy to see if he could be as good as Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard on the climbs after winning, and with a bang, the time trial of the Critérium du Dauphiné. Jonas Vingegaard was waiting for the Côte de Domancy to prove, above all to himself, that he was still the best climber around and that he could still cause problems for Tadej Pogacar. Tadej Pogacar, on the other hand, was smiling despite the not-so-exceptional time trial he rode on Wednesday, admitted that he had "no stress", and talked about his programs in the run-up to the Tour de France being respected.

On the Côte de Domancy, during the sixth stage of the 2025 Critérium du Dauphiné , Tadej Pogacar accelerated without getting up on the pedals after his teammates had imposed a pace that was unsustainable for anyone other than Jonas Vingegaard. The Dane took the wheel of the world champion, gave the impression of being able to hold his own, of starting a new episode of their sporting saga.

On the other hand, it was to be expected. On Sunday, among the hills of Allier around Montluçon , Jonas Vingegaard had attacked, Tadej Pogacar had responded immediately, Remco Evenepoel had joined in, Mathieu van der Poel had enriched with talent an already excellent field.

It is in the head-to-head that precedes the solitude of the man alone in command that cycling offers its best image. It is in the head-to-head, regardless of whether someone has reached the solitude of the man alone in command that the love for this sport reaches its maximum, which also overcomes the natural and necessary "discrimination of the fans".

On the Côte de Domancy, on a hot afternoon in early June, the Dauphiné cyclists wanted to become, in its own small way – but not too much since it is organized by ASO, the company that organizes the Tour de France –, the incipit of the challenge that those three, the usual three, would have offered in July at the Tour de France . They were ready for a collective head-to-head, a head-to-head, good for making us understand what needs to be done on July afternoons. That's how it went, even if in a very different way than one might have imagined. Because Tadej Pogacar took the lead of the group and only Jonas Vingegaard remained on his wheel. Remco Evenepoel had already dropped away a few dozen meters before. Because once in the lead , Tadej Pogacar, sitting in his own way on his bike, increased his speed even further and not even Jonas Vingegaard was able to stay on his wheel .

It all happened in a few dozen seconds. Jonas Vingegaard saw Tadej Pogacar's back getting smaller pedal stroke after pedal stroke . Four hundred meters later he saw it disappear at the entrance to a curve. He never saw it again. Not even at the finish line. The world champion had already turned around, watched him cross the finish line, and approached him to shake his hand.

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