Roglic inflicted a painful loss on Evenepoel.
The Bora-hansgrohe team showcases incredible strength during the final ascent: Primož Roglić succeeds in claiming his first victory at the Dauphine, leaving Remco Evenepoel behind in the face-off between Tour frontrunners.
In a powerful display of teamwork and determination, Primož Roglić emerges victorious at the Dauphine, snatching a win from Remco Evenepoel in the battle between top contenders for the Tour de France. Coming a day after a disastrous mountain finish at Le Collet d'Allevard, this triumph for Roglić signifies a significant shutdown for Evenepoel.
As the second-time winner of the Tour general rehearsal, Roglić showcased his prowess, winning by just an astounding three-second margin over Italian competitor Giulio Ciccone (Lidl - Trek). Placing third in the race was Alexander Wlassow from Roglić's team, Bora-hansgrohe, trailing by mere eleven seconds. Evenepoel, who experienced a similar fate to the mass crash the day before, struggled to maintain pace, ultimately claiming eighth place with a 42-second disadvantage. Just the day before, Evenepoel had been donning the green jersey for leading in the points classification, but he now finds himself 19 seconds behind Roglić in terms of the overall ranking.
Visibly promoting team spirit, the strong and speedy display by the riders of Bora-hansgrohe was remarkable. Notably, Roglić and his compatriot Wlassov sped up, as did the previous Giro winner, Jai Hindley (Australia/10.). Despite the unfortunate mass crash on a treacherous level surface at the neutralized stage on Thursday, both Roglić and Evenepoel proved to be relatively unscathed. While their encounter in the Basque Country Tour resulted in a break for both contenders, this recent incident prompted no such outcomes.
As favored entrants for the Tour and without the presence of Vingegaard's support riders, Dylan van Baarle and Steven Kruijswijk, both experienced fractures rendering them unable to join in the French Round. Additionally, Pogacar's teammate Juan Ayuso, whose injuries remain undisclosed, skipped the Friday stage. Finally, the UAE Team Emirates offered no details regarding the health of fourth-place finisher at the Vuelta a España, the Spaniard Ayuso. This weekend, the Dauphine draws to a close with two more mountain finishes, with Saturday's race covering 155.3 km from Albertville to Samoens 1600.
