Three-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates - XRG) and two-time overall winner Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) have put on a series of thrilling duels at the ongoing Critérium du Dauphiné. Pogacar has clearly established his status as the world's best climber, winning three stages of the Critérium du Dauphiné and leading the overall standings.
Both Pogacar and Vingegaard are preparing for the Tour de France, and as of today, the 26-year-old Slovenian is the clear favorite. However, the Dane, who is two years older, cannot be discounted. On the penultimate stage, stage 7, he lost 14 seconds to Pogacar, who crossed the finish line first.
"I couldn't keep up with Pogacar's attack, but honestly I think I had a pretty good ride," Vingegaard said. "I rode at my own pace. In the end I didn't lose too much, so I think I can be happy with today."
Vingegaard and his Visma-Lease a Bike team tried to attack Pogačar and his UAE Team Emirates-XRG in several ways, including getting into the early group of runners, increasing the pace on the hilly descents, and launching a late attack through Sepp Kuss.
The Dutch team had four riders in the leading group before the final climb, while Pogačar could only count on his teammate Pavel Sivakov to watch for attacks and keep the pace. Despite the numerical superiority, no one could do anything against Pogačar.
"I tried to follow, but like yesterday, I had to slow down," said Vingegaard. "But I think I still rode very, very well and I can be happy with my performance today. I saw my numbers and they were actually quite good. Tadej was just better today too, so congratulations to him. He really deserved this win," said Vingegaard.
🏔 3 cols hors catégorie au program et une belle bagarre pour l'étape comme pour le classification général! 💛
— Critérium du Dauphiné (@dauphine) June 14, 2025
🎥 Résumé de la 7ème étape du #Dauphiné pic.twitter.com/nVpJANsmEK
