Primoz Roglic (Bora-Hansgrohe) is now just over a minute clear of his closest rival, Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike), after the Slovenian was victorious in Stage 7 of the 2024 Criterium du Dauphine in France on Saturday. Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quickstep), who started the day in second spot, dropped down to fifth spot ahead of Friday’s final event.
Primoz Roglic (Bora-Hansgrohe) extended his lead at the top of the Criterium du Dauphine as he won Stage 7 on Saturday.
Roglic had taken over as the race leader after winning Stage 6 on Friday, and back-to-back victories help him move 1:02 clear ahead of Sunday’s final stage.
His closest competitor in Saturday’s event, and in the General Classification in France is Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a bike).
The Slovenian claimed victory as he sprinted clear of a small group leading the way at the Samoens 1600 ski resort.
Giuliu Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) who came second yesterday, was third, two seconds behind.
Roglic was helped by his team-mates, as Marc Soler (UAE-Emirates) took the lead for much of the race, before being reeled in and usurped.
Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quickstep) has now dropped out of the top five after losing momentum on the final climb, having started the day in second spot.
Speaking after the race as he warmed down, Roglic described how hard he had to work in wet and cold conditions.
He said: “It always seems easier than it actually was. It was a hard day. The guys did an amazing job keeping everything under control from the very start until the finish, so I’m glad I had the legs at the end to finish it off.
“I did. At the end – why not? – there was the opportunity. The guys did an incredible job. We all still feel it, after the crash and hard days in the legs.
“It’s not really easy putting a rain jacket on with one hand on, one hand off. I was freezing after the first climb, still waiting for the summer!”
The race was missing a number of riders who had elected to pull out after Stage 5’s ugly crash at the end of the route.
Lidl-Trek’s Tao Geoghegan Hart, Logan Currie (Lotto-Dstny), Hugo Toumire (Cofidis), Anders Skaarseth (Uno-X Mobility), Clement Russo (Groupama-FDJ), Christophe Juul Jensen, Blake Quick (both Jayco-AIUIa) and Abner Umba (Astana Qazaqstan) were all absent before the race got underway, while Soudal-QuickStep’s Ilan van Wilder dropped out shortly after the start of Stage 7.
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You can watch the 2024 Criterium du Dauphine live and on-demand on discovery+.
