'... fortunately, I had good legs' — Tadej Pogacar celebrates unexpected sprint win at the Critérium du Dauphiné
RHONE-ALPES, FRANCE: Tadej Pogacar clinched the victory in Stage 1 of the Critérium du Dauphiné with an impressive sprint.
The UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider outpaced top contenders Jonas Vingegaard (Visma Lease a Bike) and Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) in the final sprint to seal the stage win and the race's first yellow jersey. Moreover, this sprint finish was unexpected for Pogacar, marking his strong start to the eight-stage race.
With this, Pogacar expressed: 'Obviously, it's good, but the real test is coming at the end of the weekend… I was not [expecting it]. I was all prepared to come back to the bus pretty fast after the finish, to take a shower in the bus, take a comfortable seat, and enjoy the rest of the day. But I don't mind being here as well.' Highlights of the race
Pogacar's victory came from a breakaway led by his opponent, Vingegaard. He made an unusual attack after the peloton slowed at the top of the Côte de Buffon, wherein Van der Poel and Pogacar followed. More so, Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious) and Remco Evenepoel (Soudal–Quick-Step) caught up to join the group of five top riders. See also After her best year ever, what's next for Shanti Pereira?
Van der Poel launched a sprint to try and beat Pogacar and Vingegaard with 1 km left. It was an intense moment, but Pogacar remained calm and surpassed Van der Poel to claim the stage win.
Pogacar admitted: ' I followed the moves on the steep part of the climb, and then, Visma were clearly going for the stage win. They were trying, with everybody, to attack from the top. And that one was painful… And fortunately, I had good legs, and I covered all the attacks, and then, even Jonas, for the last one, for the cherry on the top, he attacked.'
He added, 'Around 2 km to go, I was starting to think more about the sprint than just the GC, and I knew that Van der Poel was the fastest, obviously, in this group, but after a finish like this, you cannot count all of the rest out, they can be fast as well after a tough day.'
Furthermore, Vingegaard admitted: 'I had a good day, to be honest. I'm happy with how it went today. Happy that I could make a difference, so yeah, I guess it's the first time I finished second in a bunch sprint. So I'm happy.'
Stage 2 of the Critérium du Dauphiné will happen south of the suburb of Prémilhat, having 204.6 km of challenging, hilly terrain. The route includes six climbs, setting the stage for a tough day in the saddle before finishing in the town of Issoire.
In a social media post, Pogacar shared his win and said: 'Stage 1 ✅ Great legs, great team, great start. A bit off-script, but super racing between the rivals in the final🤝
Onwards we go 💪.'
Netizens commented on the post: 'Now a sprinter World champ 🌈🌈🔥🔥,' 'Great job Tadej 🌈🤍💪🏻👑,' 'It is going to be a fun tour 🙌🙌,' and 'On another level yet again. What a sprint finish amongst the best rivals 💪.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
3 hours ago
- CNA
Inter appoint Romanian Chivu as manager
Inter Milan appointed Romanian Cristian Chivu as coach on Monday on a two-year deal in place of Simone Inzaghi who left the role following the Italian side's 5-0 Champions League final loss to Paris St Germain. Former Inter defender Chivu, who left Parma less than four months in charge, played as a defender for Inter for seven years and was part of Jose Mourinho's treble-winning side in 2010. "In February 2025, Cristian was given his first opportunity to coach a senior side as Parma... He led the Emilians to safety, with the team picking up 16 points from 13 matches under his guidance," Inter said in a statement. "Now, Cristian Chivu is beginning the third chapter of his Nerazzurri story. And he's doing so with the values that have always guided him: dedication, sacrifice and a tireless work ethic." Inter begin their Club World Cup campaign against Mexico's Monterrey on June 17 in Los Angeles.
Independent Singapore
4 hours ago
- Independent Singapore
Emma Raducanu has 'low expectations' heading to grass court due to injury, gives coaching updates
INTERNATIONAL: Emma Raducanu admitted that she is not expecting as much from herself as she prepares for her grass-court tournament of the season. The athlete expressed that she has been dealing with injury lately, which is affecting her preparations for the upcoming competitions. The 2021 US Open champion experienced a back spasm during her match against Danielle Collins just before the French Open, and this concern is still bothering her now. Raducanu has been making a strong comeback in her recent games, particularly during the clay-court season. With her recent performances, she is now close to returning to the top 30 in the WTA rankings. However, despite her progress, the injury limits her ability to perform her best, and it has raised concerns about whether she can fully perform in the grass court stretch of the season, which includes Wimbledon. With this, Raducanu admitted: ' I have had a small interruption with a back spasm again, so that was a bit annoying… That kind of hindered my grass prep, but the last few days I have managed to get on the grass and just begin to feel my feet.' See also 2025 Singapore Tennis Open highlights She added: 'Overall, I just have to manage what I can take care of, and if these things happen, I just need to deal with it and just keep doing the right things… But I try not to let it get to me, because I think I have a pretty good feel of when it happens, what to do, and how to manage it. It does take a few days out, but all I can do is kind of deal with what's in front of me.' Still, Raducanu declared that she is excited to participate in the WTA 500 tournament at Queen's Club despite these setbacks. She stated: 'Of course I want to win this tournament, like every tournament, but especially when it's at home… My expectations are pretty low, because I played points for the first time today, and I've had maybe two or three days on the grass courts, so it's not been much.' Updates on her coaches Alongside her health updates, Emma Raducanu also shared the latest on her coaching situation. See also Katie Boulter makes history with her first WTA clay-court victory She said that Mark Petchey will continue to work with her part-time while also working in his regular job as a tennis commentator. Moreover, Raducanu announced that coach Nick Cavaday is back in her team. Cavaday previously left her team after the Australian Open in January due to health problems. Now, he has returned to support the young athlete in this important part of the season. With this, Raducanu said: 'I'm happy to see him healthy, first of all… I mean, it's been such a long time since we were last on court together in Australia, and Mark is in Paris commentating, so Nick was around and it was nice to just have a few days with him.' She added: 'They'll both be helping me throughout the grass [season]… I think having Mark and Nick, both people who have banks of experience, and I think they can complement each other really well, and I trust both of them a lot… So that is a big fundamental for me, so I'm looking forward to this upcoming season and seeing how it goes.' In a social media post, Raducanu shared that the grass court season is about to begin and said: 'That time of year 🍀.' Netizens commented on the post and stated: 'Good luck Emma! I'm really hoping to see you in semi-finals! Let's go! ❤️🔥💪🏼,' 'Wimbledon is yours,' and 'Good luck Emma 🍀🤞 always support you no matter what.'
Independent Singapore
4 hours ago
- Independent Singapore
'... fortunately, I had good legs' — Tadej Pogacar celebrates unexpected sprint win at the Critérium du Dauphiné
RHONE-ALPES, FRANCE: Tadej Pogacar clinched the victory in Stage 1 of the Critérium du Dauphiné with an impressive sprint. The UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider outpaced top contenders Jonas Vingegaard (Visma Lease a Bike) and Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) in the final sprint to seal the stage win and the race's first yellow jersey. Moreover, this sprint finish was unexpected for Pogacar, marking his strong start to the eight-stage race. With this, Pogacar expressed: 'Obviously, it's good, but the real test is coming at the end of the weekend… I was not [expecting it]. I was all prepared to come back to the bus pretty fast after the finish, to take a shower in the bus, take a comfortable seat, and enjoy the rest of the day. But I don't mind being here as well.' Highlights of the race Pogacar's victory came from a breakaway led by his opponent, Vingegaard. He made an unusual attack after the peloton slowed at the top of the Côte de Buffon, wherein Van der Poel and Pogacar followed. More so, Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious) and Remco Evenepoel (Soudal–Quick-Step) caught up to join the group of five top riders. See also After her best year ever, what's next for Shanti Pereira? Van der Poel launched a sprint to try and beat Pogacar and Vingegaard with 1 km left. It was an intense moment, but Pogacar remained calm and surpassed Van der Poel to claim the stage win. Pogacar admitted: ' I followed the moves on the steep part of the climb, and then, Visma were clearly going for the stage win. They were trying, with everybody, to attack from the top. And that one was painful… And fortunately, I had good legs, and I covered all the attacks, and then, even Jonas, for the last one, for the cherry on the top, he attacked.' He added, 'Around 2 km to go, I was starting to think more about the sprint than just the GC, and I knew that Van der Poel was the fastest, obviously, in this group, but after a finish like this, you cannot count all of the rest out, they can be fast as well after a tough day.' Furthermore, Vingegaard admitted: 'I had a good day, to be honest. I'm happy with how it went today. Happy that I could make a difference, so yeah, I guess it's the first time I finished second in a bunch sprint. So I'm happy.' Stage 2 of the Critérium du Dauphiné will happen south of the suburb of Prémilhat, having 204.6 km of challenging, hilly terrain. The route includes six climbs, setting the stage for a tough day in the saddle before finishing in the town of Issoire. In a social media post, Pogacar shared his win and said: 'Stage 1 ✅ Great legs, great team, great start. A bit off-script, but super racing between the rivals in the final🤝 Onwards we go 💪.' Netizens commented on the post: 'Now a sprinter World champ 🌈🌈🔥🔥,' 'Great job Tadej 🌈🤍💪🏻👑,' 'It is going to be a fun tour 🙌🙌,' and 'On another level yet again. What a sprint finish amongst the best rivals 💪.'
