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Daily Tribune
2 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Tribune
Pogacar edges Vingegaard for opening Dauphine win
Tadej Pogacar edged a gripping opening stage of the eight-day Criterium du Dauphine yesterday after an elite clique produced a surprise finale that delivered the first yellow jersey to the Slovenian. Billed as a potential mass sprint, cycling fans were instead treated to a late breakaway as Jonas Vingegaard attacked late, with Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel following and double Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel chasing them down. Race designers had placed four small hills in the closing kilometres of the stage and the idea produced a thrilling four way race for the line. Pogacar came across the line ahead of Vingegaard after keeping his powder dry until Van der Poel attacked early and both men overtook him. Evenepoel was fourth with all of them clocking 4hr 40min 02sec over the hilly 196km run from Domerat and Montlucon. Pogacar said he hadn't expected to win but had tracked the moves of others before coming up with an impromptu plan. 'I switched my focus around 2k to go to prepare for sprint. And it worked,' said the 26-year-old three-time Tour de France winner. '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,' he said. Pogacar took the overall lead thanks to 10 bonus seconds, with Vingegaard only taking six. it is already looking like a fascinating battle is warming up betwen these two riders have have won the last five Tours de France between them.


New Straits Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Pogacar edges Vingegaard for opening Dauphine win
MONTLUÇON, France: Tadej Pogacar edged a gripping opening stage of the eight-day Criterium du Dauphine on Sunday after an elite clique produced a surprise finale that delivered the first yellow jersey to the Slovenian. Billed as a potential mass sprint, cycling fans were instead treated to a late breakaway as Jonas Vingegaard attacked late, with Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel following and double Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel chasing them down. Race designers had placed four small hills in the closing kilometres of the stage and the idea produced a thrilling four way race for the line. Pogacar came across the line ahead of Vingegaard after keeping his powder dry until Van der Poel attacked early and both men overtook him. Evenepoel was fourth with all of them clocking 4hr 40min 02sec over the hilly 196km run from Domerat and Montlucon. Pogacar said he hadn't expected to win but had tracked the moves of others before coming up with an impromptu plan. "I switched my focus around 2k to go to prepare for sprint. And it worked," said the 26-year-old three-time Tour de France winner. "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," he said. Pogacar took the overall lead thanks to 10 bonus seconds, with Vingegaard only taking six. it is already looking like a fascinating battle is warming up betwen these two riders have have won the last five Tours de France between them. Vingegaard said he was disappointed to be four seconds adrift of his perennial rival but was looking on the bright side. "It's the first time I finished second in a bunch sprint," said the slender climb specialist. "So I'm happy. And Tadej was just faster than I was. So congrats to him." With four hilly stages, a time trial and three final days in the Alps, the Dauphine will provide a glimpse of what to expect when the 21-day Tour de France begins on July 5. The short, tough route has attracted an A-list roster of 154 riders from 22 teams. Monday's second stage takes in six more big hills over 204.6km from Premilhat to Issoire.
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Barry Hoban, British cycling legend and Tour de France icon, dies aged 85
Barry Hoban, centre, receives his trophy after winning the 18th stage of the 1968 Tour de France in Bordeaux. Photograph: Agence France Presse/AFP/Getty Images Barry Hoban, the British cycling Icon and eight-time Tour de France stage winner has died aged 85. Hoban was a pioneer of cycling in the UK in the 1960s and 70s and blazed a trail for cyclists such as Mark Cavendish and Geraint Thomas. Advertisement Born in 1940 in Wakefield, Yorkshire, Hoban cut his teeth for local cycling club Calder Clarion as a sprinter before realising he had a particular aptitude for climbing. He turned professional in the 1960s and spent 19 years on the circuit. Hoban remains the only British male rider to win Belgian's renowned Gent-Wevelgem when he triumphed on the course's infamous cobbles and climbs in 1974. Britain's Lizzie Deignan later won the inaugural women's version in 2012. Until Mark Cavendish eventually surpassed him in 2009, Hoban held the record for the most Tours de France completed by a British rider. He finished 11 of the 12 Tours he competed in, another British cycling record that Hoban held until recently with Geraint Thomas finishing his 12th tour last year. The Welshman might have more in the saddle but the Yorkshireman can lay claim to being the first British rider to win a Tour de France mountain stage and the first to win two Tour stages consecutively. Hoban was great friends with Tom Simpson and his first Tour stage win in 1967 was a tribute to Britain's first world champion cyclist who died after collapsing on Mont Ventoux. In emotional scenes, Hoban was allowed to complete the stage as a solo rider in tribute the day after Simpson's death. Hoban spent the majority of his seasons racing for Mercier-BP-Hutchinson, with teammates including fellow cycling greats Cyrille Guimard and Raymond Poulidor. He is survived by his wife Helen, daughter Daniella and step-daughters Jane and Joanne Simpson.