Long live France in the Dauphiné today. This stage seemed to be made for a breakaway in advance, and it turned out that way.
After a stiff first half hour with attacks by Jasper Stuyven, among others, a leading group with 7 riders eventually emerged. 6 French and one Italian: Andrea Bagioli of Quick-Step Alpha-Vinyl.
That group worked well together and kept spinning well throughout the ride. At one point they were more than four minutes ahead of the pack, and Bagioli was virtually in yellow.
Wout van Aert didn’t feel like that, so Jumbo-Visma gave chase. In the end they came in less than a minute, but the escapees were no longer caught.
Van Aert’s yellow jersey was secured.
When the leading group was under the rag of the last kilometer, Frenchman Valentin Ferron (TotalEnergies) attacked once again. In the end this proved sufficient to outwit his companions, for no one came as far as his wheel. It is immediately the most beautiful victory of the career of the 24-year-old Frenchman.
The stage is completely blue-white-red. Pierre Rolland and Warren Barguil were second and third
Valentin Ferron: “This victory is the culmination of all my hard work. A rider doesn’t win many races in his career and it’s great to be able to win a stage in the Dauphiné.”
“I knew I wasn’t the best sprinter in this leading group, so I had to try something. Going into the last kilometer it was a bit quiet, so I went full on the attack. I didn’t stop until I crossed the finish line.”
“We have very good group dynamics at TotalEnergies and this victory is for the whole team. We will undoubtedly celebrate this tonight in the hotel!”
