Tadej Pogačar dominated the second part of the Critérium du Dauphiné to take the final overall win. Meanwhile in Switzerland; home rider, Marlen Reusser surprisingly beat Demi Vollering in the Tour de Suisse women and Romain Gregoire took the win and overall lead on stage 1 of the men’s race. Catch up with all the videos, race reports, results and what the rider think.
TOP STORY:
- Merckx and De Vlaeminck on Pogačar’s domination: “What opposition does he have?”
Rider news:
- Michael Matthews sidelined with signs of pulmonary embolism
- Thibau Nys ‘can’t complain’ after first test before the Tour de France
- Jasper Philipsen announces his Belgian program before the Tour de France
- Mattias Skjelmose still sick
Team news:
- Patrick Lefevere watched Soudal-Quick Step’s 1000th victory
- Jayco AlUla to share knowledge with Saudi Cycling Federation
- New American professional team for 2026
- Fabio Christen to Stay with Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team Through 2027
- Collarbone fracture for Intermarché-Wanty’s Gerben Thijssen
- Medical update on Louis Vervaeke from Soudal Quick-Step
Race news:
- Dog takes 13th place in the Queen stage of the Tour of Colombia
Plus:
- Merci, Romain Bardet
Monday EUROTRASH coffee time.
TOP STORY: Merckx and De Vlaeminck on Pogačar’s domination: “What opposition does he have?”
There is no doubt that Tadej Pogačar is currently the best cyclist in the World. His almost total domination always leads to comparisons with Eddy Merckx. But what does the Belgian, whose 80th birthday is next Tuesday, think about it?
In an interview with Het Nieuwsblad, Merckx, along with his great rival Roger De Vlaeminck, spoke at length about the current generation of cyclists. Both men have a lot of respect for Pogačar, but are also critical about his dominance. “Who else did we see in the spring?” Merckx asks. “Mathieu van der Poel, and Remco Evenepoel if he is healthy. In my time you had Godefroot, Roger, Freddy Maertens, Demeyer… And in the big tours Gimondi, Motta, Ocaña, Fuente. Now it’s all a bit less in the tours. Except for Jonas Vingegaard, but he races so little. And in Paris-Nice at the beginning of the year he didn’t make a good impression on me.”
The always outspoken De Vlaeminck goes a bit further. “It’s certain that Vingegaard is a good tour rider, but he doesn’t ride. What do they pay him for a whole year? And I won’t talk about Pogačar, but what opposition does he have? Like they let him ride ninety kilometres in the Strade Bianche. And the only one who tried something is Pidcockske (Tom Pidcock). Come on, boy. They wouldn’t have dropped me so quickly there. On the sand, in the stones. I would have liked to ride that race.”
The now 77-year-old De Vlaeminck, who took 162 professional wins in his career, is not impressed by the opposition and singles out Mads Pedersen. “They are making him a really good one now because he wins a few stages in the Giro d’Italia. But he can’t win a time trial and he can’t win a mountain stage. Then you’re not a super rider to me. What has Pedersen won already?”
Merckx then tries to defend the Dane, but De Vlaeminck sticks to his opinion. “Strong in the Giro? I won 22 stages in the Giro d’Italia and I finished fourth in the final classification. And I’m not going to talk about Eddy. How many times has he won the Giro? Five times? Pogacar will have to hurry. Eddy is more well-behaved than me. More careful. A different character than me. He can’t help it. Listen, I won’t say Pedersen is a bad driver, but he’s not a good one either. And he’s certainly not super. That’s my honest opinion and that’s the truth.”
Merckx and De Vlaeminck:
Critérium du Dauphiné 2025
The final sprint of the Critérium du Dauphiné 2025, ahead of three major mountain stages, saw Jake Stewart (Israel-Premier Tech) power to victory in Mâcon, after a fast and hard Stage 5. Attackers tried to make the most of the climbs of the day to try and upset the sprinters. But the pack managed to catch the breakaway inside the last 2 kilometres, which seemed to be the perfect timing for Lidl-Trek to line up their train at the front and launch Jonathan Milan to a second stage win in this edition. But the Italian powerhouse, dropped earlier in the stage, couldn’t fend off his rivals and especially Stewart. On Sunday, he was already the fastest from the bunch… This time, there was nobody ahead to deprive him of his first UCI WorldTour success. Remco Evenepoel went down in the finale but he retains the yellow and blue jersey.
On the day after Remco Evenepoel dominated the ITT from Charmes-sur-Rhône to Saint-Péray, a 149-man peloton set off from Saint-Priest, without Michael Hepburn (Jayco AlUla), the fifth rider to abandon the Critérium du Dauphiné 2025. The 183 kilometres laid out in front of them, en route to Mâcon, are far less demanding than what’s coming in the Alps, but the stage still packs enough climbing to create real uncertainty about the scenario the riders will deliver.
Enzo Leijnse (Picnic PostNL) and Pierre Thierry (Arkea-B&B Hotels) set off at km 1.5. They’re rapidly joined at the front by Jordan Labrosse (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) but the battle goes. EF Education-EasyPost and Cofidis drive the chase, counter-attackers launch new moves… But the situation settles as Bastien Tronchon (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) is caught by the bunch at 24km. By that point, the gap hit its maximum of 2:10 and sprint teams; Lidl-Trek and Israel-Premier Tech took the helm of the bunch to try and control the day.
The riders fly towards the hilly section of the day halfway through the stage and the gap drops down to 1 second ahead of the first climb of the day, the cat-3 Côte de Saint-Amour. Benjamin Thomas (Cofidis) and Thibault Guernalec (Arkea-B&B Hotels) seize the opportunity to join the lead group at 75km. They push their lead back up to 1:50 (96km). But the race heats up again on the cat-3 ascents of Col de Fontmartin (km 109) and Col de Boubon (km 120.5). Mathieu Burgaudeau and Matteo Vercher (TotalEnergies) attack at the bottom of the first ascent and are quickly joined by Tobias Foss. Another move sets off on the second one. Alex Baudin (EF Education-EasyPost) and Gregor Muhlberger (Movistar) move past Burgaudeau and Vercher but Foss also follows that move. They trail by 1:10 as the race enters the last 50 kilometres. The peloton was 30 seconds further behind.
Lidl-Trek and Soudal Quick-Step join forces to catch the chasers with 46 kilometres to go. As for the lead group, their gap is down to 1:05. Labrosse ups the ante and Thierry is dropped from the front group. In the peloton, Alpecin-Deceuninck, Uno-X and Ineos Grenadiers work together to bring the gap down to 25 seconds at the summit of the final climb of the day, Côte des Quatre Vents (27.2km to go). Jonathan Milan is dropped just before the summit but his Lidl-Trek teammates quickly bring him back to the bunch. Into the last 10 kilometres, Leijnse is dropped by Labrosse, Thomas and Guernalec, who maintain a gap of 18 seconds to the peloton. They put in a strong resistance but are eventually caught just inside the last 2 kilometres with several teams working together at the front of the bunch. Lidl-Trek take to the front positions of the bunch. Milan seems to be in a perfect position when into the last kilometre but he can’t react when Jake Stewart (Israel-Premier Tech) flies past him to take victory ahead of Axel Laurance (INEOS Grenadiers) and Soren Waerenskjold (Uno-X Mobility).
Stage winner, Jake Stewart (Israel-Premier Tech): “The final sprint of the Critérium du Dauphiné 2025, ahead of three major mountain stages, saw Jake Stewart (Israel-Premier Tech) power to victory in Mâcon, after a fast and hard stage. Attackers tried to make the most of the climbs of the day to try and upset the sprinters. But the pack managed to catch the breakaway inside the last 2 kilometres, which seemed to be the perfect timing for Lidl-Trek to line up their train at the front and launch Jonathan Milan to a second stage win in this edition. But the Italian powerhouse, dropped earlier in the stage, couldn’t fend off his rivals and especially Stewart. On Sunday, he was already the fastest from the bunch… This time, there was nobody ahead to deprive him of his first UCI World Tour success. Remco Evenepoel went down in the finale but he retains the yellow and blue jersey.”
Overall leader, Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step): “I don’t really have an explanation for what happened when I fell in the finale. But my hands were really wet and I lost my grip on the handlebars. In any case, I’m not in any pain, I just have a graze on my right knee, but it won’t affect me going forward. We’ll need to be ready for tomorrow, as it will be the first big test in the battle we’re going to face over the next three days. The final climb is maybe twenty minutes of effort at most, which is nothing compared to what we’ll have on Saturday. In any case, there will certainly be a lot of riders trying to break away, so it will be very lively at the start. And then we’ll see who’s in great shape and who’s not quite so good.”
Critérium du Dauphiné Stage 5 Result:
1. Jake Stewart (GB) Israel-Premier Tech in 4:03:46
2. Axel Laurance (Fra) INEOS Grenadiers
3. Søren Wærenskjold (Nor) Uno-X Mobility
4. Laurence Pithie (NZ) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe
5. Jonathan Milan (Ita) Lidl-Trek
6. Paul Penhoët (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
7. Emilien Jeannière (Fra) TotalEnergies
8. Alfred Wright (GB) Bahrain Victorious
9. Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) Alpecin-Deceuninck
10. Bastien Tronchon Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale.
Critérium du Dauphiné Overall After Stage 5:
1. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step in 18:34:54
2. Florian Lipowitz (Ger) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 0:04
3. Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) Alpecin-Deceuninck at 0:14
4. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Visma | Lease a Bike at 0:16
5. Eddie Dunbar (Irl) Jayco AlUla at 0:30
6. Ivan Romeo Abad (Spa) Movistar at 0:31
7. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Emirates XRG at 0:38
8. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Visma | Lease a Bike at =.39
9. Alfred Wright (GB) Bahrain Victorious at 1:16
10. Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz) Israel-Premier Tech at 1:24.
Dauphiné’25 stage 5:
A couple of days after he lost significant time in the ITT, Tadej Pogačar replied with a dominant performance on the first mountain stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné 2025, Stage 6. The reigning World champion attacked on the way up Côte de Domancy, forever associated with Bernard Hinault’s triumph at the 1980 Worlds. Nobody could follow Pogačar as he flew away towards Domancy, where he had suffered a crushing defeat to Jonas Vingegaard in the Tour de France 2023. This time, the Slovenian star opened massive gaps to win the stage ahead of his Danish rival (1:01) and Florian Lipowitz (1:22) while Remco Evenepoel dropped 1:50. After his 11th victory as the holder of the rainbow jersey, Pogačar reclaims the yellow and blue jersey. A very different challenge awaits him on Saturday, with three HC climbs on the menu.
Onto the mountains! After five intense days of racing from Domérat, the 144-man peloton of the Critérium du Dauphiné 2025 tackle the final three stages to decide the winners of the race. The road from Valserhône to Combloux is short but packed with climbing – 2,630 metres of elevation across 126.7km – with a brutal uphill finish featuring the successive ascents of Côte de Domancy and Côte de la Cry to reach the line.
Attackers were inspired, especially Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), who initiates the first move right from the start. A few more attackers join him at the front but the peloton gets back at 13km. A new move sets off at km 27 with Michael Shea Leonard (INEOS Grenadiers), Bruno Armirail (Décathlon-AG2R), Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X Mobility), Pierre Thierry (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) and Anthony Turgis (TotalEnergies). Alex Baudin (EF Education-Easypost), Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Romain Bardet (Picnic PostNL) immediately react to make it an 8-man breakaway. UAE Emirates-XRG pull the bunch and the gap never gets higher than 2:10 at 34km. It even gets down to 1:15 at the bottom of the first cat-1 ascent of this edition, Côte du Mont-Saxonnex (5.4km at 8.7%, summit at 87.6km). The race immediately explodes.
At the front, Alex Baudin, flying towards his home region, and Michael Leonard prove to be the strongest. In the peloton, Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a Bike) tests the waters, only to be immediately followed by Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates). Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) counter-attacked. The German rising star is caught inside the last kilometre by a very reduced GC group. Tim Wellens sets the pace for Pogacar, with Jonas Vingegaard, Ben Tulett, Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike), Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step), Paul Seixas (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale), Enric Mas (Movistar) and Eddie Dunbar (Jayco AlUla) on their wheels.
Stragglers get back to the GC group on the valley. At the bottom of the Côte de Domancy, Leonard and Baudin are 1:15 away from a 27-man peloton. The French youngster sets off from the bottom. Behind him, UAE Emirates-XRG set a brutal pace. Pogačar accelerates 1 kilometre away from the summit, over 7km away from the finish. Vingegaard tries to resist but the Slovenian flies away. The world champion catches Baudin and goes solo with 6.5 kilometres to go. The gaps increase while his chasers battle it out for the podium position. Over the line, as Pogačar takes his 11th victory as the reigning world champion, Vingegaard trails by 1:01, Lipowitz by 1:22, Jorgenson by 1:30 and Evenepoel by 1:50. The overall standings are, once again, turned upside down. But much longer climbing challenges await them on Saturday.
Stage winner and overall leader, Tadej Pogačar ((UAE Emirates XRG): “I’m super happy to be back in yellow. It was a very good day for us. I’m getting very good answers from this Dauphiné. I wasn’t too stressed after the time trial and the shape is here. After the Dauphiné, I will go to Isola to rest a little and work on my TT bike. We had our own plan but then Visma went full gas on the first category climb [Côte du Mont-Saxonnex]. We survived well with Tim [Wellens], Jon [Narvaez] and Pavel [Sivakov]. They did an amazing job and we actually controlled all the way today, except from that moment when Visma attacked. We controlled again ahead of the final climb and we went from the bottom because: why wait? I had to pace myself after the attack and the feelings were good, the legs were turning, and a 1 minute gap is good, I’m happy. I also had to hurry up to watch the finish of Urska [Zigart, his partner] in the Tour de Suisse [14th]. Tomorrow is going to be really hard with longer climbs. But right now I enjoy today’s stage and I can be confident with my shape and the team’s.”
3rd on the stage and overall, Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe): “My legs were really good today and the team did an amazing job to protect me, grab some ice, give me water… When there were the first attacks on the second last climb, I followed and decided to try something. I paced myself, they caught me but I was feeling confident. I tried to recover as much as I could and I gave it my best on the last climb. I’m super happy with the performance. UAE went all out from the bottom. I paced myself with Remco [Evenepoel] and then I gave it a shot, I opened a gap and I went all the way to the finish. There are two more really hard days but for sure I will fight for the white jersey. Tomorrow’s climbs are really long and normally that suits me quite well. I expect a super hard start and some racing full gas until the end.”
KOM, 6th on the stage and combativity, Alex Baudin (EF Education-EasyPost): “It was a beautiful day for cycling, and I really enjoyed myself, especially on the last climb where there were a lot of people. The goal was to spend the day at the front and try to take advantage of any opportunities that came up, but it wasn’t possible to do any better. When I was caught by ‘Pogi’, I stood up on my pedals but I didn’t even try to stick to his wheel. I knew I would have blown up. Getting to the climb with that gap and with the little energy I had left, it was impossible. The polka dot jersey wasn’t planned, I didn’t expect to be ahead of Pogacar in the rankings. But now it could become a goal. In any case, I’m going to savour it tomorrow, especially since the stage will start next to my childhood club, the Guidon d’Or La Léchère. It’s also a good way to pay tribute to them.”
Critérium du Dauphiné Stage 6 Result:
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Emirates XRG in 2:59:46
2. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Visma | Lease a Bike at 1:01
3. Florian Lipowitz (Ger) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 1:22
4. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Visma | Lease a Bike at 1:30
5. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step at 1:50
6. Alex Baudin (Fra) EF Education-EasyPost at 1:56
7. Tobias Halland (Nor) Johannessen Uno-X Mobility at 2:03
8. Louis Barré (Fra) Intermarché-Wanty at 2:04
9. Ben Tulett (GB) Visma | Lease a Bike
10. Paul Seixas (Fra) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale.
Critérium du Dauphiné Overall After Stage 6:
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Emirates XRG in 21:35:08
2. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Visma | Lease a Bike at 0:43
3. Florian Lipowitz (Ger) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 0:54
4. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step at 1:22
5. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Visma | Lease a Bike at 1:41
6. Eddie Dunbar (Irl) Jayco AlUla at 2:28
7. Louis Barré (Fra) Intermarché-Wanty at 2:39
8. Paul Seixas (Fra) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale at 2:49
9. Tobias Halland Johannessen (Nor) Uno-X Mobility at 3:21
10. Ben Tulett (GB) Visma | Lease a Bike at 3:26.
Dauphiné’25 stage 6:
After a first display of dominance in Combloux, Tadej Pogačar dominated the highest summits of the Critérium du Dauphiné 2025 to win Stage 7 on Saturday. Visma-Lease a Bike tried to put pressure on UAE Emirates-XRG on the ascents of the Col de la Madeleine and Col de la Croix de Fer. Romain Bardet revived his great memories from the area with yet another long range attack. But in the end, nobody could match Pogačar’s pace when he attacked 12 kilometres away from the finish at Valmeinier 1800. The world champion takes his third victory in this Critérium du Dauphiné, the 10th this year, the 12th since he claimed the rainbow jersey and his 98th as a professional rider. Will he make it 100 on the final day of the race, tomorrow, with another mountain stage towards Val-Cenis? His overall lead is up to 1:01 over Jonas Vingegaard.
On the day after Tadej Pogačar’s victory in Combloux, it’s time to face the higher summits of the Critérium du Dauphiné 2025. Starting from Grand-Aigueblanche, the riders will reach 2,000 metres of altitude at Col de la Madeleine and Col de la Croix de Fer before tackling the final ascent to Valmeinier 1800. With three HC-climbs and 4,800 metres of elevation, this is the Queen stage for this 77th edition.
A 135-man peloton set off at noon and a fierce battle immediately unfolds on the way up the first HC-climb of the Critérium du Dauphiné 2025. Visma-Lease a Bike are especially willing to make the break. Victor Campenaerts is the first attacker of the day. Matteo Jorgenson also tries to go, before Sepp Kuss eventually gets away in a 15-man group built in several waves. Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step) and Bruno Armirail (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) led the way from 8km. And they were gradually joined by more attackers until the group settles at 23km with Kuss, Santiago Buitrago, Torstein Traeen (Bahrain Victorious), Sergio Higuita (XDS Astana), Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), Ivan Romeo (Movistar), Andreas Lekessund (Uno-X Mobility), Clément Braz Afonso (Groupama-FDJ), Alexey Lutsenko (Israel Premier-Tech), Romain Bardet, Juan Guillermo Martinez (Picnic PostNL), Louis Meintjes (Intermarché-Wanty) and Jordan Jegat (TotalEnergies).
Tadej Pogacar’s UAE Team Emirates-XRG set the pace in the bunch. The intensity is still high on the Col de la Croix de Fer. Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet sets off from the bunch and manages to bridge the gap to the front group while V. Paret-Peintre is dropped. At that point, the gap hits a maximum of 2:05 (64km). Behind them, Visma-Lease a Bike brutally up the ante, which also forces the front riders to accelerate. At the summit, Buitrago goes first. Only 18 seconds behind, Matteo Jorgenson leads a very reduced GC group featuring Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike), Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step), Maxim Van Gils, Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Tobias Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility), Paul Seixas (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale). Onto the downhill, Bardet accelerates towards Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, where he had claimed his first Tour de France stage win, in 2015. Pavel Sivakov (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) returns to the bunch to control the gap. At the bottom of the final climb to Valmeinier 1800, Bardet leads by 35 seconds. The French climber is caught 13 kilometres away from the summit. Kuss attacks, Sivakov controls… And Pogacar attacks with 12km to go. Vingegaard tries to resist, with Lipowitz on his wheel. But the slope puts everyone in their place. At the summit, Pogacar celebrates and takes victory 14 seconds ahead of Vingegaard, who trailed by 30 seconds with one kilometre to go. Lipowitz completes the top-3 on the day (+1:21) ahead of Johannessen (+2:26) and Evenepoel (+2:39).
Stage winner, points, KOM and overall leader, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Emirates XRG): “I didn’t necessarily need to take loads of time today. Attacking was a form of defence and then I just tried to pace myself to the top and ease up in the last kilometres. I’m super happy with how we rode today. They attacked us, we responded. And we’ll have two more climbers in the Tour de France. Today we wanted to take control on the climbs but Visma went for many attacks. They attacked at the top of La Croix de Fer and then I think they wanted to drop me on the downhill. It was a bit dangerous in the first kilometres, I didn’t like that but it’s cycling. When Pavel [Sivakov] came back, he controlled. On the final climb, he told me he couldn’t pull much longer so we prepared for my attack and I committed because I didn’t want to be attacked left and right. I felt really strong but I also didn’t want to go too deep on a super hot and long climb. So far, so good. But let’s arrive tomorrow.”
2nd on the stage and overall, Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike): “When he attacked, I tried to follow, but it quickly became clear that I had to slow down. Maybe I couldn’t follow, but to be honest I think I did well. I found my own pace and didn’t lose much at the end. I can be happy with how it went. I can see my values and they were very good. Tadej was better again and deserves it. I still hope that this race will help me to get better, so that I am better in the Tour than I am now. But at the moment I have to say: Tadej was the strongest yesterday and today too. Congratulations to him.”
Best young rider, 3rd on the stage and overall, Florian Lipowitz: “Finishing on the podium would be incredible””It was a super hard day form the start again. I was really happy with my legs again and with the way we raced as a team. I paced myself on the last climb. I suffered a lot in the last five kilometres and I was really happy when I saw the last kilometre mark. Finishing third is a really good result for me. I hope to have the same legs tomorrow. Finishing on the podium of the Critérium du Dauphiné would be incredible but tomorrow is another really hard day. So far, I don’t really think about the Tour. I really focus on this race and then we still have a bit of time to get ready.”
5th on the stage and 4th overall, Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step): “The start was already uphill, in the middle too and then again at the end. A tough ride. In the end I was well up front, but at the end my legs started to run out of steam as we got closer to the finish. A bit of the same story as yesterday. Last year I was ninth here and then there were ‘smaller’ names riding. The gap was also bigger then. Compared to last year, I am further along. At the moment I am focusing on myself and we are taking it day by day. It is one of the most important stage races of a week. I am going to take a good shower now and hope that I will recover a bit.”
Combative rider, Romain Bardet (Team Picnic-PostNL): “I don’t know if it was panache, I think it was more of a desperate move. But when you can enjoy yourself, you have to seize these moments. Being at the front of the race was also a way of thanking everyone for the affection I’ve received, both this week and over many years. To pass alone in the lead at Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne meant a lot to me, that’s where I won my first stage at the Tour de France, in 2015. With my current level, I couldn’t have done much more in this Dauphiné, but I like the way I gave it my all. I’ve never raced to be on the podium, it’s more of a personal quest. In any case, I feel good about what I achieved today, and I’ll feel good on Monday morning too.”
Critérium du Dauphiné Stage 7 Result:
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Emirates XRG in 4:10:00
2. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Visma | Lease a Bike at 0:14
3. Florian Lipowitz (Ger) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 1:21
4. Tobias Halland Johannessen (Nor) Uno-X Mobility at 2:26
5. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step at 2:39
6. Ben Tulett (GB) Visma | Lease a Bike at 3:48
7. Enric Mas Nicolau (Spa) Movistar
8. Emanuel Buchmann (Ger) Cofidis at 3:51
9. Carlos Rodríguez Cano (Spa) INEOS Grenadiers
10. Guillaume Martin (Fra) Groupama-FDJ.
Critérium du Dauphiné Overall After Stage 7:
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Emirates XRG in 25:44:58
2. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Visma | Lease a Bike at 1:01
3. Florian Lipowitz (Ger) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 2:21
4. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step at 4:11
5. Tobias Halland Johannessen (Nor) Uno-X Mobility at 5:55
6. Paul Seixas (Fra) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale at 6:50
7. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Visma | Lease a Bike at 7:18
8. Ben Tulett (GB) Visma | Lease a Bike at 7:24
9. Carlos Rodríguez Cano (Spa) INEOS Grenadiers at 7:41
10. Enric Mas Nicolau (Spa) Movistar at 7:43.
Dauphiné’25 stage 7:
The final mountain challenges of an exhilarating Critérium du Dauphiné 2025 saw Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious) take flight to victory. The French youngster proved to be the strongest climber in a star-studded break, eventually dropping Enric Mas (Movistar) with 8 kilometres to go. At 21 years old, he takes his first win in the race, ahead of Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Tadej Pogačar (UAE Emirates-XRG), who becomes the third reigning World champion to win the Critérium du Dauphiné, after France’s Louison Bobet (1955) and Bernard Hinault (1981). Vingegaard and Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) join him in the overall top-3. Pogačar also won the green jersey while Lipowitz is the best young rider. Bruno Armirail (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) took the polka-dot jersey after spending the day off the front.
At the start in Val-d’Arc, 135 riders got together, including Romain Bardet, who began his final day in the professional peloton with a guard of honour paying tribute to his career. As has often been the case this week, the first attacks came from Mathieu Van der Poel, going first at the top the cat-3 Côte d’Aiton (4.7km). His first attempt was unsuccessful, but, after several more attacks, a group set off at 14km with Max Van Gils (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a Bike), Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step), Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious), Bruno Armirail (Décathlon-AG2R), Ben Healy (EF Education-Easypost), Enric Mas, Romeo (Movistar), Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Alexey Lutsenko (Israel-Premier Tech).
They build up a 4 minute lead at 36km, before Uno-X Mobility riders start chasing to protect Tobias Johannessen’s 5th place in the overall standings from Mas. Atop the Col de Beaune (66.7km), the gap was down to 2:30. Van der Poel attacked ahead of the intermediate sprint in Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne (75.4km). The Dutch star took 10 points and pushed on, building a lead of 1:10 over his former companions up the Côte d’Aussois (101.1km). Behind him, Romeo pulled the break. Van der Poel was reeled in just before the bottom of the climb of the Col de Mont-Cenis.
The race exploded on this final ascent of the Critérium du Dauphiné 2025 with a flurry of attacks in the breakaway and in the peloton. Enric Mas tried to drop everyone but Lenny Martinez hung on and eventually goes solo with 8 kilometres to go. Behind him, Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) attacked a couple of times and only Tadej Pogačar (UAE Emirates-XRG) follow him in the last 1.5kilometres. Over the top (5km to go), the French climber was 50 seconds ahead of Pogačar and Vingegaard. He held a gap of 34 seconds to the line to claim his third WorldTour victory of the season, after stages of Paris-Nice and the Tour de Romandie, while Pogačar seals the overall victory, his first in the Critérium du Dauphiné, and takes his 99th professional win before heading to the Tour de France.
Stage winner, Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious): “Yesterday, I was really bad, and I hadn’t been feeling great the days before either. So I wasn’t expecting much today. But then I finally felt good at the start, so I decided to go for it. At one point, I thought Van der Poel was going to win, then I thought I was going to get caught by the Pogacar-Vingegaard duo a little later… It would have been a real shame, but it worked out! I was going all out until the last kilometre and it was only at the end that I really believed it was possible to win. I’m very happy with my performance in the Dauphiné. I came here for the overall classification: it didn’t work out, but I’ve salvaged the week. The team told me never to give up, so that’s why I tried again today. Now we can be proud of what we’ve done here with this victory. I hope to win in the Tour too, we’ll see.”
Final overall, 3rd on the stage and points winner, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Emirates XRG): “It’s been a really amazing week. Once again today, the team did a great job. We managed to defend the jersey and we can go home happy and prepare for the Tour. There’s a lot of positives from this week and we turned all the negatives into positives, so it’s all good. Now we go to an altitude camp at Isola 2000. There’s not much to do ahead of the Tour. I rest a bit, maybe some extra work for the time-trial, and then I’m ready. I had only done the Critérium du Dauphiné in 2020, when the race was shortened due to Covid. It was some of the hardest five days I ever did in my career. I finally returned and I’m super, super happy and proud.”
2nd on the stage and overall, Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike): “Tadej is the big favourite. Of course, as defending champion, he has a lot more pressure, but he can handle that well. I hope I can take it a step further. Like accelerating on longer climbs, but actually everything has to be a bit better. I just focus on myself to be as good as possible in the Tour. Of course Tadej looks very strong, but I can’t do anything else. If I saw a weakness in him, I wouldn’t say it here. It’s clear that the pressure is more on him now. I’ll be ready.”
3rd overall, 7th on the stage and best young rider, Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe): “I expected others to try something today. I didn’t have the best legs and I was suffering a lot. So I’m super happy with how strong we rode as a team and that I could secure the 3rd place in the overall standings. I would never have thought to I could compete like this in the Criterium du Dauphiné. It’s an incredible week for me and I’m delighted with the result. Three weeks is super hard but now I have more confidence and I’m really looking forward to the Tour de France.”
4th overall and 5th on the stage, Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step): “This final stage was another step forward. I underestimated the crash in which I was involved a couple of days a bit and also struggled with the allergies, which prevented me from being at my best for two days in a row, but today was a bit better, I had a good feeling, and that gives me a lot of confidence for the future. In the next couple of weeks, I want to work on the tempo changes, because it’s something that isn’t in my nature, but I also need to improve on the climbs. There’s still some time until the Tour de France and we are confident we can be there with a good team and in better form.”
KOM, Bruno Armirail (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale): “This morning I was thinking a little bit about the polka dot jersey, but Buitrago was well placed, as were Higuita and Pogacar. Every day I was able to pick up a few points, I went for it, and I guess it worked. This year, I almost won the best climber’s jersey in the Volta a Catalunya. I lost it on the last day, but then I was the best climber in Itzulia and now in the Dauphiné. That’s not bad for a guy who weighs over 70 kilos. Overall, it’s been a positive week for the team, also with Paul Seixas. He’s very strong, and it’s crazy to see what he’s capable of at 18 years old.”
Critérium du Dauphiné Stage 8 Result:
1. Lenny Martinez (Fra) Bahrain Victorious in 3:34:18
2. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Visma | Lease a Bike 0:34
3. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Emirates XRG
4. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Visma | Lease a Bike at 0:40
5. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step
6. Enric Mas Nicolau (Spa) Movistar at 0:45
7. Florian Lipowitz (Ger) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 0:47
8. Tobias Halland Johannessen (Nor) Uno-X Mobility
9. Ben Healy (Irl) EF Education-EasyPost at 1:01
10. Sepp Kuss (USA) Visma | Lease a Bike.
Critérium du Dauphiné Final Overall Result:
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Emirates XRG in 29:19:46
2. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Visma | Lease a Bike at 0:59
3. Florian Lipowitz (Ger) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 2:38
4. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step at 4:21
5. Tobias Halland Johannessen (Nor) Uno-X Mobility at 6:12
6. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Visma | Lease a Bike at 7:28
7. Enric Mas Nicolau (Fra) Movistar at 7:57
8. Paul Seixas (Fra) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale at 8:25
9. Carlos Rodríguez Cano (Spa) INEOS Grenadiers at 8:57
10. Guillaume Martin (Fra) Groupama-FDJ at 10:01.
Dauphiné’25 stage 8:
Tour de Suisse Women 2025
Stage 1 of the Tour de Suisse Women was won by Marlen Reusser. The Swiss rider was too fast for Demi Vollering in a sprint-à-deux. The two rode together off the front for most of the stage.
This year, the Tour de Suisse Women began with a stage starting and finishing in Gstaad. The 95-kilometre stage started off difficult with the Saanenmöser (5.3km at 4.5%) and Jaunpass (30.9km at 8.4%), but after 30 kilometres of racing, the main obstacles were behind them. The pace was already high on the Saanenmöser, but it wasn’t until the Jaunpass that the race really got going. It was Femke de Vries (Visma | Lease a Bike) who threw the cat among the pigeons. The Dutch rider was unable to hold on, but Sarah Gigante (AG Insurance-Soudal) was another rider who attacked. Due to the Australian, only a small elite group remained. In addition to Gigante there was: Demi Vollering, Kasia Niewiadoma, Niamh Fisher-Black, Urška Žigart and Marlen Reusser.
Reusser attacked just after the top of the Jaunpass. The Swiss created a nice gap, to which Vollering had to respond. And she did. She was the only one to make the crossing, after which the two continued head-to-head. They quickly extended their lead over the first pursuers to 1:30. Žigart, Fisher-Black and Niewiadoma, Gigante had fallen back into the third group, came a little closer again, but then Vollering and Reusser extended their lead. With 10 kilometres to go, they had 2 minutes.
So it was clear that Vollering and Reusser were going to fight it out. Would there be a two rider sprint? Reusser had other plans. Two kilometres from the finish, she tried to drop Vollering. She didn’t succeed. Vollering reacted and was quickly back on her wheel. The Dutch rider stayed there, she didn’t work anymore. Reusser slowed down, which meant that the speed was low to the last few hundred metres. There was still a sprint. Vollering tried to surprise Reusser. She took a lead, but Reusser came back to her and then past. The Swiss rider took the win and is also the first overall leader. Vollering second.
Marlen Reusser (Movistar): “I knew the two climbs, especially the Jaunpass, would be decisive in this heat. There would be small groups, and if you attack in those conditions, you always get the ‘second group syndrome,’ as we call it. People are looking at each other; no one really commits to chasing because you risk being attacked if you sacrifice yourself. So we knew that, whether I was alone or in a small group, if we rode hard, it would be difficult for the dropped riders to get back on track, because everything breaks down completely after such a hard climb. And it worked.”
2nd on the stage and overall, Demi Vollering (FDJ-SUEZ): “I couldn’t hold myself back. I didn’t feel great. She attacked on the descent, just when I had a water bottle in my hand. I didn’t want to react right away. I thought: let the others do it first, but then I realised I had to do it myself. I jumped after her, because if you give Marlen too much space, you won’t see her again. When I got on her wheel, I thought: this is going to be a long ride to the finish. But we worked together quite well. It was nice, we did exactly the same amount of work. I didn’t feel so good today, I think because of the heat. I felt there that she still had a good punch, so then I thought: I’ll wait for the sprint. But I think I also went a bit too early. I couldn’t hold myself back. Marlen had a really strong sprint after that. I think Marlen really wanted to win this. It’s in her own country. That makes it very special for her. So yeah, I think she could do something extra today. I’ve never seen her so strong. I know she’s a really good rider and what she’s capable of, but right now she’s really strong. There aren’t that many long climbs in this Tour, so it’s going to be a matter of trying to gain some seconds every day.”
Tour de Suisse Women Stage 1 Result:
1. Marlen Reusser (Sui) Movistar in 2:29:32
2. Demi Vollering (Ned) FDJ-SUEZ
3. Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto at 1:42
4. Niamh Fisher-Black (NZ) Lidl-Trek
5. Urška Žigart (Slo) AG Insurance-Soudal
6. Noemi Rüegg (Sui) EF Education-Oatly at 2:14
7. Elise Chabbey (Sui) FDJ-SUEZ
8. Yara Kastelijn (Ned) Fenix-Deceuninck
9. Mereia Benito Pellicer (Spa) AG Insurance-Soudal
10. Mareille Meijering (Ned) Movistar.
Tour de Suisse Women Overall After Stage 1:
1. Marlen Reusser (Sui) Movistar in 2:29:32
2. Demi Vollering (Ned) FDJ-SUEZ at 0:04
3. Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto at 1:51
4. Niamh Fisher-Black (NZ) Lidl-Trek at 1:57
5. Urška Žigart (Slo) AG Insurance-Soudal
6. Noemi Rüegg (Sui) EF Education-Oatly at 2:29
7. Elise Chabbey (Sui) FDJ-SUEZ
8. Yara Kastelijn (Ned) Fenix-Deceuninck
9. Mereia Benito Pellicer (Spa) AG Insurance-Soudal
10. Mareille Meijering (Ned) Movistar.
Suisse’25 women stage 1:
Amber Kraak won the Second Stage of the Tour de Suisse. The FDJ-Suez rider was the strongest of a breakaway on Friday that made it to the finish in Oberkirch. Marlen Reusser retained the leader’s jersey.
The second stage in Switzerland took the riders from Gstaad to Oberkirch over 161 kilometres. There were three categorised climbs, of which the Buechenhübeli (5.7km at 6.1%) was the last at about 20 kilometres from the finish.
Fireworks between the classification riders were expected again. After the attack by Marlen Reusser and Demi Vollering on Thursday, it was expected that they would make the race hard for each other again. A teammate of Vollering was in the break of the day and Movistar thought that scenario was okay. It was about Kraak, who had Marta Lach, Carina Schremp, Henrietta Christie and Agnieszka Skalniak-Sojka with her and who rode to a lead of minutes on the peloton. On the Buechenhübeli, the leading group fought it out among themselves. On the climb, it soon became clear that Kraak was the best, after which she rode to victory unchallenged. For Kraak, it was the third professional victory in her career and for FDJ-Suez the fifth rider in a week who was allowed to make the victory gesture.
Behind Kraak, Vollering and Reusser kept a close eye on each other. Katarzyna Niewiadoma took advantage of this – the Polish rider rode away just before the top of the climb and still managed to build up a considerable gap on the favourites. However, everything came together again on the descent, after which Niewiadoma rode away and reduced some of her loss. However, there were no major shifts in the overall. With two days to go, there is still a battle for the final victory.
Stage winner, Amber Kraak (FDJ-SUEZ): “I’ve been struggling a lot [with the heat]. Last week I was still at the Women’s Tour [of Britain] with nine degrees and a lot of rain, so I had a really tough day yesterday. Today I felt a bit better, but I didn’t have the best day when I was in the breakaway. I had to be there to support Demi later in the race. It’s very special, it’s my fourth year as a professional cyclist and my second WorldTour win. It’s incredible to have it going like this, and especially with this team. With such good GC riders behind us, you can play a bit more, and sometimes you have to work really hard, but other times you can make up for something.”
2nd on the stage and QOM, Marta Lach (SD Worx-Protime): “I’m absolutely exhausted! Over 100 km in the breakaway today, so my mind and legs are completely out of energy,” Lach admitted immediately after the finish. The plan today was to get into the early breakaway, and that worked out well. The whole team was active from the start, and a few of us tried to attack. When I saw the right moment, I jumped away and a few riders followed me. That left just five of us up front. On the climbs, I had to ride my own pace, which is why I was always at the front. I also wanted to win the intermediate sprints—there was a watch to win. Once I was in the breakaway, I thought, ‘Why not go for that watch?’ It was a nice bonus. The polka dot jersey wasn’t our main goal, but by setting the pace on every climb, I automatically collected the points. It’s great to wear this jersey. We’ll see how far I can take it. During the stage, I had to keep my fellow breakaway riders motivated. There were four of us, but in reality only three. Amber Kraak didn’t really take a turn, which I understand. So I repeatedly took the lead to keep the breakaway alive. I knew Amber would attack on the final climb, but I had to hold my pace, otherwise I would have completely blown up and probably wouldn’t have even finished in the top ten. I tried to latch back on, but didn’t close the gap much. On the flat, I maintained my speed well and didn’t lose any more time. The last corner was still nerve-wracking. I rode straight on. I knew it was tricky, but after such a tough day my head and legs weren’t working together, and I missed the marshal’s signal. Fortunately, I had a big advantage, so it didn’t have major consequences. I’m very happy with today’s performance and will head into the final two stages with plenty of new energy!”
Tour de Suisse Women Stage 2 Result:
1. Amber Kraak (Ned) FDJ-SUEZ in 4:14:31
2. Marta Lach (Pol) SD Worx-Protime at 1:55
3. Elise Chabbey (Sui) FDJ-SUEZ at 2:43
4. Margarita Victoria Garcia (Spa) Liv AlUla Jayco
5. Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto
6. Marlen Reusser (Sui) Movistar at 3:13
7. Demi Vollering (Ned) FDJ-SUEZ
8. Noemi Rüegg (Sui) EF Education-Oatly
9. Eleonora Ciabocco (Ita) Team Picnic PostNL
10. Yara Kastelijn (Ned) Fenix-Deceuninck at 3:17.
Tour de Suisse Women Overall After Stage 2:
1. Marlen Reusser (Sui) Movistar in 6:47:01
2. Demi Vollering (Ned) FDJ-SUEZ at 0:04
3. Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon//SRAM Racing zondacrypto at 1:21
4. Elise Chabbey (Sui) FDJ-SUEZ at 1:55
5. Margarita Victoria Garcia (Spa) Liv AlUla Jayco at 1:59
6. Niamh Fisher-Black (NZ) Lidl-Trek at 2:01
7. Urška Žigart (Slo) AG Insurance-Soudal
8. Noemi Rüegg (Sui) EF Education-Oatly at 2:29
9. Eleonora Ciabocco (Ita) Team Picnic PostNL
10. Yara Kastelijn (Ned) Fenix-Deceuninck at 2:33.
Suisse’25 women stage 2:
The Fourth Stage of the Tour de Suisse for women was won by Elisa Balsamo. The Italian rider from Lidl-Trek stayed ahead of the Dutch Mischa Bredewold by a few centimetres.
After two days of the Tour de Suisse for women, it was already clear that leader Marlen Reusser (Movistar) and her closest pursuer Demi Vollering (FDJ-SUEZ) would be allowed to compete for the final victory. But before the difficult queen stage with start and finish in Küssnacht on Sunday, there was still a relatively easy stage between Oberkirch and Küssnacht over 123.1 kilometres.
The American and Olympic champion Kristen Faulkner (EF Education-Oatly) was the first rider who wanted to spice up the stage with an attack, but she was not followed. She did gain a lead of more than two minutes on a peloton controlled by SD Worx-Protime and Lidl-Trek. A measure for nothing, as it turned out a good 35 kilometres from the finish. Everything again on a mass sprint.
In that we eventually sprinted with a thinned out peloton. Lidl Trek initially came up with the strongest lead out, but just before the final straight line it was the Hungarian champion Blanka Vas who strongly pulled the sprint. Only, at the last instance the Italian sprinter Elisa Balsamo dove between Vas and her SD Worx-Protime rider Mischa Bredewold. The rest of the peloton had already ridden at a distance. Balsamo then started her sprint first, Bredewold followed strongly and seemed to get over her for a moment, but it was the Italian who put her hands in the air a few meters before the finish. Rightly so, as it turned out a little later: Bredewold came up a few centimetres short.
Stage winner, Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek): “My teammates worked really hard today; they knew I really wanted to win. In the end, it was a very long sprint, maybe too long, but it was a good win. Today was a big goal for us, so I’m very happy. I’ve struggled a lot over the last two days and focused only on today, so yes, it was very good.”
2nd on the stage, Mischa Bredewold (SD Worx-Protime): “Of course, Elisa Balsamo was super strong. Normally my second acceleration in a sprint is even better. You could say that the finish line should have been a few meters further, but the reality is that I should have started the sprint a few meters earlier. My timing was certainly not perfect. The fact that Balsamo was the first to dive into the inside bend was an advantage, but I didn’t lose the stage because of that. I just waited too long to start the sprint. That was perfect (the lead-out). Nobody made a mistake. I was the last one on Blanka Vas’ wheel and that collaboration went perfectly. Blanka was very strong and I trust her blindly. It’s only the first time that we’ve done a sprint like that together in a race, but in February at the training camp we did lead-outs together regularly. We know that we both still have a strong sprint in these kinds of tougher rides with our sprint. We also like these chaotic finishes. The first day was indeed far below par. Everyone had a bad day and of course we were very disappointed. Maybe it was because of the heat, but it’s something you shouldn’t dwell on for too long. We knew that we had to switch. And that’s something we’re good at. After Martha Lach’s second place in the second stage, I now finish second. A good result, but it could have been even better. And that’s why I’m a bit disappointed.”
Tour de Suisse Women Stage 3 Result:
1. Elisa Balsamo (Ita) Lidl-Trek in 2:56:35
2. Mischa Bredewold (Ned) SD Worx-Protime
3. Noemi Rüegg (Sui) EF Education-Oatly at 0:01
4. Agnieszka Skalniak-Sojka (Pol) Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto
5. Demi Vollering (Ned) FDJ-SUEZ
6. Marlen Reusser (Sui) Movistar
7. Caroline Andersson (Swe) Liv AlUla Jayco
8. Flora Perkins (GB) Fenix-Deceuninck
9. Kaja Rysz (Pol) Roland
10. Elise Chabbey (Sui) FDJ-SUEZ.
Tour de Suisse Women Overall After Stage 3:
1. Marlen Reusser (Sui) Movistar in 9:43:35
2. Demi Vollering (Ned) FDJ-SUEZ at 0:03
3. Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto at 1:23
4. Elise Chabbey (Sui) FDJ-SUEZ at 1:57
5. Margarita Victoria Garcia (Spa) Liv AlUla Jayco at 2:01
6. Niamh Fisher-Black (NZ) Lidl-Trek at 2:03
7. Urška Žigart (Slo) AG Insurance-Soudal
8. Noemi Rüegg (Sui) EF Education-Oatly at 2:27
9. Eleonora Ciabocco (Ita) Team Picnic PostNL at 2:31
10. Yara Kastelijn (Ned) Fenix-Deceuninck at 2:35.
Suisse’25 women stage 3:
Demi Vollering will have to watch out for Marlen Reusser in the 2025 Tour de France Femmes. The Swiss rider impressively won the Tour de Suisse for the second time on Sunday. The home favourite rode everyone, including Vollering, off her wheel in the Final Stage 4 and then soloed to the stage and final victory.
Marlen Reusser seemed to be on her way to the final victory in the Tour de Suisse, but there could be a turnaround in the fourth and final stage. The course in and around Küssnacht was not easy. The organisers had planned a difficult local circuit, with two possible points of action. Fireworks were expected on the tough Michaelskreuz (3.8km at 9.1%) with the summit 14 kilometres from the finish. There was also the less steep sections of an uncategorised climb (1.5km at 6.7%), 8 mainly downhill kilometres from the finish in Küssnacht.
But the final would split the classification riders, and the battle for the early break was hot. After a few failed attacks, two riders managed to escape: Henrietta Christie (EF Education-Oatly) went on the attack and this led to a counter from Larissa Tschenett (NEXETIS). The peloton didn’t let them get much more than 1 minute. Tschenett was pulled back fairly quickly and Christie also seemed to be on the way. However, the New Zealander continued to struggle on and was joined by Julia Borgström (AG Insurance-Soudal) and Steffi Häberlin (SD Worx-ProTime) with more than 40 kilometres to go. These two rode away from the peloton just after the intermediate sprint, where Vollering managed to gain a second on Reusser. Borgström, Häberlin and Christie worked together in an exemplary manner, but proved to be no match for the combined force of the peloton. Everything came together again before the Michaelskreuz (3.8km at 9.1%). This proved to be the signal for Reusser to make her move. The Swiss rider clearly felt at home and was not afraid to take the initiative: only three riders were able to keep up with her. Vollering, Reusser’s main competitor was alert and Katarzyna Niewiadoma and Niamh Fisher-Black, third and sixth overall, also managed to survive the selection. Sarah Gigante, Yara Kastelijn, Cédrine Kerbaol, Marion Bunel and Urška Žigart, who initially couldn’t follow, managed to rejoin not much later. Vollering kept a low profile.
Where the Dutch rider didn’t let herself be tempted into an attack, Niewiadoma couldn’t hold back. The Pole attacked just before the top, but Reusser, Vollering and Fisher-Black had no intention of letting her go. These four started the fast descent to Küssnacht together. A sprint for the stage and final victory seemed probable, but Reusser had other ideas. The Movistar rider jumped 9 kilometres from the finish, she immediately created a gap and Vollering had no answer. The Dutch rider tried to rectify the situation in the final kilometres with the help of Niewiadoma, but Reusser rode further and further away. The Movistar leader had plenty of time in the last kilometre to celebrate the victory with the Swiss fans. After Reusser’s finish: Niewiadoma defeated a tired Vollering in the sprint for second place.
Stage winner and final overall winner, Marlen Reusser (Movistar): “It’s great. I’m very happy. On a day like today, I don’t think about last year. I just enjoy this day, and I really enjoyed the race. I enjoyed the crowd; I was really impressed by the number of people on the side of the road; I heard my name and words of encouragement everywhere; it was really beautiful. I think we’ll have this rivalry with Vollering all year, and I’m making a lot of progress right now, really levelling up a lot, and I think it will continue to be interesting.”
2nd overall and 3rd on the stage, Demi Vollering (FDJ-SUEZ): “I feel very tired… It’s time to sleep. I knew what was coming, that she (Reusser) was going to attack, but I couldn’t keep up with her. I haven’t felt well from the start. I’ve tried to do my best every day, but I don’t know what’s happening to my body. Today I had problems again, I feel exhausted. I’m going home to rest. After the Vuelta, the Ituzlia, and the Volta a Catalunya, maybe it was too much… Normally, I recover very quickly, but in the Tour de Suisse, as soon as I had to push, I immediately felt limited.”
8th overall, Mavi García (Liv AlUla Jayco): “It was a very tough day after my crash yesterday. I was fighting for the overall standings yesterday, but today it was too hard, and I lost three positions. I’m very grateful to my teammates who gave everything for me.”
Tour de Suisse Women Stage 4 Result:
1. Marlen Reusser (Sui) Movistar in 3:19:36
2. Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto at 0:28
3. Demi Vollering (Ned) FDJ-SUEZ
4. Cedrine Kerbaol (Fra) EF Education-Oatly at 0:41
5. Yara Kastelijn (Ned) Fenix-Deceuninck at 1:11
6. Niamh Fisher-Black (NZ) Lidl-Trek
7. Urška Žigart (Slo) AG Insurance-Soudal
8. Sarah Gigante (Aus) AG Insurance-Soudal at 1:15
9. Isabella Holmgren (Can) Lidl-Trek at 1:53
10. Marion Bunel (Fra) Visma | Lease a Bike at 1:54.
Tour de Suisse Women Final Overall Result:
1. Marlen Reusser (Sui) Movistar in 13:03:00
2. Demi Vollering (Ned) FDJ-SUEZ at 0:36
3. Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto at 1:56
4. Niamh Fisher-Black (NZ) Lidl-Trek at 3:25
5. Urška Žigart (Slo) AG Insurance-Soudal
6. Cedrine Kerbaol (Fra) EF Education-Oatly at 3:27
7. Yara Kastelijn (Ned) Fenix-Deceuninck at 3:57
8. Margarita Victoria Garcia (Spa) Liv AlUla Jayco at 4:29
9. Marion Bunel (Fra) Visma | Lease a Bike at 4:40
10. Eleonora Ciabocco (Ita) Team Picnic PostNL at 4:59.
Suisse’25 women stage 4:
Tour de Suisse Men 2025
The wet opening Stage 1 of the Tour de Suisse was won by Romain Grégoire, ahead of Kévin Vauquelin and Bart Lemmen. In Küssnacht, the Groupama-FDJ rider was the best of a large leading group with many GC riders that had already broken away early in the stage. Top favourite, Joao Almeida was not in the split and lost a lot of time.
On the day that Marlen Reusser won the Tour de Suisse for women ahead of Demi Vollering, the Tour de Suisse for men started with a stage on the same route. The climb of the Michaelskreuzstrasse (3.9km at 9%) was also the deciding factor for the men.
The steep climb was tackled after 20 kilometres of racing on Sunday. Where it was expected that a strong early breakaway would escape, 30 riders got away, including top riders such as Ben O’Connor, Lennard Kämna, Romain Grégoire, Lorenzo Fortunato, Pablo Castrillo, Sjoerd Bax, Bart Lemmen and the young Tijmen Graat. This was not good for Joao Almeida, but UAE Emirates XRG din’t start to chase in the peloton. In the first hours, the 30 riders at the front took almost 4 minutes. UAE then saw the danger and put men on the front. Nevertheless, the leading group started the final climb to Michaelskreuzstrasse with a large lead of more than 3 minutes.
Bart Lemmen showed his strength on the final climb. The Dutchman of Visma | Lease a Bike, together with Romain Grégoire, forced the pace and they had Julian Alaphilippe and Kévin Vauquelin with them. It was Grégoire who succeeded by attacking 9 kilometres from the finish. The Frenchman held on to the finish to take the stage win and the overall lead. Twenty seconds later, Vauquelin, Lemmen and Alaphilippe crossed the finish line in that order. Almeida finish in a large group with Marc Hirschi and Jan Christen, more than 3 minutes behind winner Grégoire, which means the Portuguese rider will have a tough job to win the final overall.
Stage winner and overall leader, Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ): “It’s always something very special to win at the WorldTour level, so I’m very, very happy. I think we were on the same level as Kevin, Bart, and Julian, but I made the difference on the technical side.”
2nd on the stage and overall, Kevin Vaquelin (Arkéa-B&B Hotels): “I didn’t stop the whole stage! I was on the offensive from the start, attacking solo. Then the breakaway group formed. There were three riders from the Arkéa-B&B Hotels team at the front, with Ewen, Mathis, and me. I controlled my efforts during the climb up the big climb of the day, because I knew I could aim for something on this first stage of the Tour de Suisse, between Küsnacht and Küsnacht. Unfortunately, during the race, I lost my glasses, and with the rain and the storm, at one point I couldn’t see anything. I was right behind Romain Grégoire when he started, and when I braked, he took the lead, with the wind in my favour for the final part of the race. My two breakaway companions gave it their all, as did I, but Romain was the strongest today. There’s nothing to say. We’ll see what happens day by day in this Tour de Suisse.
3rd on the stage and overall, Bart Lemmen (Visma | Lease a Bike): “It was a beautiful day. Because of the many climbs at the beginning, the race broke up very early. Tijmen did superbly, jumping to the front from the start. Then a large group broke away, including Ben O’Connor. I thought: I have to be there, because if his teammates are there, they’ll push. I jumped behind them and we all rode pretty fast. I tried to save my legs until the last climb. I knew the race was going to explode there. Anything could happen. I haven’t trained as much in the last few weeks as I had before the Giro, so I didn’t really know what to expect. Luckily, everything went well. I’m very happy about that. There are many guys who climb well but weren’t in the front group today. In that sense, it’s very positive to have already gained three minutes. It would be great to defend this third place, but we’ll take it day by day. I can’t deny it’s a good start.”
4th on the stage and overall, Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor): “Today was full gas from the start to the end. I didn’t really plan to attack that early but I understood fast that the stage would be chaotic, so I followed the winds at the beginning of the race. I made a big effort in the first 40km, hoping that the peloton behind would come with some reinforcements. I gave it all and I have no regrets. It’s a really good start of the week. We still want to get a stage win: I tried today and we’ll try everyday.”
Warren Barguil (Team Picnic-PostNL): “It was a really tough restart to the Tour de Suisse competition. Our goal was to try to break away with Frank or me, but the pace was very high at the start of the day. After many attacks, I managed to get back in. I kept fighting and tried my hardest, but I didn’t have the legs to keep going on the final climb. Sometimes that can happen when you come back to racing after the altitude camp. I hope this means we can improve throughout the rest of the week.”
Tour de Suisse Men Stage 1 Result:
1. Romain Gregoire (Fra) Groupama-FDJ in 2:50:15
2. Kévin Vauquelin (Fra) Arkéa-B&B Hotels at 0:20
3. Bart Lemmen (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike
4. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Tudor
5. Ben O’Connor (Aus) Jayco AlUla at 1:07
6. Felix Grossschartner (Aust) UAE Emirates XRG
7. Pablo Castrillo Zapater (Spa) Movistar
8. Lennard Kämna (Ger) Lidl-Trek
9. Rainer Kepplinger (Aust) Bahrain Victorious
10. Nicola Conci XDS Astana at 1:26.
Tour de Suisse Men Overall After Stage 1:
1. Romain Gregoire (Fra) Groupama-FDJ in 2:50:05
2. Kévin Vauquelin (Fra) Arkéa-B&B Hotels at 0:24
3. Bart Lemmen (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike at 0:26
4. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Tudor
5. Pablo Castrillo Zapater (Spa) Movistar at 1:16
6. Ben O’Connor (Aus) Jayco AlUla at 1:17
7. Felix Grossschartner (Aust) UAE Emirates XRG
8. Lennard Kämna (Ger) Lidl-Trek
9. Rainer Kepplinger (Aust) Bahrain Victorious
10. Ben Swift (GB) INEOS Grenadiers at 1:32.
Suisse’25 men stage 4:
Michael Matthews Sidelined With Signs of Pulmonary Embolism
The Jayco AlUla team announced during a recent altitude training camp, that the medical staff diagnosed rider Michael Matthews with signs of a pulmonary embolism. The experienced Australian has to cease all physical activity until further notice.
A pulmonary embolism is when one or more blood clots form in the blood vessels of a lung. This prevents blood from flowing through the blood vessels and deprives the lung of blood, which in turn reduces its ability to function. Although such a condition can be dangerous, Matthews’ health is stable. The team’s medical team is currently conducting a thorough investigation into the extent of the problem and its possible cause, in order to determine a safe and optimal recovery process for the athlete.
During this period of investigation, Matthews will not compete as a precaution to ensure that there is no risk to his health and well-being, which will ruled out his participation in the Tour de Suisse and Tour de France.
Matthews out of action for a while:
Thibau Nys ‘Can’t Complain’ After First Test Before the Tour de France
Thibau Nys looks back on his return to the peloton with satisfaction. After almost a month and a half without a competition, the 22-year-old puncher of Lidl-Trek drove to second place in the GP Gippingen. “To be honest, today went better than expected”, he said on the team site.
“I just missed those last two, three percent to make it fall in the right direction,” said Nys, who saw Neilson Powless escape in the final kilometres. Then the Belgian proved to be the fastest among the pursuers. “I really can’t complain, I’m happy with the feeling and I think the best won today. When my legs are good, it’s always better to get to the finish line with the smallest group possible, so I think I responded perfectly to the attacks. It was a bit of a gamble at the end and I just missed. My sprint was good, but it was for second place.”
For the GP Gippingen, Eschborn-Frankfurt (May 1) was Nys’ last race. The Belgian then went to heights in the Sierra Nevada to prepare for his first Tour de France. He will gain some extra competitive rhythm in the Baloise Belgium Tour and the BK on the road.
Lidl-Trek’s Tour selection is not yet final, but team DS Maxime Monfort previously told WielerFlits that Nys would ride the Tour this summer. “There is of course a longlist and we have a strong team, but if he is at the level we expect of him in June, then there is little doubt that he will go to France with the team.”
Thibau Nys looking forward to the Tour de France:
Jasper Philipsen Announces his Belgian Program Before the Tour de France
You may have missed Jasper Philipsen in the Critérium du Dauphiné the past few days. Where Mathieu van der Poel is, Philipsen is usually there too. Not this time. Philipsen is preparing for La Grande Boucle via a number of Belgian races, his team just announced on social media.
The sprinter of Alpecin-Deceuninck will ride four more races before the Tour de France starts in early July. He will make his comeback in racing this weekend. On Saturday he will be at the start of Dwars door het Hageland. A day later he will ride the Elfstedenronde.
A stage race will follow on Wednesday. The Baloise Belgium Tour will start then, with the top sprinter at the start. A week before the Tour, the Belgian championship awaits as a final training stimulus.
For Philipsen, it is more or less the same Tour preparation as in previous years. The past four years he started in the Baloise Belgium Tour. However, Dwars door het Hageland is new.
Belgian races for Philipsen before the Tour:
Mattias Skjelmose Still Sick
Lidl-Trek announced that their GC man, Mattias Skjelmose, would not start the Critérium du Dauphiné at the last minute in favour of riding the Tour of Switzerland due to a stomach infection. But a few days before the Swiss race, Skjelmose is still not well.
“A few days ago I said that I had not cycled for about a week due to a stomach infection, but that I was training again. Not long after that, the illness returned, more severe than before, but fortunately it quickly passed. We have done a number of tests and are now waiting for some results to get a clearer picture of what is going on,” he said.
For Skjelmose, this means that he will not be able to ride the Tour of Switzerland. “There’s just not enough time to get back to the level I want to be. The focus now is on recovering, finding my rhythm again and building up what I’ve lost. From now on, it’s all about being ready for the Tour de France.”
Skjelmose doesn’t want to panic. “This season has been a silent lesson in patience. It’s been frustrating, yes. But I’ve learned to listen to my body and not rush. This isn’t the first time things haven’t gone according to plan – and it won’t be the last. But being honest about where I am doesn’t make me any less committed. It makes the goal even clearer. The Tour de France is still the priority – and I’m fully focused on being ready for it.”
Skjelmose not well enough to race:
Patrick Lefevere Watched Soudal-Quick Step’s 1000th Victory
“This is one for Patrick Lefevere and everything he has done for the team. It is an ode to his career.” These were the words of Remco Evenepoel after his victory in the individual time trial of the Critérium du Dauphiné. The Belgian took the 1000th victory for Soudal Quick-Step on Wednesday. A special milestone, also for former team manager Lefevere.
The now 70-year-old Lefevere experienced almost all the successes up close as the boss of the successful Belgian team, but on 31 December 2024 he handed over the baton of CEO to Jurgen Foré. However, Lefevere is still part of the Soudal Quick-Step family and so Evenepoel’s victory is also a special moment for the Belgian.
“I don’t get emotional easily, but I still had a lump in my throat,” said Lefevere, who saw his former protégé race to his thousandth victory on television, in an interview with Sporza. “I felt a lot of emotions, because I think I’m only now beginning to realise what those thousand victories actually mean. Nobody has done this before us. They say: yes, Movistar also has 999, but that’s since 1980. We did it from 2003 and then without the World Championships and Olympic titles of our riders, right?”
“Would I have dared to think this? Not by a long shot. I didn’t even expect that we would have a team for so long. I’ve always worked hard for it. We had a dip in 2010 and 2011, but then we made some changes and owner Zdeněk Bakala joined us. That’s how we found the right path again and we break almost all records year after year.”
For the first victory of the Quick-Step team, we have to go back 22 years, to February 4, 2003. Can Lefevere still remember that victory? “Yes, that was Servais Knaven in Qatar. And not much later, Paolo Bettini also won the first WorldTour victory with Milan-Sanremo. We never stopped after that,” laughs the former team boss.
Is there actually a victory that stands out for Lefevere? “Remco’s victory did something to me, but that would be disrespectful to everyone who contributed to all those victories. Not only the riders, but also the staff and the entire support team. We won 984 under my leadership.”
A very proud Patrick:
Jayco AlUla to share knowledge with Saudi Cycling Federation
GreenEDGE Cycling, the entity behind WorldTeams Jayco AlUla and Liv AlUla Jayco, has announced a partnership with the Saudi Cycling Federation. General Manager Brent Copeland wants to give the Asian country access to his knowledge and experience. The intention is to create a new system and path for the federation to grow into a leading and results-oriented organisation, with Vision 2030 in sight
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has high ambitions to make its mark on the global sports industry and discover its own sports talent. “We want to make cycling a competitive and sustainable sport in which we excel and achieve results on the world stage,” says Abdulaziz Al-Shahrani, President of the Saudi Cycling Federation.
Copeland himself believes in the potential. According to him, there is a lot of untapped talent in the kingdom. With AlUla itself, the team had of course already found a Saudi main sponsor.
GreenEDGE to work with Saudi Cycling:
New US Professional Team for 2026
Next year there will be a new professional cycling team in the USA. It has been reported by a few different media outlets that former cyclist George Hincapie is involved in the new team and will play an important role in the management.
The former teammate and domestique of Lance Armstrong is joining forces with his brother Richard, who previously ran the former Hincapie Racing Team. The brothers will become the team owners and Hincapie Sports, the clothing company of the Hincapie brothers, will supply the team clothing. Two well-known names will also be involved in the management; former professional cyclists Ty Magner (who rides for L39ION) and Joey Rosskopf (ex-BMC, CCC and Q36.5 Pro Cycling). Magner and Rosskopf made their debut as young riders in Hincapie’s development team more than ten years ago.
The team is said to be aiming for a UCI ProTeam license at first, but it is working on a six-year plan. There is still uncertainty about the main sponsor, but the team is said to be busy behind the scenes attracting riders and putting it all together for 2026. The team plans to be based in Girona, Spain and they would like to start its first season with twenty riders, the minimum for a ProTeam. The team is aiming to give at least ten American riders a chance.
A new Hincapie team in 2026:
Fabio Christen to Stay with Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team Through 2027
Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team is proud to announce that Fabio Christen has signed a new contract for the 2026 and 2027 seasons. The 22-year-old from Gippingen, Switzerland, turned pro with the team in 2023 and won his first pro race earlier this year in Murcía.
Fabio Christen: “This team has felt like home from the start, and I have grown along with them. They have put confidence in me from the very first day, even though I started my career with an injury. It may be a cliché, but when you spend so much time together as a team—during races, training camps, and altitude camps—having that family atmosphere with the riders, the staff, and management is important.”
Christen took his first professional win after a daring, powerful early sprint in the Vuelta a Murcia in February. His second win came in Tour of Slovenia earlier this month. He also came sixth in the highly acclaimed Brabantse Pijl this year. Christen also won a stage in the Tour de l’Avenir in 2023, beating Isaac Del Toro.
“For me, as a Swiss rider, it’s a nice feeling to represent a Swiss team backed by major Swiss brands,” Fabio Christen said. “I was proud to win my first two races for the team this year and hope to win a few more. The Tour de Suisse and my home race in Gippingen are big goals for now, but in the long term I hope to ride a Grand Tour and win a stage there. We have an invitation for the Vuelta, and I hope to be there because that would help me take the next step in my career.”
General Manager Doug Ryder is pleased to keep the talented young Swiss rider on the team for another two seasons. “Fabio was just 20 years old when he joined us at the launch of the Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team in 2023, and right from the start, he made a big impression. He carried that momentum into 2024 with strong performances in races like the Arctic Race of Norway and the Deutschland Tour. This season, we celebrated his first professional win together—a significant milestone that I believe is just the beginning. Fabio is a talented, dedicated, and focused rider. He thrives on hilly terrain and in punchy race finales, and he brings a positive energy to the team with his consistently friendly attitude towards staff and fellow riders. I truly value that. We’re excited to support him as he continues to grow, and I look forward to seeing what he can achieve in the years ahead.”
Fabio Christen to stay with Q36.5:
Collarbone Fracture for Gerben Thijssen
On Saturday 7th of June, Gerben Thijssen sustained a collarbone fracture in a crash at the Heistse Pijl. The incident occurred in the final phase of the race, as he was preparing for a bunch sprint. Thijssen managed to finish on his bike before being transferred to Herentals hospital for a check-up. That evening, a fracture of his left collarbone was confirmed. His return to racing is currently without a set date, pending further medical evaluation. Consequently, he will miss at least the Elfstedenronde and Copenhagen Sprint.
Gerald Ackerl (Head Doctor Intermarché-Wanty): “Gerben Thijssen’s crash resulted in a fracture of his left collarbone, adjacent to an existing plate. The good news is that he feels physically well. However, we must manage this injury with extreme caution given his history of multiple surgeries on this specific collarbone. We are monitoring his condition very closely and will adjust his recovery plan day by day.”
Thijssen out:
Medical Update Louis Vervaeke
The Belgian was forced to abandon the French race Thursday afternoon
Following his crash on stage 5 of the Critérium du Dauphiné, Louis Vervaeke was taken to hospital, where examinations revealed a fracture of his left clavicle. Louis was transferred to Belgium the next day, where he will undergo further assessment at the hospital in Herentals and a recovery plan will be put in place.
Everyone at Soudal Quick-Step sends Louis their best wishes and support as he begins his recovery.
Broken collarbone for Louis Vervaeke:
Dog Takes 13th Place in the Queen stage of the Tour of Colombia
There was a special performance in the Tour of Colombia for women. During Wednesday’s Queen stage, a dog climbed the Alto de la Línea with the best riders. The four-legged friend crossed the finish line in thirteenth place on the gruelling final climb, the organisers reported.
The dog is said to have started his race about 25 kilometers from the finish. The images show him running along with several riders during the climb, which took him to an altitude of 3,259 metres. The excited dog eventually crosses the finish line almost 4 minutes behind the Mexican winner, Andrea Ramirez.
Un chien a parcouru les 25 derniers kilomètres, en montée et en altitude (3259m), de la 2e étape du Tour de Colombie féminin mercredi. L’animal, qui ne semble pas avoir gêné les cyclistes, a même passé la ligne en 13e position selon l’organisateur. pic.twitter.com/FazZM96OK0
— Le Gruppetto (@LeGruppetto) June 14, 2025
Merci, Romain Bardet
We gathered friends, family, teammates and those that have helped shape Romain Bardet’s career, as they all wish him a very special send off as he takes on his last race at the Critérium du Dauphiné. Grab the tissues, this one is a bit emotional! Thanks for everything, Romain. 
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The PEZ NEWSWIRE!
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