When Carlos Verona won the day, professional cyclist Primoz Roglic took the overall lead at the 74th Critérium du Dauphiné. For veteran Chris Froome, on the other hand, it was over.
The 32-year-old Slovenian took over the yellow jersey from his Belgian teammate Wout Van Aert on Saturday (June 11th, 2022) after the seventh stage of the WorldTour through the south-east of France. Van Aert had worn the jersey since his opening win.
The day’s victory of the demanding section after 134.8 kilometers from Saint-Chaffrey to Vaujany was secured by the Spaniard Carlos Verona as a soloist. Roglic was second, 13 seconds back, followed by his Danish teammate Jonas Vingegaard. In the overall standings, three-time Vuelta winner Roglic now leads Vingegaard by 44 seconds going into the final day and could claim his first Dauphiné overall win. Third is Australia’s Ben O’Connor, another 40 seconds back.
Froome gets out
The race is over three weeks before the start of the Tour de France for four-time Tour winner Chris Froome. The 37-year-old Briton did not compete in the seventh stage. “It’s disappointing but my progress has been good so far and I don’t want to risk a setback at this important stage of the season”said Froome.
The last stage ends on Sunday after 138.8 kilometers from Saint-Alban-Leysse at an altitude of 1,495 meters with a mountain finish on the Plateau de Salaison. The Dauphiné traditionally serves many riders as the last tour indicator. On July 1st, the 109th Tour of France starts in Denmark’s capital Copenhagen.