Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
In the opening round of the Criterium du Dauphine, Tadej Pogacar defeated Jonas Vingegaard to claim a declaration victory.
Immediately before the 196km move from Domerat to Montlucon came to an end, Pogacar and Vigegaard were a part of a super-elite five-strong separatist on Sunday that included Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel and ex-world champion Mathieu van der Poel.
Van der Poel scored the first hit for home and appeared to have won, but Romanian great Pogacar came out on top in a sprint finish, with Norwegian rival Vingegaard taking following and Dutchman taking third.
Two kilometers from the end, I prepared myself for a lunge, and it turned out,” Pogacar said.
Pogacar now leads Vingegaard by four seconds heading into Monday’s next stage, which will run from Premilhat to Issoire, adding benefit seconds.
The Dauphine week-long is a crucial update to the Tour, which begins in Lille on July 5.
Pogacar won the Tour in 2020, 2021 and 2024, and Vingegaard in 2022 and 2023.
