Critérium du Dauphiné stage 6: Primož Roglič wins summit finish as Remco Evenepoel falters

Primož Roglič (Bora-Hansgrohe) took a major win on stage 6 of the Critérium du Dauphiné after dropping all his main rivals on the first summit finish of the race and usurping overnight race leader Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) in the process.

Roglič was first to the summit finish at Le Collet d'Allevard, finishing ahead of Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) and Bora-Hansgrohe teammate Aleksandr Vlasov.

Evenepoel battled back after losing contact with his main rivals inside the final 4km and finished eighth on the stage but his 42-second deficit to Roglič - coupled with the bonus seconds on the line - handed the Slovenian a 19-second buffer in the refreshed GC standings with just two more stages remaining in this year’s race.

Bora-Hansgrohe were key aggressors on the final climb of the stage, posting Vlasov up the road with Laurens De Plus (Ineos Grenadiers) before Roglič counter-attacked with a handful of riders a few minutes later.

Evenepoel was patiently paced by teammate Mikel Landa but once Roglič’s group made contact with the lead pair inside the final 2km, the Belgian race leader looked doomed.

Vlasov immediately set a relentless pace that proved too tough for everyone but Roglič and Ciccone before the Slovenian went clear inside the final 150m to take a landmark win ahead of the Tour de France that starts in just three weeks.

Ciccone survived to finish second on the stage but several GC riders cracked horribly on the ascent with Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a Bike), Tao Geoghegan Hart (Lidl-Trek), and David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) all losing significant time in the overall standings.

For Roglič, the victory marked his first road stage win of the season and highlighted his growing form ahead of the Tour de France. He was far from his complete best on stage 6 of the Dauphiné but was far too strong for the opposition, and was well ahead of Evenepoel who merely looked to survive the final ramparts of the 11.5km climb to the finish.

“It took me a really long time because I’m quite limited with my left shoulder, actually. The legs were working and with the legs, I can’t complain,” Roglič said at the finish.

“The guys showed their commitment from stage 1, chasing on stage 2 although it didn’t work out and then on stage 5 it was quite hard for all of us. Today they showed another great performance and big thanks. We can enjoy it,” he added.

For Evenepoel, this was a setback, and a realisation of the task he faces going into the Tour de France.

He remains in contention for the GC here in the Dauphiné and is Roglič’s closest rival, but with two more mountain stages to come, it’s the Slovenian who looks the stronger.

Early break suffers crashes and wrong turn

After stage 5, and the resulting neutralisation, stage 6 began in better conditions with dry weather predicted for the race ahead of a trio of mountain stages.

Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ), Magnus Cort (Uno-X Mobility), Thibault Guernalec (Arkéa-B&B Hotels), Mason Hollyman (Israel-Premier Tech), Arjen Livyns (Lotto Dstny), and Alessandro Fancellu (Q36.5 Pro Cycling) duly provided the early action and formed the break of the day, with the group establishing a near six-minute advantage as the race dipped into the final 60km of action.

The profile of the stage changed in the second half with the Col du Granier (8.9km at 5.4%) the first of two major ascents that would decide the outcome and despite a healthy buffer over the peloton, the break’s advantage began to unravel as the road began to climb.

At the summit of the climb, the gap had dropped by over a minute but worse was to follow as Guernalec and Hollyman crashed on the descent after both riders overcooked a tight corner. The pair remounted but Hollyman never made contact with the front of the race again, while Guernalec eventually soloed back to the break.

With 30km to go, and as if the break’s chances weren't already slim enough, the front of the race went off-course with the leader forced to turn around after being sent down the wrong road. That cost the riders out front at least 30 seconds and by the time they hit the lower slopes of Le Collet d'Allevard, the gap was down to 1:50.

Ineos lead the charge as Bora-Hansgrohe bide their time

Carlos Rodríguez posted his team to the front almost as soon as the road began to climb with Josh Tarling at the head of the British train as they looked to isolate Evenepoel and make the race as hard as possible. One by one Ineos burned through their support cast but their efforts were rewarded with several GC threats losing ground on the lower slopes of the climb, as Geoghegan Hart sat up and Kuss simply lost contact.

Grégoire ploughed on, leaving the remnants of the break as further down the climb Vlasov followed a move from De Plus. They caught the French rider with 4.6km to go and duly dropped him, but just under a kilometre later Ciccone clipped clear with Roglič in tow. Matteo Jorgensen (Visma-Lease a Bike) and surprise package Derek Gee (Israel-Premier Tech) followed suit as Landa looked to shepherd an ailing Evenepoel to safety.

Ciccone and Roglič would eventually make it up to De Plus and Vlasov, with the Russian lifting the pace significantly as Bora sought out the yellow jersey. With roughly 700m to go, Evenepoel rallied but by then the damage was done and the remaining question centred on how Roglič would dispose of Ciccone. In almost trademark style the Bora rider scampered clear on the final rise to the line with Gee taking fourth ahead of Jorgensen, De Plus and Rodríguez.

For everything you need to know about the 2024 Critérium du Dauphiné, from the history of the race, to this year's route and start list, be sure to check out our dedicated race hub.