Jonas Vingegaard wins Criterium du Dauphine as Tour de France looms

Jonas Vingegaard warmed up for the defence of his Tour de France crown by winning the 75th Criterium du Dauphine on Sunday, underlining his credentials as one of the favourites for cycling’s biggest race, which starts on 1 July.

The Danish cyclist had even looked like an early contender for the final mountain stage, a 152.8km ride from Le Pont-de-Claix to La Bastille with a steep climb to the finish.

But despite an attack with one kilometre to go, the Jumbo-Visma rider was no match for Giulio Ciccone of Trek-Segafredo. Ciccone bounced back from missing the Giro d’Italia owing to Covid-19 and dedicated his victory to his fiancee, whom he marries next week.

“My condition wasn’t 100% so I started here with the Tour de France in my head but saw this week my condition getting better and better. So I’m really happy to close this week with a victory,” Ciccone said. “I will be married next week. This is a gift for my wife.”

Nevertheless, Vingegaard will celebrate overall victory after beating Adam Yates, his British rival, who finished two minutes and 23 seconds behind after nearly 30 hours of racing. Australia’s Ben O’Connor was third.

“It’s a very big thing for me to win this race, one of the biggest races in the world. So of course I’m very happy to win,” said Vingegaard, who recently extended his contract with Jumbo-Visma until 2027.

“I think I can be very satisfied with the whole week. I’m in a good shape and the whole team rode fantastically.

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“In a way, I’m surprised with the gaps in the overall standings. Now I’ll relax a few days and then I’ll do the last bit of preparation for