BARCELONA, 7 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The French cyclist David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) has won this Tuesday the third stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné, disputed between Saint-Paulien and Chastreix-Sancy over 169 kilometers, by stealing the victory from a confident Wout van Aert on the finish line (Jumbo-Visma) who raised his arms before time, although he also regained the leader’s jersey.
The first arrival on the top of this Dauphiné did not leave any great attacks, just a few timid movements by Ben O’Connor (AG2R Citroën Team) or Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma), but it did leave a tense ending when Gaudu, at 25 years, he achieved his ninth professional victory against a machine like Van Aert, who allowed the stage to be lifted.
The Belgian may have arrived depleted of strength after climbing with the best, at the head of the peloton, the final climb of just over 6 kilometers. After recovering, like the rest, some breath on the flat of the last kilometer, he sprinted towards victory, for which everyone gave him the favorite at that time.
But there was someone who had a lot of faith in himself, a David Gaudu who this year already won a stage in the Algarve and who sprinted until he overtook the Belgian. Van Aert raised his arms to celebrate but saw, to his right, a Gaudu euphoric and sure of his triumph. The Belgian was stunned, aware of his mistake.
Perhaps, despite the fact that Van Aert had not made that mistake, the victory would have gone to a Gaudu who arrived like a rocket after looking for life and the road in the final sprint. Either Van Aert would have won to do the stage double and lead. But he got only the latter.
Van Aert, who was already the leader after his victory in Beauchastel in the first stage, will wear yellow again in the fourth stage of this Critérium. Gaudu, meanwhile, is second in that provisional general (6 seconds behind Van Aert) in which the best Spaniard is Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates), 13th at 16 seconds and the same time lost as Enric Mas (Movistar Team) , 19th.
5.8 kilometers from the finish line, already on the final climb to Chastreix-Sancy (2nd, with 6.2 kilometers at an average gradient of 5.6 percent), Pierre Rolland (B&B Hotels-KTM) stayed behind, after reinforcing from the escape his mountain leader’s jersey and give a final push attempt to his teammate Sebastian Schönberger.
However, the Austrian was gobbled up by the peloton with 4.6 kilometers to go. And he was left alone, in the lead, the most resistant of the day’s breakaway; the Danish Jonas Gregaard (One-X Pro Cycling Team). He held his own until the last 3.9 kilometers, without being able to pedal one more time.
–CLASSIFICATIONS.
– Stage.
1. David Gaudu (FRA / Groupama-FDJ) 4:09:38.
2. Wout van Aert (BEL/Jumbo-Visma) mt
3. Victor Lafay (FRA/Cofidis) m.t.
4. Ruben Guerreiro (POR/EF Education-EasyPost) mt
5. Kevin Geniets (LUX / Groupama-FDJ) mt
– General.
1. Wout van Aert (BEL/Jumbo-Visma) 12:50:32.
David Gaudu (FRA / Groupama-FDJ) a 6.
3. Victor Lafay (FRA / Cofidis) 12.
4. Patrick Konrad (AUT/BORA-hansgrohe) 16.
5. Matteo Jorgenson (USA/Movistar Team) m.t.