Punchy stage in the Dauphiné surprisingly goes to Derek Gee, crashed Roglic loses teammates in the finale
CyclingTuesday, 04 June 2024 at 15:41
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Follow us on GoogleDerek Gee triumphed in Les Estables, winning the third stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné. The Israel-Premier Tech rider proved the strongest on an uphill finish. Primoz Roglic (BORA-hansgrohe) suffered a fall during the stage but managed to reach the finish.
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After the impressive stage victory by Magnus Cort (Uno-X) on the Col de la Loge, the delighted Dane started the third stage in the yellow leader's jersey of the Critérium du Dauphiné, which began in Celles-sur-Durolle. Following Bruno Armirail's (Decathlon AG2R) near win the day before, there was plenty of enthusiasm for the early breakaway.
From the start, a group of six riders attacked, but the efforts of Dorian Godon and Mads Pedersen among others did not last long in the first thirty kilometers. After 32 kilometers, the eventual early breakaway took shape, comprising Nicolas Prodhomme (Decathlon AG2R), Remy Rochas (Groupama-FDJ), and Harry Sweeny from EF Education-EasyPost.
Roglic's crash shakes up the peloton
What's usually a quieter phase in the race took an unexpected turn this time around: at 41 kilometers, the peloton was jolted by a crash involving Primoz Roglic (BORA-hansgrohe). The Slovenian was momentarily delayed but managed to catch up with the help of teammates, despite a scraped hip/back, as the peloton respectfully waited for one of its favorites.
Continue reading below the picture.
The three men in front gained a few extra seconds, but Uno-X soon took the lead to ensure the gap didn't get too large. Meanwhile, the peloton was already down two riders: Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious), feeling less than stellar after a grueling Giro, did not start, while Lars Boven (Alpecin-Deceuninck) struggled during the stage and eventually withdrew.
With forty mostly uphill kilometers remaining, the lead of the trio in front was just about a minute, prompting some riders from the peloton to try bridging the gap, including Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ) and Chris Juul Jensen (Jayco AlUla). The latter successfully made the crossing, but learned via his earpiece that team leader Chris Harper had taken a nasty fall on a bridge. Other teammates were instructed to wait, allowing Harper, with a bloodied arm, to receive the necessary support.
Continue reading below the video.
The Aussie—like his fellow sufferer Lorenzo Fortunato from Astana—managed to rejoin the peloton, but was visibly troubled by his left hand and arm. Meanwhile, the pace at the front intensified, driven by Mads Pedersen and his Lidl-Trek lead-out train, as well as the presence of the GC teams.
As the final four kilometers, which ascended at a four percent gradient, approached, nervousness increased, and clusters of riders started to drop back from the peloton. Sweeny, Juul Jensen, and Prodhomme were easy targets at 2500 meters from the finish, while the main group was still primarily focused on positioning.
A surge in pace was inevitable, but Krists Neilands took his chance 800 meters from the finish. The Latvian saw his effort neutralized by Roglic’s domestiques, but Roglic himself was not present. This allowed Gee to take over from his teammate, which he successfully did despite Romain Grégoire being on his wheel.
Results stage 3 Critérium du Dauphiné 2024
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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Latest Comments
- - Not sure I buy the “nobody’s fault” line entirely. Course safety has to be better. A world champ face-planting on a stray stone isn’t just bad luck. Where were the motos and commissaires?julien29-08-2026
- - Matxin handled that interview with class. No blame game, just honesty. Cycling’s brutal — one second you’re flying, next you’re in an ambulance. Ánimo Tadej, vuelve fuerte.velodromevirtuoso129-08-2026
- - Quick question: when they said a rock on the road caused it near the finish, isn’t the run-in supposed to be swept by organisers? How common is that this late in a stage?cadencekingm29-08-2026
- - Gutted for Pogi. Shoulder injuries can be tricky — if it’s AC joint or collarbone, Worlds might be tight. Fingers crossed it’s just heavy contusions and those eyebrow stitches are minor.jeremya29-08-2026
- - Brutal day. You could see the whole UAE train soft-pedalling after the crash — pure respect to ride in as a group behind Coquard by 11’. Says a lot about team unity.samanthak29-08-2026
- - Love Brennan’s candour though. Two stage wins already, he’s earned the right to speak. Reset, recover, and pick a cleaner run-in later in the week. Go on lad!cadencekingm29-08-2026
- - Bit rich to call others “superheroes” when you also dive for gaps in sprints. Feels like excuses after missing the wheel. Own the positioning error—Laporte and WvA can’t do everything.patriciaw29-08-2026
- - Pogacar down, DNFs before the start, pile-up in the last km… safety protocols need a look. Barriers and road furniture on these Spanish urban finishes are brutal. UCI y la organización, por favor, más seguridad.bikebuffj29-08-2026
- - Can someone explain what “pedaling at 160 watts” means in this context? Is that like super easy pace for these guys? Trying to understand why there were still so many crashes if it was “easy.”davidm29-08-2026
- - Wild stage. Brennan’s quotes hit hard but he’s not wrong—finale was a bowling alley. Tenth after all that chaos isn’t catastrophic, but Visma’s train never properly formed once he lost Laporte’s wheel.sprocketspiny29-08-2026
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