Visma | Lease a Bike has nefarious weekend plans in the Critérium du Dauphiné, Vingegaard keeps his cards close

On the way to Mâcon, where Israel–Premier Tech’s Jake Stewart claimed the stage win—several crashes occurred. Visma | Lease a Bike managed to avoid them, unlike race leader Remco Evenepoel. “It was a nervous day in the peloton, and the high temperatures definitely played a role,” said sports director Grischa Niermann. “We stayed compact as a team at the front all day and avoided trouble. Compliments to the riders.”

Team leader Jonas Vingegaard echoed a similar message when speaking to TV2. “We got through safely. It was hot, so it was important to stay cool. As I said, we came through in good shape and I’m looking forward to the coming days,” said the Dane. “There wasn’t much we could do in this stage, it was all about staying safe and saving as much energy as possible.”

On Friday, the peloton heads into the Alps, where three consecutive summit finishes await. “We’ll come up with a solid plan for those. They’re short stages, but tough ones,” said Grischa Niermann. Friday’s stage ends on the explosive Côte de la Cry. “It’s probably the one that suits me the least, so we’ll see,” Jonas Vingegaard said, keeping his cards close to his chest.

Vingegaard and Matteo Jorgenson currently sit fifth and eighth overall, respectively. “We want to move up in the GC with Jonas and Matteo and aim for a stage win. The team is in a good position, not just in the standings, but also with Ben and Sepp (Tulett and Kuss, ed.) in strong form,” Niermann added.