Criterium du Dauphine Stage 6 recap - Tadej Pogacar back in yellow after soloing to glory at Combloux on day to forget for Remco Evenepoel

World champion Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) bounced back in style on the Criterium du Dauphine by soloing to a superb win in Stage 6 in Combloux, the first of three mountain tests.

Two days after slipping behind his rivals Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) and Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) in the individual time trial, Pogacar despatched both the Belgian and the Dane with a blistering attack on the Cote de Domancy – the same climb where he lost valuable time to Vingegaard in the Stage 16 time trial of the 2023 Tour de France.

After UAE Team Emirates-XRG set a peloton-shredding tempo at the start of the climb through Tim Wellens, Pavel Sivakov and Jhonatan Narvaez, race leader Evenepoel was quickly distanced.

Pogacar then put in a sustained seated surge to shrug Vingegaard off his wheel and ride towards glory.

The Slovenian caught lone leader Alex Baudin (EF Education-EasyPost) – the last remaining rider from the day’s eight-man breakaway – before the summit of the Domancy, before powering up the Cote de la Cry in the big ring to the finish above the world championships town of Sallanches.

Not once did Pogacar rise from his saddle during a blistering final 10km to the line – a sorry sight for his rivals ahead of July’s Tour de France.

Vingegaard came home in second place just over one minute back, while Germany’s Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe) took third.

Evenepoel, the Belgian double Olympic champion, battled to fifth place but lost the best part of two minutes as he conceded the yellow jersey.

Pogacar will now enter the final weekend of the 77th edition of the Dauphine with a 43-second lead over Vingegaard, with Lipowitz in third at 54 seconds and Evenepoel fourth at 1:22.

Local rider Baudin had to settle for sixth place on his home roads but was rewarded for his role in the break with the polka dot jersey.

Having wrested the jersey from Paul Ourselin (Cofidis), Baudin now leads Pogacar by one point in the KOM standings.

Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) – who was also part of the day’s eight-man move that formed ahead of the first of five climbs that peppered the 126.7km route – retained the green jersey.

Lipowitz jumped above Evenepoel in the white jersey standings ahead of Stage 7, a 131.6km test that features three ‘hors categorie’ climbs – the Col de la Madeleine, the Col de la Croix de Fer and the summit finish at Valmeinier.

With Pogacar in such devastating form, it’s hard to look beyond the Slovenian. But the longer, higher climbs may suit Vingegaard better, and the Dane will hope to reduce the arrears ahead of Sunday’s final showdown above 2,000m on the Col du Mont-Cenis.

With two more mountain stages remaining over the weekend, this race is far from over. But today’s win was a timely reminder after his slight blip on Wednesday that Pogacar will be the man to beat in France – both this month and next.

1. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates)
2. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) +43
3. Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe) +54
4. Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) +1:22
5. Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike) +1:41

"We had our own plan but then Visma started to go full has on the first-category climb [Cote de Mont-Saxonnex].

"Before the start I didn’t know if I had done this climb before but I had and it brought some memories of good times.

"Then the team was super-strong through Pavel [Sivakov] and Johnny [Narvaez]. They were all really incredible today.

"In the end, I felt good. We said we’d go from the bottom of the climb on the steepest part. We committed. We had nothing to lose.

"And in the end it was just like this. It was a hot day, a hard day, and I had to hurry up to the finish to see [my girlfriend] Urska [Zigart] in the Tour de Suisse. I made it just in time.

"I think I was feeling really good and when I attacked it was an all-out effort. I knew there was still 15 minutes to the top so I had to pace myself.

"But the feeling was there, the legs were there, and I was able to gain time. One minute is good and I’m super happy. It bothered me that I lost time in the time trial.

"But it’s a challenge for me and the team to improve. The legs are there, the shape is good, and we need to hold our horses for the Tour."

1. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates)
2. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) +1:01
3. Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe) +1:22
4. Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike) +1:30
5. Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) +1:50
6. Alex Baudin (EF Education-EasyPost) +1:56
7. Tobias Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) +2:03
8. Louis Berre (Intermarche-Wanty) +2:04
9. Ben Tulett (Visma-Lease a Bike) "
10. Paul Seixas (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) "

Alex Baudin missed out on a stage win on his home roads but was rewarded with the polka dot jersey. Having wrested the jersey from Paul Ourselin’s back he now leads Pogacar by one point in the KOM standings.

Pogacar was there to congratulate his rival Jonas Vingegaard as he crossed the line 1’01" down in a fine display of passive-aggressive trolling.

Florian Lipowitz is the next to come home, followed by Matteo Jorgenson and then, 1’50" back, Remco Evenepoel.

He crosses the line hardly out of puff and doesn’t celebrate until he clicks off his bike computer. Then it’s a punch of the air and then both arms aloft.

What a win for the world champion, who will take around a minute, plus bonus seconds on his big rival Jonas Vingegaard – and much more on the outgoing yellow jersey, Remco Evenepoel.

What a statement – not only ahead of the final weekend of this Dauphine, but ahead of the Tour de France. His time loss in the time trial on Wednesday made us believe that perhaps he wasn’t in as supreme form as we thought. Not any more.

More bad news for the Belgian, who is dropped by the American and continues to ship time to Pogacar, who is 1’37" clear of him and 53" clear of Vingegaard.

The leader has been seated throughout these back-to-back climbs, not even dancing out of the saddle when he put in his brutal attack to distance Vingegaard.

Our lone leader, the man who will soon trade in his rainbow bands for the yellow jersey, is onto the Cat.2 Cote de la Cry (2.7km at 8.2%). He’s 1’15" ahead of Evenepoel now and the Belgian is really being shown up after his superb time trial two days ago.

The German in white rides clear of Evenepoel, Jorgenson and Wellens. The Red Bull rider looks to be in superb form and that’s his second big attack today. Vingegaard, meanwhile, is still 42 seconds behind Pogacar.

He’s now 28 seconds clear of Vingegaard, who has caught Baudin, and 50 seconds clear of the Evenepoel group. Just the Cote de la Cry to go.

The yellow jersey is in a chase group with Lipowitz, Jorgenson and Wellens. Pogacar, meanwhile, is riding in the big ring. He’s a monster. And it seems that he tore up the Domancy in record speed, too.

The world champion is in business mode here as he catches the lone leader and then rides on alone towards a certain victory. He has 15 seconds on Vingegaard and 40 seconds on the Evenepoel group. He’s over the first climb, the Domancy, and is in the uphill section before the final climb to the finish.

The yellow jersey is fading fast on this climb, along with Lipowitz. This followed a devastating turn of place from Narvaez and Sivakov, who dispatched the Visma riders and propelled Pogacar clear with only his big rival Vingegaard in his wheel. But then the Slovenian pulls the trigger and drops the Dane. Redemption time for the world champion!

It’s the local rider Alex Baudin who makes the first move on the climb, dropping Leonard and going clear on the Cote de Domancy. Behind, UAE have four riders – Wellens, Sivakov, Narvaez and the world champion Pogacar – on the front. The Slovenian is 38 seconds down on GC and 22 seconds behind Vingegaard, so has it all to do.

The leaders are onto the Cat.2 Cote de Domancy (2.4km at 8.6%). It’s followed by an uncategorised uphill section and then straight away the fifth and final climb to the finish, the Cote de la Cry. It’s show time!

It was in Sallanches where Bernard Hinault won the World Championships in 1980 and it’s here where the Worlds are returning in 18 months. For now, it’s just the last outpost ahead of the final two climbs that will decide this stage. Leonard and Baudin have 1’15" ahead of the first one.

They looked doomed on the last climb but were saved by the pace being knocked off behind. It’s unlikely 1’10" will be enough on these final climbs, which are both pretty steep. It’s Pavel Sivakov, who is back in the yellow jersey group, who leads the chase. Perhaps UAE want to set up their man Pogacar, who has bad memories of Combloux but needs to take time back on both Evenepooel and Vingegaard today.

The likes of Lenny Martinez, Santiago Buitrago and Jack Haig (all Bahrain Victorious), Guillaume Martin (Groupama-FDJ) and Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers) are back in the yellow jersey group, which trails the leading duo by 1’20".