ANALYSIS | 322 days later: Who has the most to prove in Pogacar, Vingegaard and Evenepoel’s Dauphine battle?

On July 21st, 2024, Tadej Pogacar closed out one of the most dominant and historic Grand Tour campaigns in modern cycling. Victory in the time trial in Nice, sealed his third Tour de France title and completed a feat not seen since Marco Pantani in 1998, the Giro-Tour double. But, as well know, Pogacar didn’t stop there.

Since that memorable day in Nice, the cycling landscape has shifted. The Slovenian superstar has extended his legend, whilst Jonas Vingegaard has largely disappeared for the public view. And Remco Evenepoel has fought back from adversity with defiance and flashes of brilliance.

Now, finally, the three titans of the sport will line up together again, at the 2025 Critérium du Dauphiné. The race begins this weekend, and quite frankly, we cannot wait.

It will be the first time since Stage 21 of last year’s Tour that Pogacar, Vingegaard, and Evenepoel share the start line, 322 days after that day in Nice. Last time they met, Pogacar claimed his sixth stage win of the race (yes, six) while Vingegaard salvaged a single triumph and Evenepoel won a time trial. But much has changed since.

No rider has matched Pogacar’s excellence or hunger. Since that Tour de France victory, he’s added the UCI Road World Championships to his palmarès, winning in Zurich to become just the third man in history to complete the Triple Crown of cycling, Giro, Tour and Worlds in the same year. Only Eddy Merckx (1974) and Stephen Roche (1987) had done so before.

He backed that up with a dominant win at Il Lombardia in October, before returning in 2025 with a vengeance, showing no signs of slowing down.

Victories at the Tour of Flanders and Liège–Bastogne–Liège this spring underlined his ability to win on any terrain, and his campaign so far this year includes five wins from eight races (one of which was a stage race, the UAE Tour).

His record is simply staggering. Since the end of last year’s Tour, Pogacar has taking things to yet another level. He arrives at the Dauphiné not just as the favourite for the week-long French race, but also as the overwhelming frontrunner to win a fourth yellow jersey this July.

But, as we know in cycling, everything can change in a heartbeat.

Jonas Vingegaard, meanwhile, has been all but absent from the peloton. After finishing second at the 2024 Tour, his reign as two-time defending champion finally ended by Pogacar, he abandoned San Sebastián, then bounced back to win the Tour of Poland in August. But that would be it for his season. The Dane stepped away from racing again, celebrating the birth of his child and remaining off the radar for months.

He returned in February at the Volta ao Algarve, where he won overall but raised questions about his form. Then came Paris–Nice in March, an early-season target, and disaster. A crash, concussion, and another DNF. Since then, nothing. Just four race starts in the ten months since last year’s Tour.

As Vingegaard returns to the Dauphiné, his form is the biggest unknown. His ceiling is undeniably legendary, he remains the only rider who has ever cracked Pogacar on multiple mountain stages, but the lack of race rhythm and the toll of his injuries create a significant question mark.

Then there’s Remco Evenepoel. The Belgian left last year’s Tour de France with a stage win and a podium finish in his debut, but it was at the Paris Olympics where he reached new heights. With a performance for the ages, Evenepoel became the first man in history to win both the Olympic time trial and road race gold medals. It was the only moment all year that matched Pogacar’s brilliance, and it’s still a shame the two didn’t clash on that Olympic course.

Evenepoel backed it up with second place at Il Lombardia, before suffering a brutal setback in December: a training crash involving a van left him with injuries requiring surgery. He didn’t race again until April 18th, but when he did, he reminded the world what he’s capable of.

Victory at Brabantse Pijl was followed by an impressive third place at Amstel Gold Race, most notably, he closed down a solo attack from Pogacar, something rarely seen. He was less effective at Liège but still managed a stage win at the Tour de Romandie, suggesting form is building at just the right time.

Evenepoel enters the Dauphiné as a wildcard. If his recovery continues on this trajectory, he could become Pogacar’s biggest threat not just in this race, but also at the Tour.

As the Critérium du Dauphiné begins on June 8th, it serves as more than just a Tour de France warm-up. It’s the first head-to-head clash between the sport’s Big Three in almost a year. Pogacar enters at the peak of his powers. Evenepoel, rising. Vingegaard, a question mark.

The days of Pogacar vs Vingegaard dominating every narrative may not be over, but fans will be hoping that Evenepoel can close the gap on the top two.For now, the Dauphiné offers the first taste. And after 322 days, the sport has been waiting.