"I was really on the limit" - Pogacar and Vingegaard take Mathieu van der Poel over the limit as Dutchman loses Dauphiné stage

Mathieu van der Poel fractured a bone in the wrist only a few weeks ago but has returned to competition today at the top of his game. However, his explosiveness was not a match to Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard who set out to make the first stage of the Criterium du Dauphiné as hard as possible.

“That climb was more difficult than expected, especially with the wind up there. It continued for quite a long time," van der Poel shared with Sporza in a post-race interview. The Dutchman immediately responded when Vingegaard launched an attack over the last climb of the day, and then collaborated with the group.

Perhaps because he was the strongest sprinter on paper he felt the pressure and spent too much time in the wind. He attacked just outside the final kilometer, and then again launched his sprint first into Montluçon. These ultimately cost him, and he settled for third behind the previous Tour de France winners.

“I am happy that I can ride to the finish line with those riders today. Losing is always a bit of a bummer, but I mainly try to take the positive with me," he admits after missing out on the victory." I was really on the limit. I noticed that I did not recover as well from the efforts as I am used to. I saw the peloton coming, so I had to start from far away. I did not have the legs to hold on, but I am satisfied with this final.”

However in the bigger picture, this is a terrific sign ahead of the Tour de France where he will be hunting stages and a possible stint in the yellow jersey. “Normally my legs recover a little faster. Of course I would have liked to win, but I think I can be satisfied above all. I would have signed for this in advance. I am very happy with what I had in my legs today. I was able to train well, but it is just the toughness that is missing.”