“Maybe Tadej Pogacar starts to doubt himself" - Jonas Vingegaard & Remco Evenepoel must send message at the Dauphine says Jan Bakelants

The stars are coming out for the Criterium du Dauphine in 2025, as the three main Maillot Jaune contenders at the upcoming Tour de France do battle in a Grand Tour warmup. According to ex-pro turned analyst Jan Bakelants however, the Dauphine is much more important to Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel than is for Tadej Pogacar.

“The big three are all here, and they’re each operating at least at 95 percent of their full capacity. Sure, riders can still improve a few percentage points after this — Evenepoel proved that last year — but you’re not going to see a 180-degree turnaround. The Dauphiné doesn’t lie,” Bakelants previewed of the battle in conversation with Het Laatste Nieuws. “So now, the Tour de France favourites can show who’s heading into summer with the strongest legs.”

As mentioned by Bakelants there, Evenepoel came into the Dauphine a little undercooked in 2024 before peaking at the Tour de France to claim a podium on debut. This year though, the Belgian needs to show he's ready to take the next step and truly challenge the Vingegaard - Pogacar domination at the French Grand Tour says his compatriot.

“There’s a remarkable sense of calm around Remco this year. I think he’s had an excellent run-up to the Tour," says Bakelants. “I expect Evenepoel to still be a level below Pogacar and Vingegaard — but still well ahead of everyone else. July is when he really needs to prove whether he can hang with Pogacar and Vingegaard in the mountains — if that’s even possible.”

“It would be a huge mental boost for both Vingegaard and Evenepoel if they can really put pressure on him (Pogacar ed.),” Bakelants continues. “If he beats them by minutes, then I fear for the Tour. Subconsciously, Vingegaard and Evenepoel will stop seeing themselves as true challengers. They’ll start watching each other for second place instead of really going after Pogacar.”

“Imagine the opposite happens. Imagine the gaps are small next week. Then Evenepoel and Vingegaard leave as moral victors," concludes Bakelants however. "And who knows — maybe Pogacar starts to doubt himself. It would be the first time in nearly two years that he’s been shaken on his own turf.”