Mikkel Bjerg loses overall lead of the Critérium du Dauphiné after one day: "It was very nice to ride in yellow"

After his victory on the stage 4 individual time-trial, Mikkel Bjerg was unable to keep hold of the Yellow Jersey for more than a day. Nevertheless, the Danish rider enjoyed his team in the race lead.

"It was very nice to ride in yellow and the team worked very hard for me," said the 24-year-old in a post-stage interview with Cycling Pro Net. "Before the last climb, I said: 'I can make it'. I assumed that the pace would be high, but not that it would go full throttle. Jonas apparently had other plans."

Although not recognised as a climber, the story could've been different for Bjerg had he not crashed right at the bottom of the day's final climb. “We just came off a fast descent and everyone was really crazy. I took a lot of risks to start at the front, but then Matteo Jorgenson's chain came off. So I had to change line in the corner. However, the road was full of gravel, which made me slide," he explains.

"I feel fine. I do have a wound on the hip, but all in all it's not that bad," the UAE Team Emirates rider is quick to reassure, before praising the stage winner, Jonas Vingegaard. “This performance shows that he is in very good shape. I spoke to him this morning and he said he did a good time trial. That made me extra proud, it's better than him having really bad legs. In any case, he is in top form."