"One of the toughest days I've ever had on the bike" - Iván Romeo celebrates double victory on stage 3 of Dauphiné 2025
Cycling
Iván Romeo delivered the ride of his young career on Stage 3 of the 2025 Criterium du Dauphiné, seizing a dramatic solo victory and moving into the overall race lead. The 21-year-old Movistar Team rider attacked from the breakaway and held off the chasers to cross the line 14 seconds clear — his biggest win to date and a breakthrough moment for Spanish cycling.
Romeo was visibly overwhelmed after the finish, struggling to process what he’d just accomplished. "Honestly, I don't know what to say — I still can't quite believe it," he said. "It was one of the toughest days I've ever had on the bike. The heat made it brutal. Getting into the break was really hard, but I felt strong and decided to take a risk."
That risk paid off. Romeo timed his late move to perfection, dropping his companions from the lead group with a sharp attack in the closing kilometres. "In this kind of finish, with a small group, I trust my instinct," he explained. "When I saw the gap was down to a minute, I thought, ‘OK, now’s the time.’ I’d been thinking about this stage for over a month and prepared specifically for it."
Romeo was quick to credit his team for laying the foundations of the win. "The team did a fantastic job — we felt good from the very start. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity. Honestly, it’s the best day of the year for me. It just shows that hard work really does pay off."
He also reflected on the personal significance of the victory. "This one’s for everyone who supports me — my team, my coach Alexis who always believes in me, and especially my family. It’s been a bit of a rough patch lately. I started the season well, but the last few weeks have been tough. This win means everything. I know it sounds like a cliché, but it’s true. Now we keep pushing forward."
Romeo finished 14 seconds ahead of Harold Tejada, Louis Barré, and Florian Lipowitz. Mathieu van der Poel led in a chase group 27 seconds back, with the peloton arriving 1:08 down.
In the general classification, Romeo now wears the yellow jersey. Barré sits 17 seconds behind, Tejada is 18 seconds back, while top GC favourites Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, and Remco Evenepoel are all over a minute down.
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🇫🇷 #Dauphine - Etapa 3 🏁 🏆 ¡𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗼𝘀𝗼 𝗜𝗩𝗔𝗡!
— Movistar Team (@Movistar_Team) June 10, 2025
💪 ¡Victoria y liderato!
Exhibición de @ivanromeo_03 tras saltar en solitario desde la fuga y hacerse una CRI de 5 km para llevarse el triunfo en Charantonnay. ¡Qué grande eres! #RodamosJuntos | @movistar_es |… pic.twitter.com/NRu6PkDrDT
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
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- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
- I'm picking .... .... Never mind 🫥flyer07-11-2026
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