PREVIEW | Criterium du Dauphiné 2025 stage 7 - Will Jonas Vingegaard get revenge on Tadej Pogacar in the high mountains?
Cycling
From the 8th to the 15th of June the riders take on the Criterium du Dauphiné. Not only is this race usually the biggest preview ahead of the Tour de France, but it will also have the presence of Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel. We preview stage 7.
The queen stage of the race, without a doubt. Whilst very short, it's a stage with three massive mountain passes in the Alps. Each of the climbs are very long and it's a day suited to the pure climbers, where the biggest differences can be made.
Stage 7: Grand-Aigueblanche - Valmenier 1800, 132 kilometers
Actually, a simple day to describe, with three large ascents and descents. The first of which is the Col de la Croix de Fer, an iconic pass which will here be 24.7 kilometers long at 6%.
After a technical and quite steep the descent the riders are right at the base of the Col de la Madeleine, a relatively shorter but more constant ascent. It is 22.4 kilometers kilometers long at 7% even thought here is a flat section. Most of the climb is very, very hard, the second hour-long ascent of the day which ends with 61 kilometers to go.
The descent here is longer and there will be a flat section still before the ascent to Valmeinier 1800. As the name indicates, that's the finishing altitude - the smallest out of the three. It's a hard one, but also the shortest of the day. The summit finish will create differences however in it's 16.2 kilometers that average 6.8%.
Map Criterium du Dauphiné 2025 stage 7
The Favourites
Tadej Pogacar - The World Champion has his form and honestly it will be hard for anyone to remove the yellow jersey from his shoulders. Even with good tactics, numerical superiority, etc... Visma will be unlikely to outplay him simply because his climbing ability appears to be so strong that he should be able to respond to any attack he wants, or drop Vingegaard when he wants. If he shows the same legs, he wins again.
Jonas Vingegaard - The day does suit Vingegaard better than today's finish, and the Dane look very strong, but the level difference is still meaningful. If Visma want to win the race they definitely have to go all-out on the first climb as it'll be the final opportunity to try and take advantage of their numbers and chaos. Matteo Jorgenson, Sepp Kuss and Ben Tulett all on the attack, and try to put Pogacar under some pressure. On the long climbs, perhaps also try to attack him at Croix de Fer, to see if the fatigue build up during the day can then have it's effect on the final climb.
No matter how good they are - and they are indeed extremely good - I fear none of the other GC contenders stand a chance of winning the stage. But places on the podium and Top10 will be important, and of course that men like Remco Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz have a lot to play for and will be looking to finish as high as possible in what will perhaps be the most important high mountain test before their Tour de France.
We could see a breakaway victory but it would have to be from a pure climber in good form - or on a very good day - such as Kuss himself, Alex Baudin, Santiago Buitrago, Romain Bardet, Clément Berthet or a resurgent Ben Healy.
Prediction Criterium du Dauphiné 2025 stage 7:
*** Tadej Pogacar
** Jonas Vingegaard, Florian Lipowitz
* Santiago Buitrago, Matteo Jorgenson, Sepp Kuss, Remco Evenepoel, Alex Baudin, Paul Seixas, Enric Mas, Carlos Rodríguez, Eddie Dunbar
** Jonas Vingegaard, Florian Lipowitz
* Santiago Buitrago, Matteo Jorgenson, Sepp Kuss, Remco Evenepoel, Alex Baudin, Paul Seixas, Enric Mas, Carlos Rodríguez, Eddie Dunbar
Pick: Tadej Pogacar
How: Solo win
🤩 Répétition générale avant le #TDF2025 sur les routes du #Dauphiné ! Rendez-vous dimanche pour le Grand Départ !
— Critérium du Dauphiné (@dauphine) June 2, 2025
🤩 Dress rehearsal before the #TDF2025 on the roads of the #Dauphiné! See you on Sunday for the Grand Départ! pic.twitter.com/FDANCesDpV
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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MarkFour07-11-2026 - This is a really interesting idea, which, if well prepared could even be very successful. Very little money needs to be involved for a first season and any success could lead to rapid interest from sponsors.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
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