"The chance of measuring egos is quite big" - Thijs Zonneveld looks forward to exciting Dauphiné

Tour de France is once again the most anticipated cycling race of the year, and Critérium du Dauphiné will serve as a great appetizer. With all three favourites Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel and Tadej Pogacar, we can look forward to an exciting week of racing.

"The Dauphiné doesn't say it all," Thijs Zonneveld points out in his podcast In De Waaier. "This year, all the big riders are competing against each other, which makes it very special. Knowing their egos and their desire not to lose, this is a special race. Normally, I take the Dauphiné with a grain of salt, it remains a strange race to attach a lot to."

Knowing Pogacar, it's quite likely that riders will show their cards already at Dauphiné. But whatever happens still needs to be taken with a pinch of salt, Zonneveld knows. "The chance of a scenario of a pissing contest and measuring egos is quite big. Who is most prepared to let his ego run wild? Vingegaard. His ego is the smallest, while Pogacar only comes with this Dauphiné team to intimidate?"

The Slovenian's UAE Team Emirates - XRG bring Marc Soler and Pavel Sivakov as key mountain helpers while Vingegaard has Matteo Jorgenson and Sepp Kuss at hand.