TotalEnergies has once again taken a win at the Critérium du Dauphiné, as Valentin Ferron was the strongest rider from the breakaway as the peloton rode towards Gap.
The day was an evident breakaway opportunity, and that caused a large battle for the escapee group to form that went deep into the first ascents of the day. Bruno Armirail (Groupama - FDJ), Geoffrey Bouchard (AG2R Citröen Team), Andrea Bagioli (Quic-Step Alpha Vinyl Team), Victor Lafay (Cofidis), Warren Barguil (Arkéa Samsic) and Pierre Rolland (B&B Hotels-KTM).
With the hilly profile and lack of teams fully comiting to the chase, the group soon found itself in a position to fight for the stage win. Armirail suffered and was dropped whilst the remaining members kept forcing the pace through the final hours of racing and had the freedom to slow down in the final kilometers which saw a small descent into the finish.
The peloton saw Intermarché, Trek, Jumbo-Visma and BikeExchange at times push the pace, but not in a consistent way which led to a battle for minor places.
The win was in front. The winning move was an opportunist one, as most riders focused on Andrea Bagioli who was the fastest finisher from the group, and inside the final kilometer Ferron jumped from the group and got a crucial gap. Bagioli chased shortly but soon enough the gap expanded, with the Frenchman taking the biggest win of his career. Pierre Rolland and Warren Barguil sprinted to complete the podium on the day.
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