"We'll do everything we can to win the Dauphiné as well as Tour" - Visma DS declares ambitious goals for the spring

Jonas Vingegaard has not raced since his abandon at Paris-Nice nearly three months ago, but Team Visma | Lease a Bike are still going to be major protagonists of this Critérium du Dauphiné with the Dane in their core.

"The riders are in good shape. Most of them have just returned from a long training camp at altitude and are eager to get back to racing," Visma | Lease a Bike sports director Grischa Niermann said before the first stage.

Despite the Tour being on the menu further month later on calendar, the Dutch formation around Jonas Vingegaard is not going to hold back: "The Dauphiné is of course a preparation race, but it's also a real competition. We'll try to win it, simply because we're always motivated by victory."

"The course is very tough. The time trial on day four is a good test of strength, and the final mountain stages are really demanding. That's where we'll see where we are at the moment. Jonas won here two years ago, while Matteo was on the podium last year. These are things that give us confidence for this week."

"Jonas is, of course, our leader. The competition is tough – with Tadej Pogačar and Remco Evenepoel – but we always focus on ourselves." By going all out, the riders can test themselves ahead of the Grande Boucle while there is still plenty space for fine-tuning, Niermann knows. "It's a great opportunity to see where we are. We're well prepared. Everything is on track."

If everyones gets through the week safely, the Dutch team can't really lose. "If we don't win the Dauphiné, it's not the end of the world. Obviously, the main objective is the Tour de France. But we'll do everything we can to win the Dauphiné as well. Wherever we race, we race to win. That's the ambition we all share. It's worked out well for us in recent years, not only in terms of logistics, but also because the Dauphiné is a top-level race that never lies."