"With Matteo among the top ten and Sepp right behind them we speak of a good day" - Visma head into Dauphine ITT full of optimism

Three stages down and it's all gone relatively to plan for Team Visma | Lease a Bike at the 2024 Criterium du Dauphine. Heading into the stage 4 individual time-trial, Matteo Jorgenson and Sepp Kuss are still very much in the fight for the Maillot Jaune.

On stage 3, Derek Gee took the stage win and became the third man in as many days to move into the Maillot Jaune of race leader. In terms of the Team Visma | Lease a Bike riders, Matteo Jorgenson added a 9th to his 3rd from the day before, whilst Sepp Kuss finished just outside the top of the standings in 12th. As such, with three stages down, Jorgenson sits 9 seconds off the pace with both Kuss and Steven Kruisjwijk at 13 seconds down.

“It was a relatively quiet stage, despite a fast start. Because only three men rode away, control remained with the peloton," reflects Team Visma | Lease a Bike sports director, Grischa Niermann in his post-stage interview with the team's official website. "The nervousness was present though, especially when the pace went up on the final climb. Fortunately, Matteo and Sepp got through the day well."

Although there was no stage win to boost the confidence, Niermann remains optimistic as the race heads into the stage 4 individual time-trial, which is likely to cause the first real general classification shakeup of the 2024 Criterium du Dauphine.

"The eventual winner chose the perfect moment to attack. With Matteo among the top ten and Sepp right behind them we speak of a good day," the Team Visma | Lease a Bike sports director concludes. "We knew that the Critérium du Dauphiné was not going to be decided on a day like today. However, tomorrow's time trial is a different story. We'll see what we can pull off there. The guys are in good shape, but we'll see tomorrow what that's worth.”