Critérium du Dauphiné

Remco Evenepoel produced one of his finest rides of his career in an individual time trial Wednesday afternoon, blasting to a huge victory that moved him into the Critérium du Dauphiné yellow jersey with four days remaining at the French race.

Stage four of the race, running between Saint-Germain-Laval to Neulise, was the longest test against the clock at the Dauphiné since 2011 – 34.4 rolling kilometers that culminated a 500m climb averaging 5% coming just before the finish. As expected, the ITT completely reshuffled the general classification and made for some significant gaps between the favourites ahead of the weekend’s three mountain stages.

As soon as he left the start ramp, Remco went in his now trademark “aero bullet” position and set the fastest time at the first intermediate checkpoint. The World ITT Champion, who showcased his new Specialized Shiv bike on the roads of the Loire department, continued to put in a monster ride and to produce the same remarkable speed even on the uphill drag to the line, stopping the clock in 41:49 after averaging 49.35km/h.

“I am very happy and proud. This time trial was a good test after two months and the victory is a big confidence-boost and a good sign towards the Tour de France, which is just three weeks away. I want to thank everyone who supported me, my family and my team, who were always by my side. A big thank you also to Specialized, who presented me with a new helmet and new bike for this race. This gave me some extra power. It was a nice present and showed their extraordinary commitment to providing the best material, for which I am grateful.”

“I don’t know what this victory means for the general classification and I don’t think it speaks about my shape for a good overall result. All I can say is that I am delighted to wear the beautiful yellow jersey of the Dauphiné, which together with the win makes for a successful week already. I was focused on my ride and on getting a good result today, and I will continue to take it day by day and see what I can do in the three hard stages we will spend in the mountains, where a lot of things can still happen”, said Remco after donning the 65th leader’s jersey of his career.

Photo credit: ©Dario Belingheri / Getty Images