The 2024 Criterium du Dauphiné race was the first of two prelude races that would lead up to the 2024 Tour de France. The Criterium du Dauphine 2024 would be followed by the Tour de Suisse 2024, before this year’s Tour de France commenced in Firenze on June 29.

Top competitors participating in the 2024 Criterium du Dauphine included Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep), Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates), Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos-Grenadiers), Primoz Roglic (Bora-Hansgrohe), Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe), and Sepp Kuss (Team Visma-Lease a Bike). Riders would be testing their performances and forms before the Tour de France and comparing them against those of main competitors in the professional cycling peloton.

Defending Tour de France Champion Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma-Lease a Bike) was still at home recovering from his crash in which he had suffered fractured ribs and a fractured collarbone.

Stage 1 of Criterium du Dauphiné 2024 was designed by race organizer A.S.O. as a 172.5-kilometer roundtrip from Saint-Pourcain-sur-Sioule and back. While the 2024 edition of the week-long race would feature many mountainous climbs as usual, stage one was contested in relatively flat terrain that appealed to sprinters in the Criterium du Dauphine peloton.

The weather was overcast-to-rainy and somewhat cool. A duo featuring Mathis le Berre (Arkea - B&B Hotels) and Mark Donovan (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) attacked shortly after the start of stage one and formed the breakaway duo of the day. The duo built a lead of almost five minutes before the chasing main peloton started reeling them back in to prepare for the intended mass sprint.

With twenty-five kilometers left, the breakaway duo had an advantage of just forty seconds. Teams such as Bora-Hansgrohe, Uno-X Pro Cycling, Ineos-Grenadiers, and UAE Team Emirates were doing most of the hard work at the front of the main peloton.

The peloton reeled in the breakaway duo with approximately sixteen kilometers remaining.

Nils Politt (UAE Team Emirates) suddenly launched an attack approximately twelve kilometers from the finish in Saint-Pourcain-sur-Sioule. Other riders joined him, but the teams in the main peloton quickly responded to close the gap. An EF Education-EasyPost rider counterattacked, but alas with no success.

Nine kilometers now remained and the speed at the front of the peloton was intense. Uno-X and Ineos Grenadiers were working hard as did UAE Team Emirates. The road was wide and fast. Sprint ace Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) was lurking a few meters behind the front men.

Two kilometers remained. The teams were launching their sprinter lead-out trains. Who would prevail?

Lidl-Trek’s Ryan Gibbons led the sprint and teammate and stage one favorite Mads Pedersen opened his sprint from the front. Pedersen won stage 1 of Criterium du Dauphine ahead of Sam Bennett of Decathlon-AG2R.

“Carlos did super good pulling for me. Alex controlled the leadout to perfection and Toms and Ryan are doing incredible jobs,” stage winner Pedersen told Roadcycling.com shortly afte being celebrated on the podium.

“Every win gives even more confidence and I’m riding my Trek bike to win races. Tomorrow’s stage will be too hard for me in the final. We’ll try to control the stage tomorrow to respect the leader jersey and we also have a General Classification guy with us here,” Pedersen added.

Stay tuned to Roadcycling.com for additional race coverage from Criterium du Dauphine 2024.

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