A taste of the Great Loop?

Wout van Aert, the Belgian champion, won the Critérium du Dauphiné for his return to competition this Sunday in Beauchastel (Ardèche).

He thus validates his ambitions for a green jersey in the next Tour de France.

In the sprint, van Aert clearly outstripped three representatives of the younger generation in the first stage, the Briton Ethan Hayter, the American Sean Quinn and the French neo-pro Hugo Page (20).

"This stage suited me perfectly", welcomed the Belgian (27) who was rid of most of the specialists present at the Dauphiné (Bauhaus, Molano and especially Groenewegen) left behind on the last climb of the course, before the 30 last kilometres.

Candidacy for the green jersey of the Tour?

"I have worked a lot in recent weeks on the sprint," explained van Aert, who applied for the green jersey in the points classification of the Tour de France, alongside the yellow jersey ambitions of his teammates (Primoz Roglic, even Jonas Vingegaard).

By his all-terrain profile, he is already positioned as the big favorite in this ranking, like the Slovak Peter Sagan in the past.

In the Rhone valley, between the showers and the rays of the sun, van Aert very quickly returned to victory, as he had done at the end of February at the start of his season at Het Nieuwsblad.

He had not raced since his third place in Liège-Bastogne-Liège (April 24), at the end of a classics campaign that was especially frustrating due to the Covid-19 which deprived him of the Tour of Flanders and upset his approaching Paris-Roubaix (2nd).

Favorites already struggling

“I recharged my batteries,” said van Aert before leaving Dauphiné, referring to his altitude training course of around twenty days, in Sierra Nevada (Spain).

At the end of the event, next Sunday, the Belgian has planned to leave without delay, with in particular Primoz Roglic, in Tignes (Savoie), for another altitude camp.

The 191.8 kilometer stage, entirely in Ardèche, put an outsider for the general classification, the Italian Damiano Caruso, at a distance of almost a minute and a half.

As for his compatriot Filippo Ganna, world time trial champion, he was left behind before returning in the final, on the flat.

Peas for Pierre Rolland

During the stage, Pierre Rolland, member of a trio of breakaways (with Bouet and Huys), secured the polka dot jersey for best climber of the day.

Fourteen years after having brought him back safely during his first participation when he was one of the hopes of French cycling.

"It's the symbol of a long and regular career", commented the Orléanais (35 years old), double stage winner on the Tour de France, who could leave his current team B & B Hotels at the end of year.

According to the insistent rumors of the transfer market, he should join the formation of Jean-René Bernaudeau, with whom he once had his best years.

On Monday, the second stage, with a more selective and tiring route, connects Saint-Péray (Ardèche) to Brives-Charensac (Haute-Loire) over 169.8 kilometers.

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