Critérium du Dauphiné stage 3: Davide Formolo solos to the win

Managing to maintain the slimmest of margins in the final uphill kilometers, Italian road champion Davide Formolo (UAE Team Emirates) held off all pursuers for the Critérium du Dauphiné stage 3 win.

“My morale dropped but I continued to work hard and the victory finally came,” said Formolo who held all challengers on the epic ascent — 17.3km averaging more than eight percent grade — of the Col de La Madeleine.

Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) stayed well-protected — and marked by his rivals — as his Jumbo-Visma team escorted him through the entire stage.

Attacking the main group in the final 200 meters in an attempt to collect precious seconds, Roglič tried to distance himself from Thibault Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) who is placed second in the general classification.

 

Related: We take a ride in the Bora-Hansgrohe team car for a first-hand experience of Davide Formolo’s time trial race at the 2018 Giro d’Italia.

 

“It was a nice day,” smiled the Slovenian. “The two toughest days still remain, and we need to stay focussed, I have some tough guys around me.”

Egan Bernal (Team Ineos) came home at the back of the pursuing group and dropped to seventh in the GC.

By 55km of racing left in the day, Formolo had established a nearly five minute lead over the yellow jersey group.

He was pursued by three other soloists: Pierre Latour (AG2R-La Mondiale), Bob Jungels (Deceuninck–Quick-Step), Søren Kragh Andersen (Team Sunweb).

While the peloton looked relatively relaxed, they started to turn up the heat and reel in the break.

Latour, Jungels, and Kragh Andersen formed a single chase group, but were still behind Formolo by nearly three minutes at the base of the final, 14.5km 6 percent climb.

Jumbo-Visma lead the climb, again tailed by Team Ineos. And again, Ineos could not hang with the yellow jersey squad.

Emanual Buchmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) tried to escape with 5.5km remaining, but Roglič’s team would have none of that, and quickly neutralized his attack.

From this point, Formolo, clearly suffering put his head down and managed to hold off a very fast closing group.

In the final few meters, Roglič escaped from his Jumbo-Visma escort and threw in a massive attack on Pinot, to try to gain precious seconds in the GC.

“I suffered in the heat today, but there are two more remaining and those who fancy their chances will make it very interesting riding,” Pinot said.