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Julian Alaphilippe back on form with Critérium du Dauphiné victory

Laporte keeps the yellow jersey

June 5, 2023
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Julian Alaphilippe has had a difficult couple of years, but he woke up the echoes by winning Monday’s second stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné. It was the Frenchman’s second victory of the season and first WorldTour triumph of the year. Alaphilippe is tied on time with Sunday’s winner Christophe Laporte, but Laporte keeps the race lead.

The Course

Officially, there were only four categorized climbs on Monday’s menu, but there were plenty of hills to grind down the riders. For the second stage in row, the race played out on a circuit, this time two laps of 36 km, each with Cat. 4 Côte des Guêtes. A 5-km uphill drag rose to the finish in La Chaise-Dieu.

An early crash sent Steven Kruijswijk and two others home. Kenny Ellisonde was the best placed on GC of the seven riders who escaped. The man in the KOM jersey (white polka dots on blue), Donavan Grondin, took the maximum points atop Cat. 3s Col de Toutée and the Col des Fourches. With Jumbo-Visma pulling in the peloton, Grondin returned to the field as the race entered the first circuit, the escapees only 50 seconds up the road.

Heading into the final lap, the peloton hard on their heels, fugitive Victor Campernaerts attacked and Ellisonde went along. Ellisonde was the final fellow to be absorbed with 10 km to race. The catch inspired Alpecin-Deceuninck’s Tobias Bayer to do a flyer on Côte des Guêtes, but he too was sopped up with 4 km remaining.

Jumbo kept pushing at the front, Tiesj Benoot dragging the peloton under the red kite. With Jonas Vingegaard leading out Laporte, Richard Carapaz made a move on the right, but Alaphilippe grabbed his wheel and came around him for the famous win.

Tuesday is likely to be a sprinter’s day.

75th Critérium du Dauphiné Stage 2
1) Julian Alaphilippe (France/Soudal-QuickStep) 3:54:53
2) Richard Carapaz (Ecuador/EF Education-Easypost) s.t.
3) Natnael Tesfatsion (Eritrea/Trek-Segafredo) s.t.

75th Critérium du Dauphiné GC
1) Christophe Laporte (France/Jumbo-Visma) 7:38:13
2) Julian Alaphilippe (France/Soudal-QuickStep) s.t
3) Richard Carapaz (Ecuador/EF Education-Easypost) s.t.