Rune Herregodts put on a show in the breakaway and nearly circumvented the predictions in the first stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné, which was ridden on a hilly circuit around Chambon-sur-Lac this Sunday, containing three laps with the Côte du Rocher de l'Aigle.
The peloton was about to catch the early breakaway which was first composed of five and later reduced to three riders on the final categorised climb, when Rune Herregodts dropped his last breakaway companion Dorian Gordon to continue alone with a little more than 10 kilometer to go.
Rune Herregodts gave everything in the downhill towards the finish, managing to increase the gap above 10 seconds again. Fighting against the peloton led by the complete team of Jumbo-Visma, Herregodts resisted until the final 20 meters, after which he was overtaken by Laporte and Trentin.
He crossed the line third after a breakaway of 150 kilometer and is also third in the provisional classification. The 24 year old Belgian rider leads the young riders classification and will line up for the second stage in the white jersey.
"With 10 seconds in the last 2 kilometres, I knew I just had to go full. When you know you’ve done something wrong, you can be really disappointed, but I gave everything, so that’s life, that’s cycling. I took my chance and it was just not enough. Maybe the peloton underestimated me and that makes it even more of a missed opportunity. Once they know you, it gets harder and harder. The white jersey and third place, it’s nice, but that’s not what I was hoping for in the last kilometre! When you say that Jumbo-Visma sacrificed the whole team, it’s a badge of honour but I would have preferred Jonas Vingegaard to say: 'I'm a GC rider, I don’t pull'! They’re too good of a team."
