This Sunday 2nd of June, Intermarché-Wanty made a brilliant start to the Critérium du Dauphiné by propelling young Hugo Page to third place in the opening stage in Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule, a podium finish that earned him the white jersey of best young rider.
The first yellow jersey was awarded after a bunch sprint at the end of a classic race scenario, with an early breakaway of two riders. Thanks to a perfect lead out of Tom Paquot and Vito Braet, Hugo Page was only defeated by Mads Pedersen and Sam Bennett on the line. In doing so, he claimed the 20th podium of team Intermarché-Wanty this season, and improved on his best result at the Dauphiné.
Thanks to his third place, the 22-year-old Frenchman is the first wearer of the white jersey of this Critérium du Dauphiné. He thus repeats the performance of his teammate Rune Herregodts one year ago, third at the end of a long breakaway and white jersey wearer for three days. For Hugo Page, this is the second time he will wear a distinctive jersey in this race, two years after having worn the green jersey in the 2022 edition thanks to three top ten results.
"This Dauphiné is the start of a period of racing in France that I had circled in red in my agenda for a long time, with the Tour de France and the national championships. Two years ago, I had the honour of wearing the green jersey in this race, while last year I experienced a great disappointment, forced to abandon after a crash in the first stage. With my coach Christophe Prémont we have prepared well for this period, which has been reflected in my performances in support of the team in recent weeks. For this Dauphiné I had the ambition to race for the victory myself and from this first opportunity I could rely on the support of all my teammates. After the first passages over the finish line, we refined our strategy and decided to save our efforts on the last lap until the final kilometers, which worked out perfectly. After a big pull from Tom Paquot, Vito Braet launched me in an incredible way, allowing me to sprint to my first podium of the season. I am very happy to achieve a nice result for the team in my turn. With the white jersey on my shoulders, I will give it my all on Monday, even if the final on Col de la Loge is probably too difficult for riders of my profile. I am eagerly awaiting the second big sprint chance on Thursday, I am very curious to see what I can achieve that day."
