Cycling enthusiasts witnessed the thrilling conclusion of the 2024 Critérium du Dauphiné Stage 8 (Tournon – Glieres) late on June 9th, Beijing time. The race began with an 11-man breakaway, which was eventually caught by the peloton led by Bora team as they approached the Glieres climb. Jorgensen and Rodriguez launched a joint attack, dropping race leader Roglic, and secured a 48-second advantage to win the stage, with Rodriguez crossing the line first in a friendly spirit. Roglic managed to retain his overall race victory.
The 160.6-kilometer route started in Tournon and headed south along the lake before heading north towards the French-Swiss border mountains, featuring four challenging climbs and one sprint point. The focus for GC teams was the latter part of the race, particularly the Salève and Glieres climbs. The overall champion would be decided in the final moments, and for Bora, only a full-out effort could secure a shot at the title.
Under the cheers of the Tournon crowd, the race began. With three consecutive mountain stages and several riders affected by a crash the previous days, including 2023 Vuelta a España winner Küng, six more cyclists withdrew due to injuries. Many climbers, believing that Roglic wouldn’t contest the breakaway, attacked from the start, including Fugliano (Astana), who wore the polka dot jersey.
Fugliano claimed the first category 1 climb, momentarily overtaking Roglic in the virtual King of the Mountains classification. Roglic, five minutes behind, now had only Soler (UAE Team Emirates) as his main rival. Their battle was just beginning.
Soler, undeterred, fought back on the second category 3 ascent with the help of Wellens, but narrowly missed taking the points. Despite their combined efforts to win the third category 1 climb, he remained two points behind Fugliano. As the last climb would decide the GC battle, Soler’s chance to overtake had effectively vanished, leaving Fugliano on course for the polka dot jersey.
Bora’s powerful mountain train reduced the gap between the breakaway and the peloton, catching all escapees less than two kilometers before the Glieres climb (approximately 8 kilometers from the finish). The race reset.
With 5 kilometers to go, Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers) attacked, followed by Jorgensen (Vismara), De Backer (Israel-Premier Tech), Buys (Bahrain-Victorious), and Deprez. Roglic, showing signs of fatigue, lost contact with the group.
As the final kilometers approached, Rodriguez increased the pace, leaving only Jorgensen with him. They crossed the line together, with Rodriguez taking the stage win.
Rodriguez expressed gratitude to his team and Jorgensen after the race, while Roglic, finishing 48 seconds behind with Chiche, held onto his overall lead by 8 seconds over Jorgensen. Both riders reflected on the challenging day.
In the end, Roglic claimed both the yellow and green jerseys, Fugliano took the polka dot jersey, and Jorgensen won the white jersey. Fans eagerly anticipate the 111th edition of the Tour de France, set for June 29th.
