Even Evenepoel in a duel: does he defend the Maillot Jaune in the Alps?

Even Evenepoel in a duel: does he defend the Maillot Jaune in the Alps?

with full steam into the final: Remco Evenepoel secured the overall lead after a brilliant time trial in the fourth stage of the Critérum du Dauphiné 2025. On June 11, 2025, the 25-year-old Belgian from Soudal-Quick-Step took an impressive time of 22 minutes on the 17.4 km long route from Charmes-sur-Rhône to Saint-Péray, which corresponds to an average speed of 50.1 km/h. With a lead of 21 seconds to Jonas Vingegaard and 38 seconds on Matteo Jorgenson, even Evenepoel impressively showed that he is up to the height of his forces. He switched from his rainbow jersey, which he wore last year, to the prestigious Maillot Jaune.

The entire situation promises pure excitement, because only four seconds separate the leading Evenepoel from purifier Florian Lipowitz. The stars Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar, which have further time arrears of 16 and 38 seconds, are also further in the race. It remains to be seen whether Evenepoel can bring his climbing qualities in the Alps better than last year when he ultimately took seventh place despite the tour and had more than two minutes behind the winner Primoz Roglic at the time.

challenges of the next stages

The Soudal-Quick-Step team is optimistic that Evenepoel can master the upcoming mountain stages. There was a small fall on the fifth stage, but sports director Tom Steels emphasized that it remained without consequences. The sixth stage on Friday is seen as the first serious location in the high mountains. Evenepoel predicts a tough climb and expects the other drivers to attack early. It will be exciting to see how it can deal with this additional burden.

Another focus is on the sixth stage, which ends in Samoëns. This is referred to as the royal stage, and for Evenepoel it could mean the decisive course for the overall victory. Everything is now possible in the overall ranking, and it remains to be seen whether he can defend his position to the goal.

A look back at the previous performance

• Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quick-Step): Leader in the overall ranking
• Florian Lipowitz: 4 seconds behind
• Jonas Vingegaard: 16 seconds behind
• Tadej Pogacar: 38 seconds behind

The overall ranking is extremely exciting. Even Evenepoel and Lipowitz have proven to be strong competitors in the past stages, while Vingegaard and Pogacar are ready to hit the last few meters at any time. Holding on the Maillot Jaune will be a major challenge for evenings, and the coming days will show whether he has the nerves and skills to stay in the end.

If you look at the services in the Critérium du Dauphiné, which has been completed so far, it becomes clear that this year it is not only about time trials, but also about strategic skill in the mountains. So it shouldn't be boring in the next few days.

So it is only to be hoped that the weather is playing along and the audience will get their money's worth on the streets and on the mountain slopes. Promise the last two stages of the tour to redefine the fortunes of the cycling.

for the latest developments and results of the Critérium du Dauphiné 2025, you can on Radsport Aktuell href = "https://www.criterium-du-dauphine.fr/en/2025/stage-5/news-detail/17813"> Critérium du dauphiné and Today Cycling keep up.