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2025-06-09T16:06:30.326Z
That just about wraps it up for the Cyclingnews live coverage of stage 2. We’ll be back tomorrow with more coverage of stage 3.
2025-06-09T16:02:41.125Z
And what about Tuesday?
Stage 3 of the Criterium du Dauphiné from Brioude to Charantonnay is the longest of the entire 2025 race, weighing in at 207.2 kilometres and with over 3,000 metres of vertical climbing. Most of that comes in the first half of the stage though, with the toughest ascent of the day the Cat.2 Côte de la Barbate (Km.18) making it likely battle between a strong early breakaway and the bunch sprinters could unfold.
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Cyclingnews’ full report, analysis and results of today’s racing
2025-06-09T15:49:28.074Z
And here’s Milan in the yellow as new race leader. He’s also captured the green jersey as new head of the points competition and the white of Best Young Rider.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
2025-06-09T15:41:47.032Z
And here’s the new GC with Milan in the top spot overall
(Image credit: First Cycling)
2025-06-09T15:38:57.022Z
And here’s a breakdown of the top ten for the stage, courtesy of FirstCycling
(Image credit: First Cycling)
2025-06-09T15:35:44.988Z
Some words from the winner and new race leader, dropped on a late Cat.2 climb but able to get back into the action just when it mattered on a day with more than 3,000 metres of climbing: “That was really tough, our goal was to keep building up the condition and get some nice results. Yesterday (Sunday) I was really suffering a lot, it was my first race after a long time and today I also suffered a lot.”
“I was really on the limit, but my teammates brought me back, they guided me to the last metres and a massive thanks to them. This victory means a lot to us.”
“We knew we had to get into the last corner in the front and from then on it was just perfect. It was a perfect leadout.”
2025-06-09T15:31:19.158Z
This is Milan’s sixth win of the season, and Lidl-Trek’s 23rd, and it sets him up nicely for the Tour de France, where he’ll be leading the Lidl-Trek squad in the sprints, whilst their Giro d’Italia sprint star Mads Pedersen sits it out and waits for the Vuelta a España.
2025-06-09T15:28:23.470Z
That’s the second third place in a row for Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), which means he’s now the new points leader ahead of Pogačar.
2025-06-09T15:26:09.650Z
Milan has also moved into the overall lead, tied on time with Pogačar.
2025-06-09T15:24:45.537Z
Here’s a first shot of the winner
(Image credit: Getty Images)
2025-06-09T15:22:16.800Z
Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious) switched from breakaways on stage 1 to sprints on stage 2 and just edged out Van der Poel for second with a very late burst, whilst Stian Fredheim (Uno-X Mobility) claimed fourth. Milan, though, was in a league of his own.
2025-06-09T15:20:38.320Z
Despite Van der Poel’s late reaction, that was never in any doubt for Milan, who maintained a steady line and pace up the right hand-side of the road to finish a bike length clear of his closest pursuers.
2025-06-09T15:19:04.431Z
Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) wins stage 2 of the 2025 Critérium du Dauphiné
2025-06-09T15:18:07.930Z
Milan takes the win, despite Van der Poel coming up hard on the left.
2025-06-09T15:17:42.310Z
Milan is second in line
2025-06-09T15:17:31.439Z
Lidl lead into the big left hand bend before the finish.
2025-06-09T15:17:14.357Z
A counter-line is forming on the far side with Decathlon AG2R on the left. But Lidl respond well.
2025-06-09T15:16:43.627Z
Lidl are taking over, with four riders into the final kilometre
2025-06-09T15:16:21.649Z
Lidl-Trek are jockeying for position just behind the UAE line.
2025-06-09T15:15:56.933Z
Through a big roundabout, 2km to go, and Narvaez still leads the string.
2025-06-09T15:15:31.270Z
Finally Lidl-Trek moving up on the right.
2025-06-09T15:15:03.844Z
Into the last three kilometres and Pogačar is still in third place.
2025-06-09T15:14:32.550Z
A fast descent and the bunch is still strung out. Speeds of 85kmh.
2025-06-09T15:13:59.885Z
Four kilometres to go
2025-06-09T15:12:47.699Z
Alpecin-Deceuninck are piling on the pressure on the slight rise but no sign of Lidl-Trek.
2025-06-09T15:11:06.959Z
Six kilometres to go
2025-06-09T15:09:44.340Z
Vingegaard and Pogačar remaining resolutely close to the front, with Wellens guiding the UAE mini-train and Valter doing the same for Visma.
2025-06-09T15:06:35.019Z
Back to Plan A. Visma and UAE battling for supremacy at the front of the pack.
2025-06-09T15:06:03.760Z
As the race moves back to smoother, broader roads, Bardet is caught, with just under 10 km to go.
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11 kilometres to go
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Barring one small unclassified climb, it’s flat or nearly flat all the way to the finish, making it hard for Bardet to stay away.
2025-06-09T15:02:38.406Z
The gap is oscillating between 15 and 20 seconds, sparking memories of how Bardet won the opening stage of the Tour de France last year in the teeth of the peloton. But there’s still a good way to go yet.
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14 kilometres to go
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Bardet knows the technical routes like the back of his hand, given he’s born locally, and is making the most of every corner. 12 seconds the gap.
2025-06-09T14:58:38.574Z
Bardet heads out of the village which hosted the Cat.4 climb summit and is powering down a long, steady descent. Tomorrow (stage 3), the race will start in his home town of Brioude, but he’s looking to start the party early.
2025-06-09T14:57:01.476Z
At the top of the Côte de Nonette, Bardet has a scant 11 seconds. This is his last ever pro race, of course, and he’s racing on home, so he’s doing his best to go out on a high.
2025-06-09T14:55:44.892Z
No reaction from the peloton, as Movistar, Visma and UAE grind out a steady but not overly fast pace behind.
2025-06-09T14:55:01.541Z
Romain Bardet (Picnic-PostNL) attacks with 800 metres to go to the top.
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Pogačar is in second position on the left-hand side of the road, Vingegaard in second position on the right.
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Onto the climb and Visma and UAE still tussling at the front
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The bunch racing at speed in the final hour
(Image credit: Getty Images)
2025-06-09T14:51:22.558Z
As the climb approaches, UAE Team Emirates and Visma-Lease a Bike begin to engage in a battle for the lead in the bunch, and as a result, the entire pack is getting increasingly strung-out.
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The early breakaway of the stage, Paul Ourselin (Cofidis) is right at the back now. Barring disaster he’ll be back on the podium with a boosted mountains classification lead.
2025-06-09T14:48:12.320Z
Five kilometres to the last of six classified climbs of the day, the Cat.4: Côte de Nonette (1.8km at 5.7%)
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25 kilometres to go and the peloton is back on the country roads, thankfully well-surfaced. The pace remains very high.
2025-06-09T14:46:51.879Z
Victor Campenaerts, clearly in rising form as he heads towards a likely Tour de France debut with Visma-Lease a Bike, is one of the powerhouses on the front.
2025-06-09T14:44:19.652Z
Riders spread right across the width of a course, a double-lane A road, with no team in clear control, but the pace is still nearly 50kmh as the bunch crowns a long drag.
2025-06-09T14:40:41.338Z
30 kilometres to go
2025-06-09T14:39:42.450Z
The course is quite exposed as the race moves across a broad plain at the foot of the Massif Central, but there’s virtually no wind, so echelons not on the cards today.
2025-06-09T14:38:18.481Z
Pogačar is currently safely placed on the front left-hand part of the peloton in the midst of a small thicket of UAE riders.
2025-06-09T14:36:38.638Z
Still no attempts at late breakaways as the peloton move at a steady pace along broad, open high-ways.
2025-06-09T14:28:04.774Z
On paper, the biggest obstacle for a bunch sprint today is the Cat.4: Côte de Nonette (1.8km at 5.7%) at km 186. After that, it’s 18 kilometres to the finish.
2025-06-09T14:25:14.946Z
For the first time since the first hour or so, a delegation of UAE riders make their presence known close to the front.
2025-06-09T14:24:12.012Z
The bell rings out as the peloton head through the finish. 42.8 kilometres to go.
2025-06-09T14:22:50.727Z
The stage has now entered the local circuit for one single loop and will shortly head through the finish for the first time. The next time, it will be for the win.
2025-06-09T14:21:39.003Z
45 kilometres to go
2025-06-09T14:20:37.993Z
Meanwhile in a quieter moment earlier in the race…
2025 Criterium du Dauphine stage 2: Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard (Image credit: Getty Images)
2025-06-09T14:19:13.916Z
Alpecin-Deceunink are setting a furious pace on the fast, not overly technical downhill to give Milan and Lidl-Trek as hard a job as possible getting back on.
2025-06-09T14:17:00.494Z
50 kilometres to go
2025-06-09T14:16:22.506Z
Behind the peloton an unofficial team time trial has materialised, with Lidl-Trek sending back four riders to help MIlan up to the peloton.
2025-06-09T14:15:13.339Z
Meanwhile, elsewhere on Planet Cycling…
Timo Kielich wins eventful Antwerp Port Epic after aggressive late breakaway
2025-06-09T14:13:44.404Z
Visma-Lease a Bike still leading on the fast, sweeping descent that follows the Cat.2 climb and false flat that followed, touching speeds of over 70kmh.
2025-06-09T14:12:34.328Z
Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) is dropped at the back of the bunch on a small section of false flat following the Cat.2 climb and with a bunch sprint increasingly likely, teammates like Edward Theuns are dropping back to help him.
2025-06-09T14:09:13.891Z
Juul-Jensen rejoins Guernalec at the front of the stage, but Combaud and earlier attacker Ourselin have been swept up by the peloton.
2025-06-09T14:07:43.574Z
Guernalec leads over the top ahead of Juul-Jensen, while behind there were no real fireworks in the peloton on the climb.
2025-06-09T14:06:24.646Z
Guernalec is dropping Juul-Jensen as the top of the climb approaches.
2025-06-09T14:05:23.346Z
Guernalec is a neo-pro and already with one win to his name to date, a stage of the Region Pays de la Loire earlier this season, and he’s putting in a strong performance again today.
Behind, Visma-Lease a Bike move to the front of the pack. 48 seconds the gap.
2025-06-09T14:02:27.932Z
The four breakaways are now on the lower slopes of the Cat.2 Côte de Chateau de Buron (3.3km at 6.9%) and Juul-Jensen is pressing on. For now, only Guernalec can follow him.
2025-06-09T14:01:20.411Z
Sprinting opportunities in the Dauphiné are traditionally few and far between and today is the first (and arguably least probable) of three opportunities for the fastmen. The others are Tuesday’s stage 3 from Brioude to Charantonnay and stage 5 from Saint-Priest to Mâcon.
2025-06-09T13:58:10.728Z
While one breakaway with the GC favourites succeeded yesterday (just) to fend off the sprinters, another move by former British National Champion Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious) didn’t prove so successful. But as Wright told Cyclingnews, it was worth having a go.
2025-06-09T13:54:54.809Z
64 kilometres to go
2025-06-09T13:50:23.864Z
The gap for the four ahead is up to 1:21
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Meantime, a photo of the break
2025 Critérium du Dauphiné stage 2: the four-man break (Image credit: Getty Images)
2025-06-09T13:46:53.100Z
2018 Tour de Suisse: Juul-Jensen wins stage 4
If you’re interested here’s our report about it
2025-06-09T13:43:37.449Z
Of the four, Juul-Jensen is by far the most successful, as the only rider with WorldTour wins in his palmares already. The veteran Dane was successful in a week-long stage race break before too, back in the Tour de Suisse in 2018.
2025-06-09T13:38:43.275Z
The peloton and break are on a couple of kilometres of draggy uphill before the long descent to the foot of the Cat.2 Côte de Chateau de Buron continues.
2025-06-09T13:28:32.282Z
For now at least, the counter-attackers are making a real difference to Ourselin’s chances of staying away (as well as their own, of course) and the break has picked up a gap of a minute.
2025-06-09T13:24:35.303Z
Bahrain Victorious, Lidl-Trek and Alpecin-Deceuninck are leading the chase, but the sprinters will have to get over a Cat.2 climb (and a Cat.4) if they want any chance of victory.
2025-06-09T13:19:15.919Z
Gap as stands is at 35 seconds
2025-06-09T13:17:40.879Z
92 kilometres to go and three counter-attackers have joined Ourselin: Romain Combaud (Picnic-PostNL), Victor Guernalec (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) and Christopher Juul-Jensen (Jayco-AlUla).
2025-06-09T13:16:37.038Z
Sprint results
2025-06-09T13:11:13.315Z
The sprinters’ teams clearly mean business: Ourselin’s advantage has now dropped to under a minute for the first time since he broke away early on the stage and there’s still roughly two hours racing to go.
2025-06-09T13:10:02.803Z
After a long, grinding unclassified ascent to just over 800 metres above sealevel, we’ve reached the high point of the day’s stage at around 93 kilometres to go. There’s now about 40 kilometres of mostly downhill to the foot of the biggest climb of the day, the Cat.2 Côte de Chateau de Buron.
2025-06-09T13:03:30.077Z
After the sprint the peloton’s pace is picking up notably. Ourselin’s advantage is currently plummeting and below the two minute mark. Chances he will now make it to the biggest climb of the day, the Cat.2 Côte de Chateau de Buron at km 147 to get yet more points for his mountains lead, are evaporating fast in the early summer heat.
2025-06-09T12:53:49.523Z
100 kilometres to go
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Interest in who snatches bonus seconds at the sprint in the peloton – currently around four minutes back on Ourselin – will be high, given the GC positions are still very close.
2025-06-09T12:51:33.809Z
Ourselin claims top points at the sprint in Olby, which, coincidentally, also marks the halfway point for the stage.
2025-06-09T12:49:20.658Z
Race leader Tadej Pogačar flanked by Marc Soler (L) and Tim Wellens (R), during the stage
2025 Critérium du Dauphiné stage 2: Tadej Pogačar in the bunch (Image credit: Getty Images)
2025-06-09T12:43:22.804Z
10 kilometres to go to the one sprint of the day, at Olby.
2025-06-09T12:41:54.971Z
Another two points for Ourselin at the top of Cat.3 Côte de Saint Jacques Ambur (3.1km at 5.1%). His gap on the peloton is back on the rise again, too, to 4:20.
2025-06-09T12:17:11.853Z
134 kilometres to go
2025-06-09T12:16:15.239Z
The peloton has completed over 1,200 metres of vertical climbing today, by the way, but there are still a further 2,000 or so to come. If this remains a transition stage given its position in the race, then it’s still a lot closer to the frontier with a GC day than a lot of the sprinters’ teams might like.
2025-06-09T12:09:06.958Z
Still to come on the stage 2 menu…
Km 71.8: Climb: Cat.3 Côte de Saint Jacques Ambur (3.1km at 5.1%)
Km 102: Sprint: Olby
2025-06-09T12:07:04.103Z
Ourselin grabs top points at the summit of the Côte des Rivauds. Three climbs done today, three to go.
2025-06-09T11:59:23.298Z
As he moves towards the foot of the third of the six categorized climbs of the day, the Cat.3 Côte des Rivauds (3.5km at 4.8%), Ourselin’s advantage has dropped to just over four minutes.
2025-06-09T11:50:57.972Z
Talking of which, Ourselin has reached the summit of another Cat 4 climb, Côte de Saint-Priest-des-Champs (1.3km at 5%), and brings his KoM total up to six. The bunch at 5:20.
2025-06-09T11:49:15.009Z
The Critérium du Dauphiné peloton seen from the inside of a tractor, somewhere in south-eastern France. Time for a flurry of of clichés about breakaway Ourselin making hay while the sun shines, ploughing a lone furrow ahead of the peloton, reaping the benefits of his attack to the full…
(Image credit: Getty Images)
2025-06-09T11:25:04.365Z
168 kilometres to go
2025-06-09T11:24:16.183Z
Ourselin conquers the first climb of the day, the Cat.4 Côte de la Font Nanaud (3.5km at 4.6%) and boosts his overall lead in the mountains ranking a little. Meanwhile Lidl-Trek are shutting down any counter-moves behind to try and bridge across to the lone leader.
2025-06-09T11:14:44.798Z
A first shot of stage 2’s lone breakaway, now 6:30 ahead:
2025 Critérium du Dauphiné stage 2: lone breakaway Paul Ourselin in the first hour of racing (Image credit: Getty Images)
2025-06-09T11:11:35.504Z
UAE Team Emirates-XRG, riding for race leader Pogačar, begin tapping out a controlling pace on Ourselin as his advantage caps six minutes.
2025-06-09T10:59:41.898Z
Ourselin’s advantage rises to over four minutes…
2025-06-09T10:52:19.971Z
And Ourselin’s advantage is now up to over three minutes and still rising. Bets on how high it can get before the bunch reacts, anyone?
2025-06-09T10:50:32.209Z
Ourselin’s gap is up to nearly two minutes and rising. Unless somebody reacts soon and tries to bridge across, it’s going to be a long ol’ lonely day out there for the Cofidis racer.
2025-06-09T10:42:19.855Z
196 kilometres to go
2025-06-09T10:32:26.668Z
First attack of the day by Paul Ourselin (Cofidis). The Frenchman was already in a break for 140 kilometres on stage 1, getting the lead in the mountains classification for his pains, and looks to be keen to scoop up some more points today.
2025-06-09T10:27:14.431Z
What’s on the stage 2 menu?
Km 102: Sprint: Olby
Km 204.6: Finish: Issoire
2025-06-09T10:25:16.238Z
Weather is a warm 22.1ºC by the way, it’s dry and there’s a slight crosswind.
2025-06-09T10:24:10.779Z
And Stage 2 of Critérium du Dauphiné from Prémilhat to Issoire (204.6km) is underway.
2025-06-09T10:23:02.345Z
Here’s a map of today’s course. Basically a long grind south over the foothills of the Massif Central, with a 46 kilometre finishing loop, tackled once. The riders will go through the finish at 42.9 kilometres to go.
2025 Criterium du Dauphiné stage 2: map (Image credit: ASO)
2025-06-09T10:10:07.338Z
And here’s a shot of the man himself in yellow on the startline this morning.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
2025-06-09T10:07:49.445Z
Interesting piece of historical data on the Critérium du Dauphiné official website: Pogačar is the first reigning Road World Champion to win a mass start stage of the Dauphiné since Bernard Hinault back in 1981. Hinault won no less than four stages that year, and the overall, a total which might be beyond even Pogačar’s capabilities. Then again…
2025-06-09T10:02:10.451Z
Riders are now on the neutralised section of the stage. Racing starts in just under 20 minutes.
2025-06-09T09:48:11.924Z
If you missed out on the racing on Sunday, here’s the CN report on how the GC favourites stole a march on the sprinters:
Critérium du Dauphiné: Tadej Pogačar wins stage 1 as Jonas Vingegaard rips up the script
2025-06-09T09:36:05.076Z
Riders are currently gathering at the start for a hefty 204.6 kilometre stage, complete with six classified climbs. There’s also a ten kilometre neutralised section, which they’ll begin at 12 noon before racing proper gets underway at 1220 on the outskirts of Prémilhat.
2025-06-09T09:31:48.884Z
Here’s a reminder of the top 10 on GC after Sunday’s spectacular opening stage, won by Tadej Pogačar (you may have heard of him) after a series of fiery late skirmishes between some of the biggest names on the 2025 Critérium startlist…
(Image credit: FirstCycling)
2025-06-09T09:06:41.439Z
Hello and welcome to Cyclingnews live coverage of stage 2 of the 2025 Critérium du Dauphiné