Criterium du Dauphine 2025 Stage 8 LIVE - Martinez goes solo, with Pogacar in complete control and heading for victory at end of dominant Dauphine

Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious) held off the advances of Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) and Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) to take third WorldTour win of the season on a thrilling final stage of the Dauphine. Pogacar, who started the day with more than a minute’s lead in the yellow jersey, could afford to take it (relatively) easy. The World Champion opted to simply follow wheels on the final climb, and came in with Vingegaard to secure the overall victory in his final race before the Tour de France starts next month.

The short final stage, which packed in 3500m of climbing, was ripe for a breakaway raid. An aggressive opening hour saw twelve strong riders gain a maximum three minute lead. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) was aiming to take sprint points and wrest the jersey from the shoulders of Pogacar outright. He did well to make it to the intermediate sprint and take the maximum ten points but needed Pogacar to finish the stage outside the top three to win the competition. Likewise Bruno Armirail (Decathlon-AG2R) whose target was the mountains competition, and needed to maximise his collection while hoping Pogacar held back on the final climb.

With 10th place Enric Mas (Movistar) representing a GC threat in the break, Uno-X worked to peg back the group’s lead. They were able to bring the gap below two minutes with 20km and the final climb to come.

With the peloton coming up behind, the remain cohesion evaporated from the breakaway. Mas attacked, followed by Martinez, before the Frenchman himself hit out with 2.7km left of the climb. Back in the bunch Vingegaard needed to try something, and while he was able to dispense with everyone from the group below him in the general classification, the one man ahead stuck to him like glue. The pair raced to the summit as Martinez went full gas to hold out. Over the summit and onto the at Plateau du Mont-Cenis it seemed as if he might be running out of steam but he had enough left to hang on, and the terrain was in his favour. The result made up for a disappointing general classification performance. 

Pogacar and Vingegaard came in 34 seconds later, as the Slovenian was content to let his Danish rival take the bonus seconds for second place and reduce the margin of victory to 59 seconds.

Florian Lipowitz finished strongly for third place and the white jersey of best young rider. Bruno Armirail took home the maillot a pois as King of the Mountains. As well as the maillot jaune, Pogacar finished the race as winner of the points competition.

The Tour de France starts in Lille on July 5th.

He rolls across the line in the company of team-mate Chris Hamilton.

TOP FIVE OVERALL
1. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)
2. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike), +59''
3. Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), +2'38''
4. Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step), +4'21''
5. Tobias Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility), +6'12''

Of them, you'd say Remco will be the most disappointed. Tobias Johannessen has just told our reporter that he wasn't planning on riding for GC at the start of the week. He was definitely riding for it at the end. A great eight days for Florian Lipowitz, who takes home the white jersey, and a pretty astonishing one for Paul Seixas, who finishes in 8th place at just 18 years old.

A third WorldTour victory of the season for the Frenchman, as Pogacar makes no effort to contest second place. He becomes the first World Champion to win the Dauphine since Bernard Hinault in 1981.

The terrain is in his favour. His compatriot Bruno Armirail should be happy.

It's down to 30 seconds... The riders behind will be able to see him.

His lead is up to 50 seconds, and the next riders on the road are the maillot jaune and Jonas Vingegaard.

And it's just the two of them once more. Pogacar happy to roll through, not making it harder but just ride within himself.

It had to come, and it does. It's too much for the rest of their group, but Pogacar barely has to open his mouth to breathe. It doesn't take long before they're both linking up with the Sepp Kuss and Ben Healy group.

Just as Mas was taking a drink, with 2.7km left of the climb. Mas doesn't or can't really respond.

Dragging Vingegaard and Pogacar across to Johannessen. Evenepoel wants to get back on the podium.

He's just holding that position, as there's now only about ten riders left from the peloton.

And just at that moment there's a crash at the back of what's left involving Paul Seixas, who is now riding with his handlebars angled wrongly. He needs an allen key.

A last throw, you'd think, having been dropped and come back and now he's gone again as Enric Mas responds and goes himself. Only Lenny Martinez is able to go with the Mallorcan.

It looks like Tadej Pogacar wants to take win number 100 today.

And he's the first to drop, because he's followed quickly by Von Gils and Armirail. Sepp Kuss wants more cohesion from those left with just a minute to the bunch. I think Kuss and/or Mas have to just go for it now.

He knows this isn't his turf, so no point wasting energy. Whether he keeps the green jersey is not in his power now. Onto the final climb of the Dauphine, the 9.6k long, 7% Col du Mont-Cenis.