Tobias Halland Johannessen impresses on tough day in the Dauphiné – Domestique Data

The stage served up five categorised climbs and over 2,800 metres of elevation gain. The first-category Côte du Mont-Saxonnex (5.4 km at 9%) broke the race open around two-thirds into the stage, followed by the combination of the Côte de Domancy (2.4 km at 9%) and Côte de la Cry (2.7 km at 8%) in the final kilometres - with barely any time to recover in between.

Before the Mont-Saxonnex, the GC group had enjoyed a relatively calm run-in, which slightly boosts the numbers we see on this first major effort of the day.

The graph shows that temperatures were extreme today, with a peak of 36 degrees and an average of 32. That makes the riders’ performance all the more impressive. 

Johannessen climbed the Côte du Mont-Saxonnex in 17’40 at 6.5 W/kg, with the first 7 minutes at 7 W/kg.An intense effort but fortunately the riders had a chance to recover in the valley that followed before the road kicked up again towards the climb to Combloux via the Côte de Domancy and Côte de la Cry.

The watts on the climb to Combloux (22 minutes at 6.3 W/kg) were slightly lower for Johannessen compared to his effort on the Côte du Mont-Saxonnex, but still impressive - all the more given the weather conditions. It earned the Norwegian rider a strong 7th place on the stage and moved him up to 9th in the overall standings.

It’s great to see him back after the bad luck he’s had to endure. It’ll be interesting to see how he continues to develop - and just how far he can go in this final weekend of the Dauphiné.