Jorgenson 'spooked' by Onley crash on chaotic Dauphiné mountain stage

Onley went over the edge of the road on the approach to the Côte de Crest-Voland, shortly before Decathlon CMA CGM lifted the pace in the group of overall contenders.

“The downhill was really tricky,” Jorgenson said to Eurosport at the finish. “I really hope Oscar is okay. I saw him go over the edge and that kind of spooked me a little bit.”

It added to a grim day for Netcompany Ineos, who had already lost Joshua Tarling earlier in the stage. The Welshman crashed out from the breakaway and abandoned the race soon afterwards, appearing to protect his arm as he left the Dauphiné.

Onley was able to finish the stage in 127th place, 29:17 behind the stage winner Van Gils, with Netcompany-Ineos confirming "he will be assessed by our medical team and we will provide an update in due course."

The crash came near the end of a stage that had been difficult to control from the opening kilometres. A group of around 60 riders went clear early, with no major GC favourites present, forcing Decathlon CMA CGM into a long chase behind for Paul Seixas.

Jorgenson said the size of the move immediately changed the complexion of the day.

“It was really crazy from the start,” he said. “I saw that big group right away and I thought, yeah, this is going to be a hard day.”

Visma had riders in the front group, including Bruno Armirail, which allowed Jorgenson’s team to avoid taking responsibility in the chase while Decathlon and other teams spent riders behind.

“It was really good for us,” Jorgenson said. “Decathlon had to chase really hard, then the other teams had to spend their guys and energy. For us, it was really good to have Bruno and the others up there.”

Van Gils eventually emerged from the break to take the stage win for Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, while teammate Tuckwell gained enough time to take the overall lead.

Behind, Seixas attacked on the final climb, with only Isaac del Toro and Jorgenson initially able to follow. Jorgenson was distanced with around 3km remaining but limited his losses, finishing 13 seconds behind Seixas and Del Toro.

“At the start of the climb, Decathlon really went nuclear,” Jorgenson said. “I held on for as long as I felt like I could without blowing up, and then I just rode my own pace.”

The result leaves Tuckwell in yellow, 1:12 ahead of Armirail, with Jorgenson fourth overall at 2:35. Seixas moved to seventh at 3:06 after gaining ground on several rivals.

Jorgenson said his form is improving, though he is not yet at the level he reached earlier in the season. “I think it’s pretty good,” he said. “It’s not my absolute best shape, nothing like I was in April, but I’m coming back.”

Asked whether Tuckwell’s move into yellow changed the race, Jorgenson said he expected Seixas and Del Toro to remain central to the GC battle over the final two stages.

“I don’t know him very well,” he said of Tuckwell. “He’s a young kid, so I don’t really know. But I’m definitely still counting on Isaac and Paul to light it up over the next two days.”