'When someone is stronger, all you can do is accept it' – Vingegaard unable to match Pogacar at Dauphiné

The short but brutal stage saw Visma | Lease a Bike position themselves well, taking control of the peloton and ripping it to shreds just over 40km out on the Côte de Mont-Saxonnex. As the stage then reached the boiling point of the decisive final climbs to Combloux, only a select group of favourites remained at the front, including Visma | Lease a Bike teammate's, Vingegaard, Matteo Jorgenson and Ben Tulett.

Pogačar launched a devasting decisive attack on the slopes of the Côte de Domancy that no one could match, riding away effortlessly. The Slovenian rode solo to claim both the stage victory and the yellow leader's jersey, while Vingegaard fought gamely and crossed the line in second place.

Elsewhere in Visma | Lease a Bike, Jorgenson showed impressive form by distancing Remco Evenepoel to take fourth place, with Tulett following home in ninth position.

"Pogačar was the strongest today," admitted sports director Grischa Niermann in a statement relased by the team. "In the end, the time gaps at the finish were significant. Of course, we had hoped Jonas could stay closer on the final climb. This was a stage that really suited Pogačar, and it was clear from the start that Team UAE had a plan today. When someone is stronger, all you can do is accept it and congratulate him on the victory." Niermann said.

The results leave Vingegaard trailing Pogačar by 43 seconds in the general classification with another challenging mountain stage to come on Saturday, featuring a summit finish at Valmeinier 1800, a stage which should suit Vingegaard better.

Despite the setback, Niermann remains positive about the team's approach: "We'll give it another try tomorrow. It won't be easy, but I'm happy with our way of racing and the fighting spirit of the team. We'll take that into the next stage."