The day saw a thrilling conclusion as Carlos Rodríguez took the stage win after a vigorous final climb, aided by his Ineos Grenadiers teammate Laurens De Plus. Rodríguez, alongside Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Derek Gee (Israel-Premier Tech), managed to distance themselves from Roglič, the maillot jaune at the time. Despite the efforts of Gee, only Rodríguez and Jorgenson were left to contest the sprint finish, with Rodríguez ultimately triumphing.
Jorgenson, who had begun the day in second overall, aggressively pushed to front in the closing kilometers, aiming to displace Roglič from the lead. However, Roglič, enduring the relentless pressure, narrowly preserved his lead by a mere eight seconds after accounting for stage bonus seconds.
Reflecting on his victory, Roglič expressed his elation and the intense effort required to win, stating, “It’s crazy to win the Dauphiné. I started the day with a gap and was able to play a bit, but in the end, I had to go all in for the win. I was suffering from the efforts of the last three days. It was close, but it worked out in my favour. I want to really enjoy this moment because you don’t win races like this every day.”
With the Tour de France on the horizon, Roglič shared his thoughts, stating, “One is the Dauphiné, the other is the Tour. First of all I just want to be happy and really enjoy the moment, because it is not every day that you win races like this”.
Critérium du Dauphiné 2024, Stage Eight Results (Thônes > Plateau des Glières, 161km):
- Carlos Rodriguez (Esp), Ineos Grenadiers – 4:18:02
- Matteo Jorgenson (USA), Visma-Lease a Bike – at same time
- Derek Gee (Can), Israel-Premier Tech – +15s
- Laurens De Plus (Bel), Ineos Grenadiers – +35s
- Santiago Buitrago (Col), Bahrain Victorious – at same time
- Primož Roglič (Slo), Bora-Hansgrohe – +48s
- Giulio Ciccone (Ita), Lidl-Trek – at same time
- Remco Evenepoel (Bel), Soudal Quick-Step – +58s
- Aleksandr Vlasov (Rus), Bora-Hansgrohe – at same time
- Mikel Landa (Esp), Soudal Quick-Step – +1:10
General Classification After Stage Eight
- Primož Roglič (Slo), Bora-Hansgrohe – 25:35:40
- Matteo Jorgenson (USA), Visma-Lease a Bike – +8s
- Derek Gee (Can), Israel-Premier Tech – +36s
- Carlos Rodriguez (Esp), Ineos Grenadiers – +1:00
- Laurens De Plus (Bel), Ineos Grenadiers – +2:04
- Aleksandr Vlasov (Rus), Bora-Hansgrohe – +2:06
- Remco Evenepoel (Bel), Soudal Quick-Step – +2:25
- Giulio Ciccone (Ita), Lidl-Trek – +2:54
- Oier Lazkano (Esp), Movistar – at same time
- Mikel Landa (Esp), Soudal Quick-Step – +4:13
