As it happened: Remco Evenepoel seizes control in Critérium du Dauphiné stage 4 time trial

Welcome to live coverage of stage 4 of the Critérium du Dauphiné, the key 34.4km time trial from Saint-Germain-Laval to Neulise. Jensen Plowright (Alpecin-Deceuninck) is the first man down the start ramp at 13.46 CET, with yellow jersey Derek Gee the last rider off at 16.14.

The full list of start times is here. Josh Tarling (Ineos) is a notable early starter at 13.49, while Remco Evenepoel (15.42), Juan Ayuso (16.01) and Primoz Roglic (16.11) will also be expected to shine on this course. 

Evenepoel downplayed his ambitions for this race before it got underway, insisting his objective was simply to build form ahead of the Tour. The Belgian appears to be altering his mindset as the week progresses, however, admitting that he would have contested yesterday's stage had he not suffered a slow puncture in the closing kilometres. This time trial, meanwhile, is a key test ahead of a Tour with two stages against the watch. "It’s a TT that’s pretty long, so you have to pace it well and make sure you have something for the final part. It’s one I like," Evenepoel said. "I was looking forward to this one already during the altitude camp.” Read more here.

Primož Roglič was a faller early on yesterday's stage but seemingly without consequence. The Slovenian lies fourth overall, 7 seconds down on Gee, thanks to the time bonus he picked up on the Col de la Loge on Monday. As for Evenepoel, this time trial is a useful test ahead of the Tour - and of his condition after his crash at Itzulia Basque Country. Read more here.

Jensen Plowright (Alpecin-Deceuninck), the day's first started, has rolled down the start ramp and stage 4 of the Critérium du Dauphiné is formally underway.

European champion Josh Tarling is out on the course and he will inevitably be the early reference point. The official time checks on today's course come after 9.9km and after 24.8km.

Plowright is the first man through the 10km point in a time of 12:17. The course is relatively flat for the first 15km or so before it begins to rise steadily thereafter. 

Josh Tarling scorches through the same point in a time of 11:01. It's safe to assume the Briton will have a stint in the hotseat when he concludes his effort.

Kamil Gradek (Bahrain Victorious) has the second best time so far at the first check, albeit some 43 seconds down on Tarling. The Ineos rider has ridden just one individual time trial so far in 2024, winning the neutralised opening stage of O Gran Camiño, which was contested on regular road bikes. 

Dylan van Baarle (Visma-Lease a Bike) rolls through the 10km mark over a minute down on Tarling, who doesn't have any rival among the early tranche of starters. 

Tarling hits the second check point after 25km in 30.03 for an average speed of 49.7kph. 

None of the other early starters are getting anywhere Tarling. Kamil Gradek remains the closest at the second check for now, some 2:01 behind the Briton.

Josh Tarling (Ineos) has caught the three riders ahead of him and he is the first man to finish, stopping the clock in 42:06 for an average speed of 49kph. He is immediately guided towards the hot seat and it's safe to assume he'll be there for quite some time.

As things stands, nobody has come within 2:30 of Tarling's time, but the European champion perceived his ride a little differently to the rest of us. "It felt slow, you know," Tarling told ITV and FloBikes at the finish. "It’s that tarmac, it’s quite grippy. It felt hard to get the speed up especially over the top of the climbs. But I think I did a decent enough ride, so fingers crossed."

"It was about not showing off at the start, not getting everything out, because it’s so much longer than you think," Tarling continued. Regardless of the final result, it was a useful work-out ahead of the Paris Olympics, where the youngster is one of the favourites for gold in the time trial. "I haven’t done any TT bike time trials this year and I’m not going to get many before the Olympics. We’ll see if the result is up there, but it was more about how close I could get to perfection."

Luke Durbridge (Jayco-Alula) is out on the course and the Australian is second quickest at the first check point, albeit 46 seconds off the currently unassailable Tarling.

Luke Durbridge comes through the second intermediate check a shade over two minutes down on Tarling, whose time might well be enough to claim stage victory. It will certainly stand unchallenged until Evenepoel and Roglic roll down the start ramp.

Chris Froome crosses the line with the 11th best time so far, some 4:50 down on Tarling. This week marks the fifth anniversary of the recon crash at the Dauphine that effectively ended Froome's time as a Grand Tour contender. He is currently in the fourth season of a five-year contract with Sylvan Adams' Israel Premier Tech team.

Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe) rolls down the start ramp to begin his effort.

Nils Politt had the third best time at the second check, 1:49 down on Tarling, but he briefly went off course soon afterwards. The German was quickly back on track and he's currently barrelling towards the finish. 

Nils Politt (UAE Team Emirates) takes the second best time at the finish despite his error, 2:10 down on Josh Tarling. Durbridge has the fourth best time to date, 2:41 behind Tarling. 

Matteo Sobrero (Bora-Hansgrohe) is putting in a solid ride. The Italian hits the second check with the second best time, 1:34 behind Tarling. Fred Wright is just behind Sobrero with the third best time at that point.

We're reaching the business end of the afternoon, and the key names and start times to look out for are: Remco Evenepoel (15:42), Sepp Kuss (15:43), Tao Geoghegan Hart (15:53), David Gaudu (15:55), Guillaume Martin (15.56), Juan Ayuso (16.01), Aleksandr Vlasov (16:04), Carlos Rodriguez (16:05), Matteo Jorgenson (16:10) and Derek Gee (16:14)

And right on cue, Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) is in the start house, ready to start his effort. This is his first time trial since breaking his collarbone in that mass crash at Itzulia Basque Country.

Tim Wellens, incidentally, has the second best time at the first split, 21 seconds down on Tarling.

At the finish, meanwhile, Sobrero has the second best time, 1:36 down, with Fred Wright fourth at 2:22.

Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost) has made a rapid start, with the American hitting the first time check 15 seconds down on Tarling. All eyes now, however, are on Evenepoel, who looks very smooth through the opening kilometres of his effort. 

Evenepoel is about to catch and pass Andreas Kron for a minute in the opening kilometres of his effort. The Belgian is still two kilometres or so from the first time check.

Remco Evenepoel scorches through the first time check two seconds quicker than Tarling's mark - and the flatter opening sectionally notionally suited Tarling better than the Belgian.

At the finish, meanwhile, Tim Wellens has delivered the third best time, 1:51 down on Tarling.

Evenepoel picks off his two-minute man, Lorenzo Fortunato, though it must be said that the Italian is hardly a specialist - and he is racing here fresh off the Giro d'Italia.

Sepp Kuss hits the first time check some 1:03 down on Evenepoel, with the 27th best mark to date. Further along the course, meanwhile, Jai Hindley is producing a decent ride, as he passes the 25km point with the fifth best time, 1:37 down.

Neilson Powless has continued his fine start through the second intermediate check, where he is the first man to come through within a minute of Tarling's mark. The American is 49 seconds down after 25km.

Powless' teammate Darren Rafferty is also producing a fine display on the testing course. The Irishman is fourth best at the first check, 30 seconds down on Evenepoel.

Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos), Aleksandr Vlasov (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) are all out on the course, and they will surely be aware that Evenepoel is shaping up as the man to beat. The world champion, meanwhile, still has 14km to go but he still looks very smooth in his position and pedalling style.

Hindley has limited the damage quite well on this course. The Australian finishes with the fourth best time for now, 1:57 down on Tarling. 

Paris-Nice winner Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike) rolls down the start ramp and gets his effort under way. Primoz Roglic will be the next man in action.

Remco Evenepoel has dropped behind Tarling at the second check. The Belgian comes through 0.89 of a second down on the Briton. That's a mild surprise given that that Evenepoel would surely have expected to make up ground on Tarling on the hillier part of the course. This looks set to be a tight duel between the pair. 

Second best time at the finish for Powless, 1:07 down on Tarling. At the first check, meanwhile, Juan Ayuso has the third best time, 17 seconds down on Evenepoel, while - most unexpectedly - Santiago Buitrago has come through that point just 22 seconds down.

Callum Scotson (Jayco-Alula) finishes well to claim the third best time to date, 1:28 off Tarling, but all eyes now are on Evenepoel, who is battling to recoup the second that separates him from Tarling over these closing kilometres.

Evenpoel must cover the rolling final 4km in less than 4:52 if he is to beat Tarling this afternoon. 

Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos) was 28 seconds down at the first time check. Jorgenson and Roglic are closing in on the same point, while Evenepoel has entered the final mile of his effort. The on-screen graphic suggests he is locked on almost the same time as Tarling.

Jorgenson was 24 seconds down Evenepoel at the first check, while Roglic was 28 seconds down. Regardless of how he fares against Tarling, Evenepoel looks on course to take the yellow jersey this afternoon...

Remco Evenepoel produces a mammoth effort over the latter part of the course to clock the best time. His time of 41:49 is 17 seconds quicker than Tarling. Evenepoel averaged 49.4kph across the demanding course.

Yellow jersey Derek Gee comes through the first check 38 seconds down on Evenepoel. Barring a remarkable negative split from one of his rivals, Evenepoel looks destined to move into the yellow jersey this afternoon ahead of the Dauphine's entry into the mountains. At this point, the suspense concerns the time gaps. 

It will be interesting, mind, to see what Juan Ayuso can produce over the latter part of this course, given that he has made a very solid start. The Spaniard is approaching the second intermediate check. The on-screen graphic, meanwhile, suggests that Roglic is 41 seconds down on Evenepoel.

Buitrago is still a remarkable fifth best at the second check, albeit now 1:09 off the pace. 

Juan Ayuso is fourth best at the second check, now 58 seconds off the pace, having limited the damage to Evenepoel in the first part of the course. Evenepoel looks destined to make mammoth gains in the overall standings in this time tria.

Sepp Kuss, certainly, has incurred hefty losses. The American crosses the finish line some 3:36 down on Evenepoel.

Aleksandr Vlasov comes through the second check 53 seconds down on Tarling. It remains to be seen if riders like Vlasov and Ayuso can up the ante over the latter part of the course in the same way Evenepoel did.

Tao Geoghegan Hart (Lidl-Trek) has finished very strongly to limit his losses to 1:38 on Evenepoel. That's the fourth best time to date for the Briton, and it's interesting to note that he restricted the damage to 16 seconds on Evenepoel in the final 10km. 

Matteo Jorgenson is 52 seconds down on Tarling at the second check, the fourth best time to date. At the finish, David Gaudu has rolled home some 4:07 down on Evenepoel...

Roglic looks to be building up a head of steam. He moves up to the third best time at the second check, albeit 30 seconds down on Tarling and 29 behind Evenepoel.

Buitrago comes home two minutes down on Evenepoel, good enough for the 8th best time to date. Ayuso, meanwhile, has to settle for fourth place, 1:27 down on Evenepoel. The Spaniard looks to have faded over the latter part of the course after making a solid start relative to the other GC men.

Oier Lazkano (Movistar) has the third best time at the finish for now, 1:21 down on Evenepoel. Derek Gee, meanwhile, is putting in a defiant defence of his yellow jersey. He's 8th at the second split, 55 seconds down on Evenepoel. He'll lose the overall lead, but he is underlining his time trial credentials all the same.

Vlasov crosses the finish line with the 8th best time, 1:48 down on Evenepoel.

Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos) takes 7th so far, 1:41 down on Evenepoel, and the Spaniard won't be displeased with that time. 

Matteo Jorgenson is a minute down on Evenepoel as he enters the final 3km, but the American looks set to be Visma-Lease a Bike's leader for the remainder of this race given Kuss' travails against the watch this afternoon.

Bruno Armirail cruises home with provisional fifth place, 1:26 down on Evenepoel. Jorgenson and Roglic, meanwhile, have both entered the final kilometre.

Jorgenson crosses the line 1:07 down on Evenepoel. That's the third best time to date, but Roglic is finishing very, very quickly indeed...

Primoz Roglic takes third on the stage, 39 seconds down on Evenepoel. The Slovenian is likely to be second overall behind Evenepoel at day's end. As anticipated, this Dauphine is shaping up to be a duel between the two of the four men with designs on Tour de France victory next month. 

Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) wins stage 4 of the Critérium du Dauphiné to move into the overall lead. Derek Gee is deep into the final kilometre but he has already lost the jersey.

Derek Gee still produces a fine display, taking sixth on the stage, 1:24 behind Evenepoel.

Result

1          Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Soudal-QuickStep  0:41:49

2          Joshua Tarling (GBr) Ineos    00:00:17

3          Primož Roglič (Slo) Bora-Hansgrohe 00:00:39       

4          Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Visma-Lease a Bike 00:01:07

5          Oier Lazkano (Spa) Movistar                        00:01:21

6          Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-EasyPost      00:01:24

7          Bruno Armirail (Fra) Decathlon-AG2R        00:01:26

8          Juan Ayuso (Spa) UAE Team Emirates         00:01:27

9          Tao Geoghegan Hart (GBr) Lidl-Trek           00:01:38

10        Carlos Rodríguez (Spa) Ineos            00:01:41

General classification

1          Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Soudal-QuickStep   0:41:49

2          Primož Roglič (Slo) Bora-Hansgrohe 00:00:33        

3          Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Visma-Lease a Bike 00:01:07

4          Derek Gee (Can) Israel Premier Tech 00:01:11

5          Oier Lazkano (Spa) Movistar             00:01:21

6          Bruno Armirail (Fra) Decathlon-AG2R         00:01:25

7          Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-EasyPost      

8          Juan Ayuso (Spa) UAE Team Emirates          00:01:27

9          Tao Geoghegan Hart (GBr) Lidl-Trek            00:01:39

10        Carlos Rodríguez (Spa) Ineos 00:01:41

Remco Evenepoel speaks: “I’m very proud and happy, and also the team around me, my family and staff members, they can all be proud of all the support they gave me.  It’s been quite a long way – three weeks of almost no bike and then only four weeks of training, so to be at this level already is a good sign towards the Tour and of my preparation. I can only be happy and proud of what I did today. Now we go day by day and we will see what we can achieve in this race.”

Primoz Roglic on his time trial: "I’m happy, eh. I stayed on the bike so it’s quite an improvement compared to yesterday. I stayed on two wheels, it’s nice. I put quite some training in. I'm definitely not at my best coming here but I still think it’s better to do a race than training. I never do this kind of thing in training, so I needed it for sure. It’s just the beginning, it’s the first one. Tomorrow is a bit of an easier stage but then the final stages are tough.

"I always try to start full-on but I never succeed with it. I’m always better at the end, so luckily I take time at the end and not at the first intermediate check."

This Dauphiné is shaping up as a duel between Remco Evenepoel and Primož Roglič, who now occupy the top two places. Evenepoel has 33 seconds in hand on Roglič, who struck an upbeat note after his display here, pointing out that this test is very different to the concluding time trial at next month’s Tour de France. In the here and now, Roglič and Evenepoel will now clash on the three consecutive summit finishes that close out this race after Thursday’s more straightforward run to Saint Priest.

That said, Paris-Nice winner Matteo Jorgenson (third at 1:04) isn’t out of the hunt just yet, even if he downplayed his prospects of contesting overall victory on the mountain passes to come. Given Sepp Kuss’ losses today, mind, Jorgenson is emphatically his Visma team’s leader from here on out.

Juan Ayuso (8th at 1:27), Tao Geoghegan Hart (9th at 1:39) and Carlos Rodríguez (10th at 1:41) all remain in the hunt for a podium spot, or better, while Neilson Powless (7th at 1:25) and Santiago Buitrago (14th at 2:00) underlined their form with their showings this afternoon.

A full reports, results and pictures from today's stage are available here.

Stage 5 is from Amplepuis to Saint-Priest, where Bernard Hinault capped his 1981 Tour de France victory by winning the time trial two days before Paris. The 167km stage takes in some rugged terrain, including the category 2 Côte de Duerne, and it should be one for the breakaway.