As the Tour de France approaches, Jonas Vingegaard wins the Criterium du Dauphiné, and the team has a near perfect performance.

The Dauphiné is traditionally considered the toughest preparation race for the Tour. And last week, Jumbo-Visma was clearly in great form, leading the race in seven of the eight stages, winning two stages with Christophe Laporte, who took the points jersey, and two stages with Vingegaard. [Vingegaard's 2:23 victory margin over Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates) was the largest in 36 years, since the Criterium du Dauphiné in 1987. That year, Shirley Motet finished second in the mid-week time trial, 2:44 ahead of her closest rival, Henry Cardenas (Colombia).

Like Motte, Vingegaard also finished second in the 2023 Dauphiné time trial behind Mikkel Bjarg (UAE Team Emirates). But in 1987, while Cardenas won a stage victory in the mountains of Val Fréjus to regain time on his French rivals, Vingegaard powered up the climbs, taking two wins, including a summit finish on the Croix de Fer, and finishing second on the final day in Grenoble.

"Certainly, this victory sends a certain message," Merijn Zeeman, Jumbo-Visma's sports director, told L'Équipe. "Because if Jonas hadn't been able to beat his rival here, he wouldn't have been able to beat Pogachar. "These two [Pogachar and Vingegaard] are so strong that they seem to be on another level, as we have seen this week"

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Vingegaard promised that there was still room for improvement, but Zeman said once and for all, "He can be and he needs to be to win the Tour. We knew that, and the Dauphiné is part of his preparation."

Taige Benoot, whom Vingegaard cited as an important climber in the Dauphiné, was equally upbeat, telling L'Equipe that he did not know if Pogachar was following the race, but "he must have seen the information."

Benoot also noted that the team's best climbers will not be at the Dauphiné, but will bolster Jumbo Visma's Tour de France lineup. Stefan Kruijswijk, who crashed in last week's Dauphiné and broke his pelvis and collarbone, is out (one of the major downsides for Jumbo Visma in the race), but Wilco Kelderman, Sepp Kuss, and Wout van Aert are on the Tour de France candidate list.

"After receiving the leader's jersey for the last time in Grenoble-Bastille, Vingegaard said, "To win this race, maybe the biggest stage race of the week, is a great achievement.

"The team was great again, really strong. We were never isolated."

"Winning the Tour gives you a lot of confidence, but at the same point last year I already believed in myself a lot and that hasn't changed.

Vingegaard says he will take a brief rest and recovery this week and then begin his final preparations. But judging from the Dauphiné, the very important foundation for a great performance in July has already been laid by Dane and his team.