He raised his arms in the Mâconnais heat, spinning out a furious sprint that pinned the great Jonathan Milan and silenced the predictions. Jake STEWART, 25, claimed the fifth stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné in Mâcon—the finest finish in his nascent record and the first WorldTour victory for the Israel–PremierTech team this season. 
The burst of a sprinter who knows how to be patient
Trained at Groupama FDJ, the Briton had already shown his mettle on French soil: a two-time winner of the opening stage of the Tour de l’Ain (2022 and 2023), where he donned the yellow jersey at Val Revermont and Plaine Tonique. “I knew this kind of hilly finale suited me,” he said yesterday, still stunned by having held off the pack – and the long Mâconnais straight – while the yellow jersey, Remco EVENEPOEL, delayed by a minor slide, crossed the finish line a few seconds later.
From the Ain to the Alps: A Launching Pad
While STEWART’s victory is now in full view, it was on the winding roads of the Tour de l’Ain that he learned to win. Since its creation in 1989, the Bresse event has served as a testing ground:
Julian ALAPHILIPPE (now a two-time world champion) made his professional debut there on the final stage in 2024.
David GAUDU made his debut during the mountainous Lagnieu-Oyonnax stage in 2017, at just 20 years old.
Romain BARDET competed in his first stage race there in 2013, a prelude to his podium finishes on the Grande Boucle.
The race’s list of winners also includes Warren BARGUIL, Pierre LATOUR, and Michael STORER – proof that between the Bresse plains and the Jura passes, the Tour de l’Ain serves as a showcase for the highest level.
The Ain-Dauphiné link
STEWART’s current success confirms the bridge: only 75 kilometers separate the banks of the Plaine Tonique – the scene of his 2023 triumph – from the roundabout where, yesterday, EVENEPOEL narrowly avoided collapse.
“We sometimes underestimate the Tour de l’Ain, but it’s a race that teaches you how to do everything: sprint on rough roads, climb the Grand-Colombier, feel the wind of Bresse,” whispered STEWART in the mixed zone. “Without those two summers to win there, I wouldn’t be celebrating today.”
And now?
On the eve of the Combloux–Valmeinier–MontCenis Alpine triptych, the Briton isn’t aiming for the overall standings. He dreams of a spot in the Tour de France and knows that a victory in the Dauphiné changes everything: in the peloton, small stages sometimes propel you to very big stories. STEWART learned this in the Ain; he’s now writing it on the roads of the Dauphiné.
