criterium du tour de france

How to Watch the Critérium du Dauphiné—a.k.a. the "Mini Tour de France"

The race unofficially known as the "mini-Tour de France" crams everything we love about the Tour into just eight days of racing. Here's how to watch the race.

It’s also a race that has favored Americans. Five have won the prestigious event in its 74-year history, and we won’t be surprised if one of the United States’ biggest young talents makes it six by the time race wraps-up in Grenoble next Sunday.

Everything you need to know about the 2023 Critérium du Dauphiné

This year’s Dauphiné covers 1207km (748mi) over eight stages. The race opens with two hilly stages for puncheurs, followed by a chance for the sprinters to take a victory on Stage 3 (although a Category 4 climb 20km from the finish line could ruin their plans). Stage 4 brings the race’s only time trial , an undulating 31.1km race against the clock that should force the first major sorting of the General Classification.

Then the race heads to the mountains for a series of stages that get progressively harder from one stage to the next. Stages 5 and 6 both feature several categorized climbs in the final 40km of each stage. But the worst is saved for the weekend: Stage 7 jams 4,000m of climbing into just 147km of racing including the Dauphiné’s highest-ever summit finish, atop the 2,067m Col de Croix de Fer, and Stage 8, a 152.8km stage filled with six categorized ascents, concludes with a steep climb to the finish line at the Bastille outside of Grenoble.

Expect the race to go to a true all-arounder, someone who can stay out of trouble during the opening few stages, handle the time trial on Stage 4, and then dominate in the mountains on the closing weekend.

How to Watch

NBC’s Peacock ($4.99/month) streams all events organized by ASO, which means you can watch the Dauphiné and then the Tour de France in July . If you’re looking for ad-free coverage, you’ll need a subscription to Peacock Premium Plus, which runs $9.99 a month.

If you’re in Canada, FloBikes ($12.99/month) is the best way to watch the Tour of Spain, with all 21 stages available live and on-demand on FloBikes.com, the FloSports IOS app, and the FloSports app for Amazon FireTV, Roku, and Apple TV.

If you still have cable and prefer conventional viewing on your television, you can catch Stages 1 and 8 on CNBC. Live coverage usually starts around 9 a.m. ET.

What Happened Last Year

As it often does, last year’s Dauphiné gave us a preview of what would happen a few weeks later at the Tour de France , albeit with a different winner. Jumbo-Visma dominated the race from start to finish, with Slovenia’s Primož Roglič winning the General Classification, Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard winning a stage and finishing second overall, and Belgium’s Wout van Aert taking two stages and the green jersey as the winner of the Dauphiné’s Points Classification.

Stage 8 was the race’s most telling moment: Vingegaard was clearly the strongest rider on the summit finish to Plateau de Solaison. And while he was technically pacing Roglič to the overall victory, the Dane looked as if he could drop his teammate whenever he wanted to. To those who saw the stage finish, Vingegaard’s win at the Tour a few weeks later was no surprise at all.

Riders to Watch

Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma )—Without Roglič– who’s taking a break after winning the Giro d’Italia –Vingegaard is the overwhelming favorite to win this year’s race. With so much climbing and a long time trial, it’s really the perfect race for him. Unless he decides to hold back to save himself for the Tour de France, it’s his race to lose.

Daniel Martinez (INEOS Grenadiers) —The Colombian won the Dauphiné with EF Education back in 2020, a result that likely finalized his transfer to INEOS after the season (and a big payday). He’s set to lead the team at the Tour de France in July, but given the team’s depth needs a good result at the Dauphiné to keep himself at the top of the squad’s Tour hierarchy.

David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) —Gaudu has become France’s best Tour de France contender. He finished fourth last year and would love nothing more than to move up a spot to land on the final podium in Paris. He won a stage at last year’s Dauphiné, but only managed to finish 17th on the General Classification. We expect to again target select stages this year, while building form for his podium challenge in July.

Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers) —On paper, the former Tour de France and Giro d’Italia champion is riding in support of Martinez. But as the Colombian continues to work his way back from an accident that nearly ended his career (and his life) in February of 2022, this is an important test. A high finish might convince INEOS to send him to the Tour in July.

Jai Hindley (BORA-hansgrohe) —Hindley won last year’s Giro d’Italia —the first Australian to do so—and now he’s preparing for his first Tour de France. His performance at the Dauphiné will give us our first indication as to whether he’s a top-3, top-5, or top-10 contender.

Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar) — Jorgenson’s the top American contender , and a rider who’s been turning heads all season. He won the Tour of Oman in February, finished eighth at Paris-Nice in March , and took ninth at the Tour of Flanders and was the runner-up at the Tour de Romandie in April. Rumored to be moving to Jumbo-Visma next season, the 23-year-old could increase his asking price considerably with a top-3 finish here.

Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal-Quick Step) —The Frenchman was one of the sport’s “galacticos” for several seasons, winning back-to-back world championships in 2020 and 2021. But he’s been struggling to come back from a terrible crash in last year’s Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and has won just three races since the start of last year. This year’s Dauphiné, particularly Stages 1 and 2, look like perfect chances for Alaphilippe get back on track—just in time for the first two stages of the Tour de France, which both could be opportunities for Alaphilippe to make an early bid for the yellow jersey .

Since getting hooked on pro cycling while watching Lance Armstrong win the 1993 U.S. Pro Championship in Philadelphia, longtime Bicycling contributor Whit Yost has raced on Belgian cobbles, helped build a European pro team, and piloted that team from Malaysia to Mont Ventoux as an assistant director sportif. These days, he lives with his wife and son in Pennsylvania, spending his days serving as an assistant middle school principal and his nights playing Dungeons & Dragons.

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Jonas Vingegaard wins Critérium du Dauphiné as Tour de France looms

• Danish rider clinches overall victory ahead of Adam Yates
• Reigning Tour de France champion hoping to defend his crown

Jonas Vingegaard warmed up for the defence of his Tour de France crown by winning the 75th Critérium du Dauphiné on Sunday, underlining his credentials as one of the favourites for cycling’s biggest race, which starts on 1 July.

The Danish cyclist had even looked like an early contender for the final mountain stage, a 152.8km ride from Le Pont-de-Claix to La Bastille in south-eastern France with a steep climb to the finish.

But despite an attack with one kilometre to go, the Jumbo-Visma rider was no match for Giulio Ciccone of Trek-Segafredo. Ciccone bounced back from missing the Giro d’Italia owing to Covid-19 and dedicated his victory to his fiancee, whom he will marry next week.

“My condition wasn’t 100% so I started here with the Tour de France in my head but saw this week my condition getting better and better. So I’m really happy to close this week with a victory,” Ciccone said. “I will be married next week. This is a gift for my wife.”

Nevertheless, Vingegaard will celebrate overall victory after beating Adam Yates, his British rival, who finished 2min 23sec behind after nearly 30 hours of racing. Australia’s Ben O’Connor was third.

“It’s a very big thing for me to win this race, one of the biggest races in the world. So of course I’m very happy to win,” said Vingegaard, who recently extended his contract with Jumbo-Visma until 2027.

“I think I can be very satisfied with the whole week. I’m in a good shape and the whole team rode fantastically.

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“In a way, I’m surprised with the gaps in the overall standings. Now I’ll relax a few days and then I’ll do the last bit of preparation for the Tour de France. I still have a little bit of work to do, but it’s not a lot.”

• Jonas Vingegaard

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• Spring Classics

Critérium du Dauphiné route revealed with five defining uphill finishes

Course for final Tour de France tune-up revealed by ASO, with startlist set to include reigning champion Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel and Primož Roglič

George Poole

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Critérium du Dauphiné 2024 route map

Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme revealed the route of the 2024 Critérium du Dauphiné on Thursday in Lyon, with five uphill finishes sure to delight fans who are looking forward to a showdown between the best climbers in the world.

Of the main favourites for the Tour de France only Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) will not be present at the Dauphiné, with Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike), Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) and Primož Roglič (Bora-Hansgrohe) all set to begin the race in the town of Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule on 2 June.

For the defending champion Vingegaard, the route will leave him confident of finding success at the Dauphiné for the third year in succession, after he finished runner-up behind then-teammate Roglič in 2022.

Beginning in the department of Allier for the first time in its 77-year history, the 2024 Dauphiné is eight stages long, consisting of five uphill finishes, two sprint finishes and one 34.4km individual time trial.

It will likely be a sprinter who will take the race’s first yellow jersey, with a flat 174.8km-long opening stage beginning and ending in Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule, but then the puncheurs and GC riders will come to the fore before another sprint finish on stage 5. Between the start of stage 6 in Hauterives and the finish atop Plateau des Glières to close the race, the battle for the overall victory will be decided in the mountains.

Challenging the likes of Vingegaard, Roglič and Evenepoel, race organisers ASO speculate that Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe) Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Tao Geoghegan Hart (Lidl-Trek) could all be lining up at this year’s race. The full list of teams was revealed a couple of weeks ago, with Q36.5 Pro Cycling and Uno-X Mobility handed wildcard invites from the ASO.

Read more: Uno-X Mobility and TotalEnergies return to 2024 Tour de France as wildcards

Might one of these riders win the 2024 Critérium du Dauphiné?

Jonas Vingegaard

Remco Evenepoel

Primoz Roglic

Tao Geoghegan Hart

Jai Hindley

Where the 2024 critérium du dauphiné will be won: unpacking five uphill finishes.

As the last major week-long stage race before the Tour de France, the Critérium du Dauphiné always attracts one of the best startlists of the year, features riders nearing top form, and consists of a tough route put on by organisers ASO. This year, however, it seems like the race organisers have taken things up a notch, with a route that spans 1,203.8km and has a whopping five uphill finishes.

Read more: Tour de France 2024 route revealed

That is not to say the sprinters have been completely forgotten, with stage 1 containing no climbs for the final 130km and almost destined to finish in the race’s first bunch sprint. The same fast men will have their chance once again on stage 5 between Amplepuis and Saint-Priest. There may be four categorised climbs on the route, but none of these are particularly arduous and the kilometre-long finishing straight should tempt a showdown between the sprint trains on the outskirts of Lyon.

The other six stages, however, will have all eyes squarely on the GC contenders, who look set to clash in a battle for the ages in advance of the Tour de France.

The first opportunity for the contenders to land blows on one another will come on stage 2 to Col de la Loge, which is the shortest non-time trial stage of the race at 142km, but packs in 25km of climbing to end this brutal test. Leading to the summit of the Col de la Loge will be the Côte de Saint-Georges-en-Couzan (7km at 5.8%) and the Col de la Croix Ladret (3,1km at 6.1%), making this second day one of the toughest of the race.

A battle between the puncheurs and climbers should ensue once again on stage 3 between Celles-sur-Durolle and Les Estables, which is the longest of the stages that finish uphill. The 181.2km-long stage begins in the Puy de Dôme department, but will not venture up the iconic climb, instead heading for the cat-3 finish atop Les Estables (3.8km at 5.2%).

Any time gaps between the contenders at this point in the race will be exacerbated in the stage 4 individual time trial, which is pretty much pan-flat between Saint-Germain-Laval and Neulise.

Read more: Remco Evenepoel unveils Tour de France focused race programme

After the stage 5 sprint finish, the finale of the 2024 Critérium du Dauphiné will come in three successive uphill finishes in the Alps, beginning with the summit finish atop Le Collet d’Allevard. The Col du Granier (8.9km at 5.4%) will provide a prelude midway through stage 6, but the fireworks should arrive on the hors catégorie summit finish, which stands at 8.1% for 11.1km.

Profile of stage 7 of the 2024 Critérium du Dauphiné

The penultimate stage will also finish atop a hors-catégorie climb, but will be preceded by four category-1 climbs in the Haute-Savoie department. Finishing up the Montée de Samoëns 1600 (10km at 9.3%), stage 7 will also include the Col de Saisies (9.4km at 6.6%), the Col des Aravis (6.9km at 6.9%), the Col de la Colombière (11.6km at 5.8%) and the Côte d’Araches (6.1km at 7.1%).

To end one of the toughest editions of the Critérium du Dauphiné in history, stage 8 between Thônes and Plateau des Glières will contain four categorised climbs, the last of which stretches for 9.4km at 7.1%. The Plateau des Glières was also tackled in stage 10 of the 2018 Tour de France - remembered for featuring a gnarly stretch of gravel. However, the Dauphiné will tackle the climb from the same side as the 2013 Tour de l’Avenir, which saw Julian Alaphilippe rise triumphant at its summit.

Profile of stage 8 of the 2024 Critérium du Dauphiné

Between Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule on 2 June and Plateau des Glières on 9 June, ASO has organised a route that promises some of the best racing of the year.

Read more: Tour de France 2024: Analysing the contenders

Visit our Tour de France home page for all the latest news, including full details and analysis of the 2024 route.

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Critérium du Dauphiné

• Dates 2 Jun - 9 Jun
• Race Length 1,203 kms
• Race Category Elite Men

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Five things we learned from the Critérium du Dauphiné 2023

As the dust settles on what is one of the biggest tune-ups for the Tour de France, here's what we're taking away from it

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If you missed it, Jonas Vingegaard won the Critérium du Dauphiné at a canter, his 2.23 winning margin the biggest since since 1993. A key Tour de France warm-up race, the Dauphiné is always a great place to see big Tour favourites battling it out with each other, so beyond Vingegaard's result there were plenty of takeaways – here are our top five.

Jonas Vingegaard is going to be very, very difficult to beat at the Tour de France

From the moment the Critérium du Dauphiné hit the big hills on stage five, last year's Tour de France winner rarely looked like he was doing anything except toying with the opposition. Two imperiously taken solo stage victories on stages five and seven were a less-than-subtle hint that Jumbo-Visma's Vingegaard was a rider on top of his game – and everyone else's, too.

It feels like there's only one rider who might be able to present the Dane with a serious challenge for overall victory at next month's Tour de France, and that of course is Tadej Pogačar . He is currently training to regain form after breaking his wrist at Liège-Bastogne-Liège , so is a bit of an unknown at the moment. What we know for sure, though, is that he is going to have to be very, very good to beat Vingegaard in the Tour.

Julian Alaphilippe is back to having fun (and winning) on the bike

Last year was not a vintage one for the 31-year-old Frenchman. He seemed to crash all season, suffering broken ribs and a collapsed lung at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and a broken shoulder at the Vuelta a España. Unsurprisingly he wasn't able to find his best form and was left out of Quick Step-Alpha Vinyl's Tour de France team because of it. 

But at the Critérium du Dauphiné Alaphilippe looked like he had rediscovered his buoyant self. He first reminded us of his fast finish, sprinting home at the head of a reduced bunch on stage two with an assured 'tranquillo, tranquillo' celebration. Following a solid 14th in the time trial, Alaphilippe then mixed it up in the big hills of stage five to good effect, finishing the stage second behind Jonas Vingegaard. It's great to see the characterful French rider back to somewhere approaching his best.

The expected Ineos Grenadiers challenge was found wanting

Martínez finishes stage seven, followed in by Rodríguez (r)

Fans of the British team could have eyed this race with justifiable optimism. With a former winner in Dani Martínez , a resurgent Egan Bernal and Spanish climber Carlos Rogdríguez, a podium or at the very least a top-five seemed well within reach. "We have almost too many riders to protect," DS Steve Cummings said before the start. 

Things didn't start well after they lost potential stage-winner Ethan Hayter with a broken collarbone, a rider who was on the longlist for a potential Tour de France debut this year.

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Ultimately, it looked like a lack of legs rather than tactical issues, with all three shipping sizeable amounts on time on the big stages. In the end it was Rodríguez who bagged the team's best result, coming in ninth. Not a bad personal result for the 22-year-old but not exactly what the team would have hoped for.

The Aussies are spoiled for choice

Ben O'Connor on the final podium

Fans Down Under would have been heartened to see three Aussies populating the top-10 overall, with Jack Haig (Bahrain Victorious) fifth, Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe) fourth and Ben O'Connor (AG2R-Citroën) third, bagging his second podium here in as many seasons. 

All are set for a Tour de France ride next month, and for Ben O'Connor and his team in particular, his third place should bring relief and reassurance that he will get another chance to prove himself at La Grande Boucle, having failed to finish last year after a big crash. For Hindley, last year's Giro d'Italia winner , next month will be his first Tour de France. As with O'Connor, his fourth place ought to reassure him that he has the form to make a good impression.

David Gaudu has left us wondering

As a protected rider, if not out-and-out leader, for Groupama-FDJ at this year's Tour de France, 30th overall at the Critérium du Dauphiné was not the result the French rider was hoping for. 

Second at Paris-Nice earlier this year, as well as seventh and the mountains classification at Tour des Alpes Maritimes et du Var, and fourth overall at the Basque Country, had lulled us (and possibly him) into thinking this was Gaudu's year. 

The Dauphiné has upset the apple cart, and is a race he wants to forget as fast as he can, he told l'Equipe . "I'm going to turn the page very, very fast on this Dauphiné," said Gaudu, adding that he has received abusive messages on social media. "The objective remains the Tour de France. I would have preferred to do better this week but that's the way it is," he said.

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After cutting his teeth on local and national newspapers, James began at Cycling Weekly as a sub-editor in 2000 when the current office was literally all fields. 

Eventually becoming chief sub-editor, in 2016 he switched to the job of full-time writer, and covers news, racing and features.

A lifelong cyclist and cycling fan, James's racing days (and most of his fitness) are now behind him. But he still rides regularly, both on the road and on the gravelly stuff.

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What the Critérium du Dauphiné might tell us about the Tour de France

• Oops! Something went wrong. Please try again later. More content below

This article originally appeared on Velo News

If racing is the best form of training, the Criterium du Dauphine is typically seen as the ultimate interval session ahead of the Tour de France .

And if any rider is looking to measure their pre-Tour form this summer, the Dauphine is most definitely the place to be.

Jonas Vingegaard , Egan Bernal , Julian Alaphilippe , Enric Mas, and David Gaudu are just some of the headline names in a talent-packed peloton that will start the eight-day Dauphine on Sunday.

Packing a time trial, mountaintop finishes, and some sprinter opportunities, ASO’s flagship stage-race should serve some tasty nuggets as to what might happen at the forthcoming Tour.

Also read: 30 days to the TdF – Here’s why it could be a stunner

Here are some narratives to follow at the Tour’s key tune-up race:

Is Jonas Vingegaard on track for a second yellow jersey?

All eyes will be on Tour de France defending champion Jonas Vingegaard when he rolls out of Chambon-sur-Lac for the first stage of the Dauphine.

The Dane went off-grid through April and May while he span out some big miles in the thin air of Sierra Nevada.

The Dauphine, a race historically seen to herald a future yellow jersey, offers him the perfect place to reinforce his pomp as the rider that will wear the prized number one bib at the 2023 Tour.

Vingegaard had the pain piled on him by Tadej Pogacar and David Gaudu at Paris-Nice but came back swinging in his pre-altitude camp ride through Itzulia Basque Country.

Three stage wins and the overall in what is touted as the hardest stage race of the season reminded the peloton of the power that propelled Jumbo-Visma’s fish factory worker-turned-megastar to a near-three-minute victory in last year's lap of France.

It's likely Vingegaard stepped up a level further at Jumbo-Visma's high altitude winner's academy, and he’s seen as the top favorite for next week’s Dauphine. If he delivers on that hype, the pre-Tour pressure will be very much on Pogacar while he fast-tracks his training after his injury setback.

If Vingegaard does any less than dazzle at the Dauphine, Pogacar and the rest of the GC pack will land into the July 1 Grand Depart with a whole different outlook.

Who's hot for a Tour de France podium spot?

This year's Criterium du Dauphine is a full showroom of GC talent.

David Gaudu, Richard Carapaz, Ben O'Connor, Enric Mas, Jai Hindley, and Adam Yates all ride through the south of France this week before they transfer toward the Tour's Bilbao start.

If next month’s Tour turns into the Tadej Pogacar vs Jonas Vingegaard face-off everyone expects, there will be just as brutal a battle for the final step on the Paris podium.

Gaudu led the chase for third in last year’s Tour and his stock is rising rapidly after a strong spring. O'Connor hit fourth in 2021 and has a score to settle with the Tour after his heartbreaking abandon last year in the Alps.

And remember Carapaz? He just won the Mercan'Tour Classic, is one of the most consistent GC riders in the bunch, and will lead a buoyant EF Education EasyPost team through the TdF.

And if a Pogacar vs Vingegaard prize fight doesn't rule the race for the yellow jersey next month, riders like Carapaz, Gaudu, and O’Connor won’t wait for an invite to step up. The Dauphine might show which of the GC “second tier” is best placed to make that leap.

Who might stop Mark Cavendish from making more history?

The "Can Mark Cavendish set a new stage-win record" narrative will dominate this year's Tour de France.

Cavendish powered to a convincing victory at the Giro d’Italia and has a date with destiny next month at the French tour that made his legend.

But the Manxman’s fast-finishing rivals won't just roll over and let him score a heart-warming, record-topping swansong win that would see him into retirement.

Cavendish isn't racing the Dauphine, but Dylan Groenewegen, one of the riders best-placed to stop him writing more history this summer, will be at the start on Sunday.

Jayco-AlUla’s Dutch freight train will line out at the Dauphine as the fastest finisher in the race. Groenewegen has been one of the most prolific speedsters of the season so far and will bring the core of his leadout crew to next week’s race to smooth any final wrinkles before he locks in to chase a sixth Tour win.

The only other elite sprinter on display in France next week is Sam Bennett, who still hasn’t recaptured the legs that scored him the Tour’s green jersey in 2020. Nevertheless, the Irishman is hungry as ever and has a point to prove at a Bora-Hansgrohe team that offered him a fresh opportunity only to pivot toward classification racing just a few months later.

The Dauphine won't paint a full picture of who might stop Cavendish's fairytale ending at the Tour de France. Caleb Ewan, Tim Merlier, and Fabio Jakobsen will all be sharpening their sprints at the Swiss or Belgian tours before they head to the French three-weeker.

But next week’s race will paint some intriguing brushstrokes as to who might get in the way of Cavendish and “Number 35” in July.

Can Julian Alaphilippe assure his 'Wolfpack' future?

How long will Julian Alaphilippe remain at the Wolfpack? The Tour de France will decide, and the Criterium du Dauphine will give clues as to which way the needle might swing.

"Juju" heads up Soudal Quick-Step at the Dauphine next week in his first race since a ragged ride through the classics.

The eight-day Dauphine offers Alaphilippe a stepping-stone toward his first Tour since 2021 and may give some insight into his longer-term future with the Belgian team that took him to the WorldTour.

Quick-Step boss Patrick Lefevere has taken all the stoke he once stashed into Alaphilippe and invested it directly into Remco Evenepoel in recent seasons.

A year of injuries and illnesses saw tensions between the Frenchman and his forthright team manager rise to the point that Alaphilippe's future at “The Wolfpack” is now uncertain. Alaphilippe is under contract through 2024, but Lefevere is reported to be ready to let him loose or cut his cash if the 30-year-old doesn't dazzle the way he did through the turn of this decade.

The Tour de France is the race that will decide Lefevere’s mind.

The hilly Basque start of this year’s Tour is the type of terrain Alaphilippe used to rule. He won a stage and the yellow jersey on similar lumpy parcours in the opening days of the past two Tours he started. Could Alaphilippe ride into an early yellow jersey again next month and steal Lefevere's heart once more?

The punchy opening stages of the Dauphine in the coming week might give us a clue.

Is Egan Bernal still on the grand tour map?

OK, Egan Bernal isn't likely to win the Tour de France this summer, but his ride through the Criterium du Dauphine will show if the former yellow jersey might claim another grand tour win sometime soon.

Bernal bumped his way through his comeback season so far. Injuries and DNSs seem just as frequent in his 2023 palmares as the promising signs he flashed at the Tour of Hungary and Romandie.

Ineos Grenadiers is likely to take Bernal, Carlos Rodriguez, and Dani Martinez to the Tour next month, and all three will line out Sunday at the Dauphine.

Where will “Bernalito” sit in the Ineos trident? Is he even ready to be a prong in the team's Tour de France push?

Let’s see what form Bernal can bring in the next week.

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Tour de France

Egan bernal and tour de france return hangs in balance at critérium du dauphiné, a strong week across the french alps could confirm his return to the tour de france next month: 'we can feel he’s really close.'.

Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! >","name":"in-content-cta","type":"link"}}'>Download the app .

Egan Bernal and a possible return to the Tour de France next month hangs in the balance during this week’s Critérium du Dauphiné .

The 2019 Tour winner and his dramatic comeback story reaches an important crossroads this week in the eight-day race across the French Alps.

A strong showing could punch his ticket in what would be an emotional return to cycling’s biggest stage.

“I am not thinking so far to be honest, I just want to finish this race,” Bernal told ITV in France. “I would like to  see where I am. I have been racing, but it’s not like the Dauphiné.

“This is the first big, big race I’ve done after two years. It’s a good test already. The best scenario is to finish this race, and know where I am.”

Also read : Egan Bernal still holding out hope for the Tour de France

The Dauphiné is a traditional testing ground for Tour-bound favorites, but it’s even more important for Bernal.

His 2022 training crash that nearly left him in a wheelchair is still fresh in his mind as he embarks on his toughest racing challenge since his comeback.

Bernal said he missed a planned start at the Tour of Norway last month after catching a small cold at the Tour de Hongrie, where he finished an encouraging eighth overall. He missed a week of training, but is keen to test himself against the bigger climbs looming in the closing weekend at the Dauphiné.

“I am feeling good. I am training well. I am sure I have good feelings, but training is different than racing,” Bernal said. “It’s going to be a good test for me.”

The 26-year-old Bernal continues to defy the odds. The Ineos Grenadiers rider nearly died and ended up paralyzed when he struck the back of a parked bus at high speed during a training ride in Colombia in January 2022.

Bernal not only recovered from his injuries to be able to be fully mobile, he surprised many to return to racing before the season was out.

Ineos DS: ‘We can feel he’s really close’

Coming into 2023, the Tour de France was always on the table as a possible target. Though he’s suffered some other setbacks this season, including a minor knee injury and some crashes and illness, he’s made enough progress that a Tour start remains viable.

“Obviously, Egan [Bernal] is still coming back,” said Ineos Grenadiers sport director Steven Cummings. “He’s done amazingly well, we can feel he’s really close.”

This week’s race will prove decisive whether or not he travels to Bilbao to start the 2023 Tour in Spain’s Basque Country.

Also read : What the Dauphiné will tell us about the Tour de France

Bernal was relieved to survive the challenging opening stage Sunday that featured 3,000 meters of vertical in a ripsaw profile that ended in a reduced bunch sprint, finishing 21st in the select front group of 43 riders.

On paper, Monday’s undulating 167.3km second stage Brassac-les-Mines to La Chaise-Dieu shouldn’t prove a major test for the Tour-bound favorites. Each stage now, however, is a new crucible for Bernal.

It’s just these kinds of high-speed, attack-riddled profiles that any GC contender needs to survive to arrive to the decisive mountain stages.

The Dauphiné is loaded with these kinds of technical, climb-heavy stages that will let Bernal and Ineos Grenadiers know very quickly if he’ll be up for the challenge of taking on the Tour in less than one month’s time.

Most Grand Tour wins (active riders): 7 – Chris Froome 4 – Primoz Roglic 2 – Egan Bernal, Tadej Pogacar, Nairo Quintana — CafeRoubaix (@CafeRoubaix) May 28, 2023

Bernal confirmed he is not sure if he will race the Tour next month.

“I don’t know, to be honest,” he told Flo Bikes . “I just have this race, and it depends on how the race goes, and then we plan. I am not even sure how I am. We don’t know if I am good or not so good, and this race will be a good test.”

Bernal remains committed to seeing how far his comeback can go, yet he’s also more philosophical about his future. He knows he’s lucky not only to be able to walk, but to be able to race again.

After blazing to victory as Colombia’s first Tour winner, he once seemed destined to rule the yellow jersey. Injuries and then his horrific 2022 crash put unexpected hurdles on the road. The rise of Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard only complicate his Tour future.

After what he’s been through, every day is a gift. Bernal vows to keep fighting.

“When you have a couple of years like this, with so many accidents and bad luck, you need to be strong mentally,” he said.

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CRITERIUM DU DAUPHINE PREVIEW: THE PRE-TOUR DE FRANCE TOUR

As large as the Tour de France looms on the race calendar, we wouldn’t be able to get there until we pass though the early days of June with the Criterium du Dauphine – now in its 74th running.  This is the last chance for many riders to prove themselves capable of getting chosen for La Grand Boucle that kicks-off less than a month later.

Press Release

Ø Among the riders of the 74th edition of the Critérium du Dauphiné, which will start in Ardèche on 5 June and finish on 12 June on the Plateau de Solaison in Haute-Savoie, the yellow and black jerseys of Jumbo-Visma are the most likely favourites. The Dutch team has a similar line-up to the one that dominated Paris-Nice with Primož Roglič and Wout van Aert, but with the addition of Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard.

Ø Facing this armada, the Ineos Grenadiers will not be left behind with Tao Geoghegan Hart as the leader. The competition could also come from American Brandon McNulty, Australian Ben O’Connor or Frenchmen David Gaudu and Warren Barguil.

With July approaching, yellow is the fashionable colour. This year, the tendency should not be an exception, and the colour will be the most observed when the peloton sets off, as the Jumbo-Visma team has chosen to go to the Critérium du Dauphiné to try to show its strength. With Primož Roglič and Jonas Vingegaard as leaders, the two runners-up to Tadej Pogačar in the Tour de France in 2020 and 2021, it is clear the yellow and black team has more than its fair share of the pre-race favourites. The rest of the line-up indicates that the Jumbo-Visma riders certainly will have the opportunity to excel every day by establishing a hold on the race as they did a few months earlier on Paris-Nice.

The stages in the Ardèche could be suitable for Wout van Aert or Christophe Laporte, whereas the time trial in La Bâtie d’Urfé could be a good opportunity for Rohan Dennis to star. In the mountains, the big names will also be able to count on the support of lieutenants like Tiesj Benoot and Steven Kruijswijk. The list is impressive, but the future is never so easy to read in the entry lists, and the potential rivals of the “Primož gang” will also have their say throughout the week.

The most logical choice to compete with them is Ineos Grenadiers, the British team that has won seven of the last eleven editions of the Dauphiné, including last year with Richie Porte. The role assigned to the Australian in 2021 will this time go to Tao Geoghegan Hart, who has not had the opportunity to take on the leadership role for his team since winning the Giro in October 2020. On a different note, his teammates Filippo Ganna and Ethan Hayter are also expected to impress. The anticipated match could be troubled by several riders, who at times have performed well during the season. For example, this is the case for the winner of the Tour of Sicily, Damiano Caruso and his teammate at Bahrain Victorious Jack Haig, 6th on Paris-Nice; or Brandon McNulty, twice winner at the beginning of the season on the roads of Ardèche.

A rider like Wilco Kelderman (4th in 2021) should not be excluded from the list of contenders, as the valiant Dutchman plans to ride the Giro d’Italia and the Dauphiné in a row. Among the French teams, AG2R Citroën Team is counting on Australian Ben O’Connor for the Alps challenge. The Dauphiné could also be a chance for David Gaudu, who won a stage on the Tour of Algarve, but was then troubled by crashes and physical problems, to get back to serious business, while Warren Barguil has honed his calves by winning on the roads of the Tirreno-Adriatico and the GP Indurain.

THE 22 TEAMS OF DAUPHINE’

Australia Team BikeExchange-Jayco : Groenewegen (Ned)

Bahrain Bahrain Victorious : Haig (Aus), Caruso (Ita), Teuns (Bel)

Belgium Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team : Cavagna (Fra), Bagioli (Ita)

Lotto Soudal : Barbero (Esp), Van Gils (Bel)

Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux : Meintjes (Rsa), Bakelants (Bel)

France AG2R Citroën Team : O’Connor (Aus), Paret-Peintre (Fra), Van Avermaet (Bel)

Groupama-FDJ : Gaudu, Madouas (Fra), Storer (Aus)

Cofidis : Lafay (Fra), Geschke (Ger)

Team Arkea-Samsic : Barguil, Louvel (Fra)

TotalEnergies : Latour, Vuillermoz (Fra), Boasson Hagen (Nor)

B&B Hotels-KTM : Bonnamour, Koretzky, Rolland (Fra), Mozzato (Ita)

Germany BORA-hansgrohe : Kelderman (Ned), Konrad (Aut), Politt (Ger)

Great Britain Ineos Grenadiers : Geoghegan Hart, Hayter (Gbr), Ganna (Ita), Kwiatkowski (Pol)

Israel Israel-Premier Tech: Froome (Gbr)

Kazakhstan Astana-Qazaqstan Team : Battistella (Ita)

Netherlands Team DSM : Combaud (Fra) Jumbo-Visma : Roglic (Slo), Vingegaard (Den), Van Aert (Bel), Laporte (Fra), Dennis (Aus)

Norway Uno-X Pro Cycling Team : T.Johannessen (Nor)

Spain Movistar Team : Mas, Rodriguez (Esp)

United Arab Emirates UAE Team Emirates : McNulty (Usa), Bennett (Nzl)

United States EF Education-Easypost : Almeida (Por), Chaves (Col), Padun (Ukr)

Trek-Segafredo : Stuyven (Bel), Elissonde, Gallopin (Fra)

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TOM DUMOULIN ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT

BIKE OF THE WEEK: UNBOUND 2022 EDITION

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CRITERIUM DU DAUPHINE 2022 STAGE 8 RESULTS

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Cycling star Evenepoel targets June return from crash ahead of Tour de France and Paris Olympics

By the associated press | posted - april 19, 2024 at 10:00 a.m..

Estimated read time: Less than a minute

BRUSSELS — Two-time world champion cyclist Remco Evenepoel is targeting a June return to racing after a bad crash this month. Evenepoel says he expects to return at the week-long Critérium du Dauphiné ahead of the Tour de France and Paris Olympics. The Belgian needed surgery after breaking a collar bone and shoulder blade in a crash while descending two weeks ago in the Tour of Basque Country. He won the worlds time trial last year and the road race in 2022. He should target both Olympic events on the Paris streets.

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Profiles & Route Critérium du Dauphiné 2023

Profiles . Many times termed the main preparation race for the Tour de France, the Critérium du Dauphiné will be specially hilly in 2023. The French race will take place from the 4th to 11th of June and will include several big tests for the Tour de France contenders to test their form ahead of a big goal.

The eight-day race follows a traditional format, with the stages increasing in difficulty throughout the week. The race opens up with two stages where sprinters, puncheurs and classics riders can succeed, follow by the only day where a bunch sprint can realistically take place. Stage 4 will be an individual time-trial, followed by two more hilly stages where the fights for victory will be open. It will be on the final weekend, the two last stages which see high-mountain terrain where the overall classification will be decided.

PREVIEW | Critérium du Dauphiné 2023 - Tour defending champion Jonas Vingegaard headlines colossal GC battle ahead of Tour de France

The opening stage of the French race will be a hilly day, very open where several types of riders can succeed. It's a short and explosive stage taking place at high altitude. There will be 2700 meters of climbing in a day that isn't exactly suited to any particular type of rider, and is very open. Breakaway win, late attacks or a reduced group sprint are all very possible scenarios.

The stage has a relatively flat start, but the entire day - taking place in the Massif Central - has a "rompe-piernas" feel to it (if it were taking place in Spain). The riders never find truly pan-flat roads, it constantly either tilts up or down a bit, this will certainly weigh on the legs of the sprinters, and making breakaway chase a little harder.

The riders will take on three laps of the final circuit into Chambon-sur-Lac. It's main feature is the ascent of the Côte du Rocher de l'Aigle which featues around 4.5 kilometers at 5%. The climb doesn't end there as it then has rolling roads all the way into the summit which is located only 11.5 kilometers from the finish.

A fast descent follows which leads the riders into the final 3 kilometers, which will be flat but short for those who want to chase into a sprint in town.

PREVIEW | Critérium du Dauphiné 2023 stage 1 - Breakaway, sprinters and late attacks all possible outcomes for explosive opening day

Stage 2 sees another hilly day, most of it at around 1000 meters with a lot of rolling roads. It's another grueling day, without any serious climbing but packed with small ascents and rolling roads. A day for breakaways or classics riders to succeed, with the GC contenders also having to pay serious attention or even chase bonifications. The day sees climbing start early on, and then it follows a consistent pattern of small and big-ring ascents.

As is the case on the opening day, the finale also takes place in a hilly final circuit. This time around the final kilometers are uphill however. With 10.5 summits a 1Km climb at 7.5% which is categorized, a small descent then follows before the uphill drag into La Chaise-Dieu.

Although not categorized, it is a hilltop finish. 4.7 kilometers at 3%, hard enough to make some selection, but easy enough to see some fast men resist. It's an ascent with several restbite sections, but that also means the uphill sections are much steeper then the average, but 7% won't be scaring everyone. The final 500 meters flatten out, and this does favour those with the raw power when it comes to sprinting.

PREVIEW | Critérium du Dauphiné 2023 stage 2 - Punchy finish to test GC riders and provide opportunity for classics riders

Stage 3 is the one where the sprinters have their best chances. Along 194 kilometers the riders will have a rolling stage, but this one more likely to finish in a bunch sprint. That won't be a certainty however, the opening kilometers go uphill, and the first half of the stage are rather hilly. However from there on things do get easier to control.

The clear obstacle which riders will be eyeing is the Côte de Neulise which is 7.8 kilometers long at 3%. It isn't a hard ascent, but it does steepen a bit more towards it's summit, and with the end only 18.5 kilometers away from the finish it can give some riders or teams ideas.

A short descent follows before a flat run-in into Le Coteau. One for the pure sprinters if they survive, it'll be a tense and fast sprint, with noteworthy corners coming with 2.1, 1.1 and 800 meters to go. From there on it's a full launch into the town center where there will be no opportunities to surprise the fast men.

PREVIEW | Critérium du Dauphiné 2023 stage 3 - Sam Bennett and Dylan Groenewegen favourites in race's sole pure sprint

Stage 4 is the race's individual time-trial. Comparing to the Tour de France, this day alone sees more kilometers against the clock than in the Grand Tour. Here there will be 31 kilometers, not pan-flat but mostly without tough gradients.

It's not an easy task in any way, and most of all pacing will be hard to gauge, the riders do face a difficult one to measure. There is a 2.2-kilometer climb at 4.7% almost at the start of the time-trial, which then follows a gentle descent where the riders do lose more than 300 meters in altitude.

They will regain many of them towards the line. It isn't a categorized climb, and you would barely call it a climb, but it exists. The final 9 kilometers have an average gradient of 2%, in some sections - including the final 3 kilometers - going over that. It will make a difference, specially in a day where gaps can be small among the best and the overall classification will be at stake.

PREVIEW | Critérium du Dauphiné 2023 stage 4 - Jonas Vingegaard main favourite in key time-trial

Stage 5 sees the peloton return to it's hilly challenges. As the main stages lay ahead it should be a conservative affair. The riders finally get the pan-flat start they would've hoped for in the first days of the race, however ironically it comes in a day where a breakaway is likely to succeed and will have problems forming itself early on.

The climbing phase of the day begins with just under 100 kilometers raced, with a 4.4-kilometer climb at 4.1%. There isn't anything meaningful worth mentioning until a second categorized ascent which is 2.2 kilometers at 5.7% which summit with 36 kilometers to go. A plateau then follows leading up to the main obstacle of the day.

That is the Côte de Thésy, 3.7Km at 8%, whilst it's first half is mostly at around 10%. An explosive climb. The GC riders may opt not to risk due to the hard finale of the race but it is hard enough to explode the race, if not still, the stage can very well be decided with an attack here at some point. It ends with 13.5Km to go, there is a gentle rise shortly after a descending patch, but it's then all downhill until 1 kilometer to go, and the finale in Salins-les-Bains.

PREVIEW | Critérium du Dauphiné 2023 stage 5

Stage 6 has the peloton ride into the Alps. It's not a high-mountain stage, rather a warm-up. It's another stage that suits the puncheurs or riders who come in with hopes of netting an important stage win, having as a backdrop the mountains which will in the coming days decide the race.

A short day into Crest-Voland, it features three categorized climbs towards the end: 7.8Km at 5.7%, 3.2Km at 6.1% and then a summit finish with 2.3 kilometers averaging 6.6%. The first of which is the scenic Col de Aravis, which is an 8-kilometer climb but from it's very base will see the riders climb over 1000 meters in altitude. This one summits with 19.5 kilometers to go, close enough to the finish to see serious attacks.

Whether it is in the peloton or breakaway, attacks may surge there as it is almost completely downhill into the final explosive ascent. Another one perfect for the puncheurs who can surge in these short efforts. The finale into Crest-Voland is a combination of two small yet constant climbs: 3.2Km at 6.1% finish with 3.5 kilometers to go, and after a small descent the riders have another ramp of 2.3 kilometers averaging 6.6%, this one straightforward and difficult to attack. The very final meters flatten out to the finish line.

PREVIEW | Critérium du Dauphiné 2023 stage 6

The queen stage? Perhaps, it is the great summit finish of the Dauphiné this year and it takes the riders through a journey in the Maurienne valley's climbs. A short day on the bike with a pan-flat start, but it does then feature three long and hard climbs which add up to 4000 meters of climbing.

First off we've got the Col de la Madeleine. 24.8 kilometers at 6.1%, summit at almost 2000 meters of altitude, 73 kilometers to go and irregular gradients. Two gentle sections in the climb mean much of it is ridden above the 6% mark. It's a tough old climb, maybe not it's hardest vertent but certainly one that will cause quite a lot of damage in the peloton.

The day will however be decided later on, the Col du Molard will have it's longest vertent raced with with 18.5 kilometers at 5.8%. This climb will mostly serve as a warm-up for the final one as the proximity is so visible, however it's another long one but mostly an explosive one. There are 43 hairpins in the first 12 kilometers, it puts the Alpe d'Huez to shame if those where the only standards. The rest of the climb isn't as hard but my no means a gentle ride.

However it will be the final climb to Col de la Croix de Fer where the main attacks are expected. It's a climb of two halves, with the final kilometers significantly harder. It is a summit finish at over 2000 meters, the ascent has 13 kilometers at 6.1% average gradient.

It's a climb well known to the Tour de France, however having a finale at it's summit this year. It is also in it's toughest vertent to end the stage, the GC riders will save as much as possible in the day certainly to then have the legs for the final 6.4 kilometers, which besides the altitude, also average over 8% in exposed roads.

PREVIEW | Critérium du Dauphiné 2023 stage 7

The final day of racing is a very tough one, and a classic day for the Critérium du Dauphiné, with a very hard and explosive start where a GC raid is possible and a very strong group is likely to go up the road. It's a Dauphiné classic, to end the race with an explosive day which features several climbs but no apparent point of attack. Ideal for aggressive racing, the start is uphill but not deadly - 6.1Km; 5.8% - but the opening hour of racing barely sees any flat road.

There will be three main climbs towards the end of the day with the Col du Granier being the thoughest - 9.6Km at 8.6%. This one opens up the true climbing on the day, it summits with 48 kilometers to go, the three ascents are all back-to-back with no flat sections inbetween at all. The Col du Cucheron follows, it's 7.8 kilometers at 6.1% and ends with 30 kilometers to go.

Perhaps the riders will wait for the Col de Porte to make a move, it is another possible location to attack. It's 7.5 kilometers at 6.6%, not the toughest of climbs but the legs will be hurting already at the base. It ends with 17 kilometers to go, 15 of them a steep and fast descent straight into the hilltop finish.

A long descent will follow into Grenoble. Although it almost appears invisible in the profile, the finale is one of the steepest of the whole year. Not unknown, it's the climb to La Bastille which averages 14% for 1.8 kilometers, and the gradients go well over 20% in sections. The road signs, alongside the created profile hint at 30% maximum. It's vicious regardless of that being correct or not, it's a proper end to the race, with the views over an Alpine metropolitan area.

PREVIEW | Critérium du Dauphiné 2023 stage 8

Estimated start and finish times for Criterium du Dauphiné:

Stage 1: 13:10-16:45CET

Stage 2: 12:40-16:25CET

Stage 3: 12:10-16:25CET

Stage 4: 13:30-16:35CET

Stage 5: 12:05-16:25CET

Stage 6: 12:20-16:25CET

Stage 7: 10:40-14:35CET

Stage 8: 10:30-14:35CET

Prize Money Critérium du Dauphiné 2023 - €144,024 to be split between teams

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Cycling star Evenepoel targets June return from crash ahead of Tour de France and Paris Olympics

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BRUSSELS (AP) — Two weeks after crashing heavily in Spain, two-time world champion Remco Evenepoel said on Friday he’s on track to race again in June ahead of the Tour de France and Paris Olympics.

The Belgian needed surgery after breaking a collar bone and shoulder blade in a crash while descending in the Tour of Basque Country.

Evenepoel will train at high altitude before a planned return to racing at the Critérium du Dauphiné in France from June 2-9 or the week after at the Tour de Suisse, he said in an interview broadcast by his team Soudal–Quick-Step.

He won the worlds time trial last year and the road race in 2022, and should target both Olympic events on the streets of Paris on back-to-back Saturdays — July 27 and Aug. 3. First, he will make his Tour de France debut on June 29.

“It’s going to be something special. Especially the Tour,” Evenepoel said. “It makes it a bit easier to do Tour-Olympics because it’s in the same country, not too far like it was three years ago to go to Tokyo. That was more difficult for a lot of guys.”

Evenepoel raced in both Olympic road events in Japan. He placed ninth in the time trial, more than one minute out of the medals and trailing 2 minutes, 17 seconds behind gold medalist Primož Roglič.

Roglič was caught up in Evenepoel’s crash in Spain and also will miss the one-day classic Liège-Bastogne-Liège on Sunday. Evenepoel won the past two editions of the storied race.

Evenepoel said the early spring injury gave him time to recover like it was a midseason break. It let him spend the Eid al-Fitr holiday last week with his wife Oumi Rayane and her family.

“That was a very beautiful day,” he said. “It’s better to have the injury now than in a couple of weeks. It’s a bit of luck in my bad luck.”

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Remco evenepoel targets june return from crash ahead of tour de france and paris olympics.

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ALTSASU, SPAIN - APRIL 03: Remco Evenepoel of Belgium and Team Soudal Quick-Step rides whilst drinking during the 63rd Itzulia Basque Country 2024, Stage 3 a 190.9km stage from Ezpeleta to Altsasu 526m / #UCIWT / on April 03, 2024 in Altsasu, Spain. (Photo by Tim de Waele/Getty Images)

Tim de Waele/Getty Images

BRUSSELS — Weeks after crashing heavily in Spain, two-time world champion Remco Evenepoel said he’s on track to race again in June ahead of the Tour de France and Paris Olympics.

The Belgian needed surgery after breaking a collar bone and shoulder blade in a crash while descending in the Tour of Basque Country.

Evenepoel will train at high altitude before a planned return to racing at the Critérium du Dauphiné in France from June 2-9 or the week after at the Tour de Suisse, he said in an interview broadcast by his team Soudal–Quick-Step.

He won the worlds time trial last year and the road race in 2022, and should target both Olympic events on the streets of Paris on back-to-back Saturdays — July 27 and Aug. 3. First, he will make his Tour de France debut on June 29.

“It’s going to be something special. Especially the Tour,” Evenepoel said. “It makes it a bit easier to do Tour-Olympics because it’s in the same country, not too far like it was three years ago to go to Tokyo. That was more difficult for a lot of guys.”

Evenepoel raced in both Olympic road events in Japan. He placed ninth in the time trial, more than one minute out of the medals and trailing 2 minutes, 17 seconds behind gold medalist Primož Roglič.

Roglič was caught up in Evenepoel’s crash in Spain and also will miss the one-day classic Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Evenepoel won the past two editions of the storied race.

Evenepoel said the early spring injury gave him time to recover like it was a midseason break. It let him spend the Eid al-Fitr holiday last week with his wife Oumi Rayane and her family.

“That was a very beautiful day,” he said. “It’s better to have the injury now than in a couple of weeks. It’s a bit of luck in my bad luck.”

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Criterium du Dauphiné: Deviating from the script during Tour de France audition

A curious cast delivered a fractured narrative at a race which may have raised as many questions as it answered

The Criterium du Dauphiné is always kind of insane. Last year, we saw explosive performances from the likes of Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) and Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma), foreshadowing much of what was to come in the Tour de France that year, for the Dauphiné is rather like a kind of audition, a proving ground for the Tour, a who’s who of form and tactics.

This year’s edition, however, proved to be rather strange. In fact, strange things happened on every stage – from unlikely winners to unlucky second places – it’s hard to watch this race and not think 'what the hell is happening?'

Well, for starters, the race dynamic was a little odd because a lot of the big names from last year simply weren't there. Roglič and van Aert have been at training camp in Tignes; Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) opted for the Tour of Slovenia; Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) is MIA, and half of Ineos Grenadiers headed to the Tour de Suisse, while others were finishing off the Giro d’Italia.

And yet, because the Ineos roster was so incredibly stacked, it created a power vacuum not dissimilar to that which saw a podium sweep at Volta a Catalunya, and in fact, like that race, much of what can be analysed at the Dauphiné is which of the Ineos power duo, in this case Geraint Thomas or Richie Porte , would come out on top. 

One got the sense when watching this Dauphiné, all eight stages of it, that many teams are treating it less as a stand-alone race and more explicitly like a training camp. After all, when one’s strongest riders are at the Giro, Tour de Suisse, or training at altitude, the most one could do is hunt for stage wins and hope for the best. 

Richie Porte wins the Critérium du Dauphiné Porte: Critérium du Dauphiné victory feels like a Tour de France win for me 6 conclusions from the 2021 Critérium du Dauphiné

Still, there were some stories worth telling. 

It’s rather uncommon in a week-long stage race to have back-to-back wins from the breakaway, and yet in this year’s Dauphiné that’s exactly what happened on the first two stages. A bit of context: just a few weeks ago Brent Van Moer (Lotto Soudal) appeared set to win the Ronde van Limburg from out front. He yo-yoed in the last ten kilometres of that race, his time back to the bunch fluctuating from more than fifty to down to just twelve seconds, and yet, as the compact, modern townhouses of Limburg rose up around him, it still looked as though he was going to make it, barely, by the skin of his teeth.

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It was the kind of making it where the tension is so incredibly high that one can’t help but scream come on, come on, come on, as the metres tick down. Then, in the final kilometre, something happened, and the camera panned to Van Moer slapping his handlebars in frustration. It’s heartbreaking, really – he’d taken a wrong turn, perhaps the most embarrassing defeat possible. 

Surely, this was all on his mind as Van Moer gave every last ounce of himself in the last ten kilometres of the first stage of the Dauphiné, as soloed off at the front, absolutely digging into the pedals. He was out for a while, but the sub-one-minute time gap meant that Van Moer couldn't stop now, under no circumstances could he stop. Would his pursuer, Felix Gall, the Austrian from DSM, and the peloton behind risk everything on what is shaping up to be a long descent on tricky, narrow roads to try and pull back some Belgian kid?

It’s a gamble of safety and time, and on that day, the peloton chose safety. Gall was pulled back, but Van Moer’s 50 second time gap manages to stick as the kilometres tick down: ten, five, two, then it’s twenty-five seconds, but no matter. This time, he really was going to make it. When he crossed the line, he found redemption, and Van Moer’s first ever WorldTour stage win , finally, was secure. 

Lifting Colbrelli's curse

A side narrative of this tale was that of Bahrain Victorious’ Sonny Colbrelli, a sprinter known for his second places in stage race sprints, a curse he finally seemed to have broken back in Tour de Romandie where he won twice. However, in the Dauphiné, Colbrelli would once again get second two stages in a row. On the second stage, it was Bora-Hansgrohe’s Lukas Pöstlberger who managed to hold him off from the breakaway with eleven seconds to spare, an almost exact replica of what Van Moer did on the first stage.

This must be rather frustrating for Colbrelli, for he had managed to hold out over the rolling hills that have marked the first two stages, hills that would take out most sprinters handily, but Colbrelli is a rather unusual case in that he seemed to have found his climbing legs back in the mountains of Switzerland.

The third stage, however, was made for him. It was pan flat so there’s no way some kids in a breakaway are going to use the climbs and the descents to put time into what has seemed to be a rather relaxed peloton given the prestige of the race – the kind of peloton one sees in certain stages of grand tours on days before massive climbs that will prove decisive for the general classification.

Why not let the break go on days like that? However, there are 21 stages in, say, the Giro d’Italia, but only eight in the Dauphiné – surely someone, somewhere in the bunch, was hungry for victory. Stage 3 was the only true flat stage in the race, and all the teams that have brought a sprinter wanted a chance at it.

However, surprisingly, the men Colbrelli was fighting in the final sprint were not sprinters, but GC men – the likes of Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) and Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates), men who are fast but who are by no means bunch sprint specialists. Perhaps this is why he was able to hold them off at the line, doing so in resplendent fashion. Perhaps, deep down, after two second places in a row, he just wanted it more.

It starts to get weird

The time trial, stage 4, was when things start to get, well, a little weird. With two breakaway wins and a bunch sprint already done, no GC contender had been established, which created a fascinating dynamic for watching a time trial. The test was short at only 16.4 kilometres, but almost all of that was spent battling over rather nasty hills. Those are the kind of time trials one expects a Thomas or McNulty or a Steven Kruijswijk (Jumbo-Visma) to excel – the kind of time trial that can prove decisive in that it reveals who amongst the top contenders appears strongest, rather than in creating big time gaps.

Were it at the end of the race rather than in the middle, it could definitely determine the distance between failure and safety. One truly expected Ineos to walk away with this – with the likes of Porte and Thomas, it was entirely within the realm of possibility for an Ineos one-two. Yet, surprisingly, at the end of the day, neither were in even the top five. It was Jonas Vingegaard of Jumbo Visma who spends most of his time in the hot seat before being usurped by Porte, who we expected to see linger there for a while – but he doesn’t. In fact, he was evicted rather quickly.

Now, it’s not unheard of for the likes of Astana-Premier Tech’s Alexey Lutsenko to do well in a time trial – he places in the top twenty with relative frequency. However, he’s never won against the clock at the WorldTour level, not once. He hasn't finished in the top 10 at this level since 2014, in fact. To put it bluntly, in stage 4 of the Criterium du Dauphiné, Lutsenko rode the time trial of his life.

Not even his teammate and arguably the better rider against the clock, Ion Izagirre, could beat him. Lutsenko wasn’t alone in surprising, however – the race’s then yellow jersey holder, Pöstlberger managed to ride into the top ten, and Ilan van Wilder, Team DSM’s young Belgian talent, secures a place in the top five. It was a strange day, with unexpected winners . 

Does this mean that teams like Jumbo and Ineos were weak and Astana strong? It’s hard to say. The time gaps were still too close to call for many of the GC men. Perhaps we’re just so used to seeing certain teams dominating that to see Astana do so for the first time this season feels odd. The Tour is less than a month away now, and the uphill time trial must leave a bad taste in the mouth of those who plan to contest it. 

Richie Porte or Geraint Thomas? Geraint Thomas or Richie Porte? This is the question the Ineos Grenadiers had to ask themselves. The spoils were there for the taking, the team, though weaker than in other offerings throughout the year, was still for the most part stronger than those other competing teams simply because the Ineos Grenadiers’ roster was chock full of Grand Tour contenders and winners – they’ve got plenty to spare even across a calendar stretched this thin. That’s why, on the hilly but not terribly brutal fifth stage, Ineos were definitely in control. 

Back to tradition

Day five starts off with a breakaway, however, that breakaway was poisoned by the presence of one Kasper Asgreen (Deceuninck-QuickStep), a man sat third on GC and also the winner of, you know, the Tour of Flanders from a breakaway. No one wanted to let Asgreen go, and it’s Bahrain Victorious who did the hard labour of pulling him back on behalf of – you guessed it – Colbrelli. 

New breaks try to form after that point, but the peloton had just about enough of the breakaway’s antics, and so, it was Ineos who said no more. Here’s why: with 42 kilometres left to go, the race entered a flat and exposed section on which the potential for deadly crosswinds loomed. Ineos Grenadiers would've rather liked to have split the peloton in such a decisive meteorological scenario and they would very much not like to get caught out should others try something funny. The crosswinds split doesn’t come to fruition because, frankly, everyone else has the exact same idea. It’s would come down to the final climb. 

Here’s the thing, EF Education-Nippo’s Lawson Craddock really wanted to win a stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné. He tried furiously over the next three days to do so. One wondered why this particular race is so important to him, but perhaps he was thinking he had a shot, given the field was conservative enough to let the likes of Pöstlberger or Van Moer go rather than risk doing anything that could lead to a crash this close to the Tour. 

Day five was the first day he attacked on the final climb with 12.7 kilometres to go. His gap was never really that big, hovering around twelve seconds, and he’s not the most talented descender, but still, it takes the peloton ten kilometres to pull him back. Oh well, he thought, with that particular kind of American optimism, tomorrow would be another day. At that point in the race, with six kilometres to go, Sonny Colbrelli fancied another victory, and if he were to finish along with the the GC men he was almost certain he could dispose of them in the final sprint. His team did a pretty good job at keeping control of the peloton, however there’s one team that just so happened to be smarter on the day. 

It was a tactical masterclass. At 1.4 kilometres to go, Ineos took control of the peloton away from Bahrain, led by Michał Kwiatkowski, who did a good job keeping an eye on his competitors and keeping Thomas in his wheel. Ineos knew that just after the flamme rouge lay a rather nasty hairpin turn, the perfect opportunity to put distance into the likes of Colbrelli, thereby holding him off. As soon as he hit the apex of the corner, Thomas launched, sprinting out of it, and immediately opening up a gap while Kwiatkowski maintains his speed and thereby slowed down anyone who would want to pursue. 

Bahrain had to chase, and this wasn't ideal for them, because it means that they'd have to deploy the sprint far earlier than they want to. Despite this, Colbrelli hammered it home in the last 100 meters and, for a second it looked like Thomas would certainly be caught. It was a photo finish, but after the replay, it was clear that he had taken the spoils and Colbrelli would have to settle for yet another second place, as is tradition.

What's going on?

Stage 6. Alright, the likes of Pöstlberger and Colbrelli have had their little bit of fun, but there was still a race to win, and riders running out of days to win it. It was on stages like this, stages with four back-to-back climbs, that people start to speculate about the Tour. Lutsenko was finally in the yellow jersey while Porte and Thomas were looming in the GC. Jumbo-Visma had yet to walk away from this Dauphiné with anything, which, after their rather lackluster Giro, must have had them feeling sore.

And then, there was Movistar, but before there was Movistar, there was Craddock, flying off the front with 20 kilometres still to go. Yet again he tried, but he must've know by then that he'd missed his chance to pull the wool over the eyes of the peloton. Still, he was out there for quite a while, staying out all the way until the last three kilometres. Sometimes, things just come down to the bunch. 

David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) was the first to set things off on the final climb. Tao Geoghegan Hart (Ineos Grenadiers) had a dig, then Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma), but at the end, it was 41-year-old Valverde who took the spoils in the reduced sprint, his Movistar teammate Enric Mas finishing fifth. 

Things in this race were starting to feel unsettled. What was going on? No Ineos on the virtual podium? Were Jumbo basically dead? Alejandro Valverde was still contesting mountain-top sprints? We were no clearer about the winner of this race than we were at the beginning – the time gaps separating first and sixth place remained within a 20-second margin and there were only two stages left.

However, 20 seconds can easily be taken back in the high mountains, which the race organisers had saved for last. If you thought this race was weird now, just wait – it would get even weirder. 

A fractured narrative

The selection by the end of stage 7 was elite, the likes of Porte, Thomas, Nairo Quintana (Team Arkea-Samsic), Mas, Kuss, Guillaume Martin (Cofidis), Kruijswijk, Valverde and Miguel Ángel López (Movistar). However, there were some less heralded players in the mix. Ben O’Connor (AG2R Citroën Team), Jack Haig (Bahrain Victorious), but most surprisingly, the young Ukrainian rider, Mark Padun. 

In the last ten kilometres, those contenders were whittled away. Martin dropped first, followed by Kruijswijk after a dig by Valverde, who let go soon after. By the time there were 8 kilometres to go and a group had ventured off the front, it was Porte, Mas, Kuss, and Padun. Quintana, meanwhile, had relinquished himself to gravity. On the lush, verdant slopes of the final climb, the air thin in their lungs, Padun and Kuss attacked. They pulled out thirty seconds, but Kuss couldn't hold it. He gave way to exhaustion three kilometres later, pedalling squares. Padun was left all alone.

Behind, there were attacks and people try to bridge, and it was messy, but at the front, Padun’s advantage went out to a minute. Kuss was in no man’s land. At three kilometres to go, O’Connor, Haig and López reconnected with Mas and Porte, who was then a shoo-in for virtual yellow with Lutsenko already almost a minute behind. At some point, Mas dropped too.

Everything was so fractured that it was difficult to get a sense of who was where on what switchback, who had been dropped and who was trying to bridge. In the chaos, Padun crossed the line victorious and ecstatic, punching the air – the very definition of an unlikely winner. Porte sprinted to second, followed by López, Haig, and O’Connor. Kuss has sunk like a stone to sixth. Things really didn't look good for Jumbo-Visma.

When Padun won the first time, everyone was very happy for him. When he replicated the result the very next day, finishing 1:36 ahead of Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) on an even more difficult parcours, people started to scratch their heads, though there was nothing concrete to point fingers at other than what is a rather unsatisfying ending to a race that never really got going, narratively speaking. 

Usually in races like the Dauphiné, with competition that seemed on its face rather open, fun things happen. Take the Tour of the Alps, which, with its win by Simon Yates (Team BikeExchange), truly served as a righteous prequel to the Giro, or Tour de Romandie, won by Thomas after a rather embarrassing crash, or even the Volta a Catalunya, whose Ineos podium sweep still had exciting stages that saw the return to form of widely-beloved riders such as Esteban Chaves (Team BikeExchange).

This race had, well, none of that. It was nice that Van Moer and Pöstlberger found success in the breakaway. It was nice that Colbrelli redeemed himself from second place once more. It was even nice that Padun secured that win on stage 7.

However, the longer the Dauphiné went on, the more narratively fractured it seemed. There was no inter-team power struggle between Porte and Thomas, who finished first and third on GC respectively – once it was clear Porte was stronger in stage 4, Thomas was allowed to go for a rather satisfying stage win.

Meanwhile, Lutsenko just kind of held on to second after that victory in the time trial. Half of the race felt less like a fight for victory than a fight to simply be in form. When the likes of Kruijswijk or Mas dropped, no one was too keen to bring them back, because hell, there’s always tomorrow. This Critérium du Dauphiné tells us more about what might happen in the Tour de France than it does a satisfying story in the way stage races – including all of the ones which have transpired this year – usually do. 

Conclusions or questions

Still, some things going into the Tour are certain: Ineos Grenadiers has by far the strongest team in the peloton with riders to spare. Its Tour line-up feels rather like riding on an industrial lawnmower when the rest of the teams are still using machetes. There are, of course, other strong teams – Astana, Movistar, and Bahrain Victorious both proved mighty in this race – plus individual contenders like Wilco Kelderman (Bora-Hasgrohe) who also seem to be riding into form. However, what the Dauphiné has demonstrated better is who’s showing weakness.

Seemingly gone are the days of the all-powerful Jumbo Visma train, for example, and some teams like Groupama-FDJ, Cofidis, BikeExchange and Trek-Segafredo barely made their presences felt at all. Most importantly though, this race was thoroughly defined by the absence of so many riders who are just elsewhere right now. It truly goes to show that while cycling is a massive, sprawling sport, it absolutely has its main characters, and almost none of them were here. A play can’t really take off with just supporting roles, and perhaps that’s why this one kind of flopped.

Thomas and Porte and Lutsenko are great bike riders, but it takes more than some solid GC men to make a race worth watching. The concurrent Tour de Suisse is already more exciting in its first few stages than the Dauphiné was for its eight day duration, simply because more guys are there.

Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix), Marc Hirschi (UAE Team Emirates), and Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-QuickStep) are all there. These are the types of punchy, dynamic recurring characters who light up a race time after time, seemingly just for the fun of it, all while the more stalwart GC men like Richard Carapaz (Ineos Grenadiers), Marc Soler (Movistar), and Michael Woods (Israel Start–Up Nation) battle it out in sometimes more subtle ways. 

However, the most notable absences are the two Slovenians, Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) and Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), whose drama last year remains the centre of the commentators’ filler talk no matter what race one watches. Even when they are gone, they remain omnipresent.

Did we learn something from the Criterium du Dauphiné? Of course. And yet, for every answer of form, of team power, of the future, until that fated day in Brest, there will always be room for more and more questions.  

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Kate Wagner is a Chicago-based writer and critic. Her work on cycling can be found in various publications including Procycling. Her newsletter covers cycling in an unconventional fashion, featuring essays, short stories, multimedia works and illustration.

She can be found Tweeting at @derailleurkate

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• Official Site ( Japanese )

About “Tour de France SAITAMA Criterium”

“Tour de France SAITAMA Criterium” has been held in the city of Saitama, Japan since 2013, the event the world carries the prestige of Tour de France and the 9th edition of the event will be upcoming in 5th November 2023. The race will be on set on the closed circuit around Saitama-Shintoshin Station, at the center of Saitama city. The spectators get to enjoy the heated race between internationally renowned top riders, who have achieved various classifications of 2023 Tour de France, and Japanese leading riders.

On the day before the race, cultural exchange events are held in Saitama, which the riders experience Japanese traditional cultures. “Tour de France SAITAMA Criterium” is a meaningful international event which presents “SAITAMA” to the world.

2023 Event Outline

Race results (2013-2019 editions).

※Not held in 2020 and 2021

Japanese traditional Culture Experience in Saitama city

Chalkboard art

Yukata experience

Cotton candy experience

Karate experience

Take a photo in karate pose

Soccer experience

Wear the original soccer uniform

Japanese drum experience

Taking a swing during the baseball experience

Riders wearing their original baseball uniform

Trying Falconry at Iwatsuki prefecture

Catching an Japanese eel with bare hands

Traditional ninja and samurai costume

Group photo with International riders at the welcoming event

Sword battle experience

Traditional ''Japanese KIMONO'' Costume Experience

Reproduction of Iwatsuki Jumbo Hina Dolls Display

Rice-cake Pounding Experience

Visit to OMIYA BUDOKAN

Japanese traditional harp performed by the high school students of Saitama city

Japanese traditional archery experience

Visit to OMIYA Railway museum

Visit to Musashi Ichinomiya Hikawa Shrine

Japanese Calligraphy Experience

Tea Ceremony Experience

SUMO Experience

Visit to The Omiya Bonsai Art Museum

Shintoshin , Chuo-ku Saitama-shi, Saitama, 330-0081, Japan

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'High-speed criterium racing' returning to Greenville, Tour De France's Hincapie riding

Bike alongside Tour de France veterans at ONE City Plaza on April 25 as the Greenville Cycling Classic , presented by Prisma Health, will allow attendees to take a 20-minute ride alongside George Hincapie, Bobby Julich and Christian Vande Velde.

Beginning at 3 p.m., men's and women's professional and amateur cycling will occur along Main and Coffee Street. Bike races will continue through 9 p.m. to determine a winner in nine divisions, ranging from 30-minute rides to a 70-lap competition.

This race is part of the Speed Week race series, with nine races in South Carolina and Georgia.

"We're thrilled to bring high-speed criterium racing back to Greenville," Hincapie said. "This event will be a fantastic spring highlight for the entire community to enjoy."

Tour de France legends Julich, Vande Velde and Hincapie are offering the first 200 registered riders to a casual, one-kilometer speed criterium loop race that travels around downtown for 20 minutes beginning at 5:15 p.m.

Who is George Hincapie and the other Tour de France legends?

Hincapie is a former professional racing cyclist who competed alongside Lance Armstrong as his domestique or assisting rider on the U.S. PostalPro Cycling Team. He is also known for helping Alberto Contador and Cadel Evans to their first Tour de France victories in 2007 and 2011.

During Hincapie's 27-year professional cycling career, he won three U.S. Professional Road Race championships and finished second in the 2005 Paris-Roubaix, which still stands as the highest-placing American ranking for that specific race.

In October 2012, Hincapie admitted to using banned substances during his career and received a six-month ban and loss of race results between May 2004 and July 2006.

The New York native, now a Greenville resident, has had the Hincapie name in Greenville pro and amateur cycling since the Michelin Cycling Classic in 1994. His footprint in the Upstate also includes a stake in Hotel Domestique and Restaurant 17, which has an on-site vineyard and pathways for cycling lessons. He has brought various international cyclists to the area to train and compete in Traveler's Rest and downtown Greenville.

Hincapie will host the Gran Fondo Hincape in Greenville on October 19, 2024.

How do I attend the Greenville Cycling Classic?

This is a free event; however, amateur and professional cyclists looking to compete still have time to register. Fees to participate in the races range between $40 and $60. Winners can win cash prizes up to $6,000.

Ages 12 and up can join the ride with Tour de France legends, and the pool limit is 200 people. The registration deadline for all events is April 24 at 5 p.m.

The racing path will expand between East North Street, East McBee Avenue, and South Laurens Street and South Brown Street.

What roads will be closed during the race?

Road closures for the event will be in place from noon to 11 p.m. on April 25. They will include:- Main Street, from McBee Avenue to East North Street- East North Street, from North Main to Brown Streets- Brown Street, from East North Street to McBee Avenue- McBee Avenue, from South Brown Street to South Laurens Street- South Laurens Street, from West McBee Avenue to West Washington Street- Washington Street, from South Laurens to Brown streets

For more information, visit greenvillecyclingclassic.com

– A.J. Jackson covers the food & dining scene, along with arts, entertainment and downtown culture for The Greenville News. Contact him by email at [email protected], and follow him on X (formally Twitter) @ajhappened. This coverage is only possible with support from our readers. Sign up today for a digital subscription .

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Tour de France cyclist Hincapie riding in Greenville Cycling Classic

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Cycling star Evenepoel targets June return from crash ahead of Tour de France and Paris Olympics

BRUSSELS — Two weeks after crashing heavily in Spain, two-time world champion Remco Evenepoel said on Friday he’s on track to race again in June ahead of the Tour de France and Paris Olympics.

The Belgian needed surgery after breaking a collar bone and shoulder blade in a crash while descending in the Tour of Basque Country.

Evenepoel will train at high altitude before a planned return to racing at the Critérium du Dauphiné in France from June 2-9 or the week after at the Tour de Suisse, he said in an interview broadcast by his team Soudal–Quick-Step.

He won the worlds time trial last year and the road race in 2022, and should target both Olympic events on the streets of Paris on back-to-back Saturdays — July 27 and Aug. 3. First, he will make his Tour de France debut on June 29.

“It’s going to be something special. Especially the Tour,” Evenepoel said. “It makes it a bit easier to do Tour-Olympics because it’s in the same country, not too far like it was three years ago to go to Tokyo. That was more difficult for a lot of guys.”

Evenepoel raced in both Olympic road events in Japan. He placed ninth in the time trial, more than one minute out of the medals and trailing 2 minutes, 17 seconds behind gold medalist Primož Roglič.

Roglič was caught up in Evenepoel’s crash in Spain and also will miss the one-day classic Liège-Bastogne-Liège on Sunday. Evenepoel won the past two editions of the storied race.

Evenepoel said the early spring injury gave him time to recover like it was a midseason break. It let him spend the Eid al-Fitr holiday last week with his wife Oumi Rayane and her family.

“That was a very beautiful day,” he said. “It’s better to have the injury now than in a couple of weeks. It’s a bit of luck in my bad luck.”

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports