The summer stage race season is underway and the Critérium du Dauphiné is a major rendez-vous for many of the contenders for the Tour de France. The week ahead looks like it’s Jonas Vingegaard vs. the field with the Dane finding a route to suit and saying out loud he’s in top form already.
The Route
Stage 1
The opening stage takes place on the flanks of the Massif du Sancy, the area visited by the race last year when David Gaudu mugged Wout van Aert in the sprint and also on roads that the Tour de France will borrow in July when it will also use bigger mountain passes during Stage 10. All this isn’t a coincidence, the region wants to promote the area. First a big loop towards Le Mont Dore, then four laps of a finishing circuit. It’s a lumpy stage with some small roads but nothing fierce.
Stage 2
Another hilly day in the Auvergne region, another course with a finishing circuit that avoids some of the bigger climbs. Who ever won the previous day has a good chance of striking again today.
Stage 3
Recent editions of the Dauphiné have been so hilly that at least one well-known sprinter has arrived at the start, got a copy of the roadbook… and discovered there’s not a single stage for them; at least they got a week to work on their climbing ahead of the Tour. This stage though does suit the sprinters, if any attend.
Stage 4
A 31km time time trial, one third longer than the Tour’s TT quasi-mountain time trial stage. This is no dragster course but still suits the specialists with a 10km false flat up to the finish, all through rural farming country full of charolais cattle.
Stage 5
If it’s late into the Tour de France and you get a sense of déjà vu it could because of memories from this stage as it overlaps with the route of Stage 19 on the way to Salins-les-Bains, a spa town once renowned for its salty waters and today the kind of place you might ride through and remark on its charms but conclude that it’s seen better days. The final climb is hard, a forest backroad to Thesy that should select the winner before a fast descent on a wider road.
Stage 6
Out of the Jura and into the Alps, the graphic above suggests not much is happening until late but the route will sap the riders. The big question is will much happen later on? The Col des Aravis is a big ring climb but that just means the speed is higher before the finish to Crest-Voland, half way up the Col des Saisies with a finish at 1,218m. The final climb’s got a hard start but in avoiding the whole climb it’s a bit of a softer stage that’s open to all, someone from the breakaway will fancy their chances.
Stage 7
4,000m of vertical gain in under 150km and you can see the substantial flat sections, it’s really 4000m in 100km which is beaucoup. The Col de la Madeleine is a staple of the Dauphiné and Tour de France over the years leading the riders over to the Maurienne valley. Then comes the Croix Fer summit finish. But look closely and it’s via Albiez-le-Jeune, a “new” way up for the race and the road has about 45 hairpin bends – double Alpe d’Huez’s 21 in less distance – before picking up the main road to the Croix de Fer and a very hard slog to the top.
Stage 8
If life should ever bring you to Grenoble with a bike, this is a textbook ride to do in a day. Starting in the suburb of Pont-de-Claix, it’s up the Isère valley via the balcony road to the Col des Mouilles before dropping to the valley and then comes the glorious Chartreuse Trilogy with a side route up Mont Granier before the Cucheron and Porte and the descent back to Grenoble.
It’s here the race reprises the climb of the Bastille above Grenoble. It’s not a new road but almost as nobody in today’s peloton has done it. Used seven times before, the last occasion was a prologue in 2000 but it’s probably infamous for the finish in 1977 when Bernard Hinault got off his bike, shouting “I want to quit”. His manager Cyrille Guimard put him straight back on the bike and he won the stage and race.
The Contenders
Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) is the clear pre-race pick. The Tour de France winner says he is in great shape, finds a course to suit with a 30km time trial where he can leave many of the other contenders trailing and he’s got a strong team all behind him, this time Wout van Aert isn’t here. So far, so obvious but this does suggest anything less than a win and something will have gone wrong or will require explaining. Yet he doesn’t need to win here while some of his rivals crave a stage race win at this level, doubly so if it’s ahead of Vingegaard.
Dani Martinez (Ineos) is a very solid all-rounder and that’s his problem as it’s hard to see him outriding rivals in the time trial and the mountains alike but he’s won stage races this way, taking the overall but without winning a stage… including the 2020 Dauphiné of course. Ineos have a second ace card to play in Carlos Rodriguez, the 22 year old is due a big win and can handle himself in a time trial, he was fourth in the Vuelta’s flat course last year, he’s said to be moving to Movistar next year although it’s surprising Ineos want to let him go and it looks like they’re counting on him here and probably for the Tour de France too. There’s also Egan Bernal who continues his rehab and work back to the top level and keeps progressing, but a top-10 here would be a result.
Richard Carapaz (EF Education-Easypost) was probably the big transfer in last year’s market and he’s had a discreet season so far, 52nd in Catalunya, DNF in the Basque Country but a recent winner of the alpine Mercan’Tour Classic. He’s likely to lose ground in the time trials but he’s aggressive when it comes to taking it back in the mountains.
Adam Yates (UAE) can do more than limit his losses in the time trial but that still means it’ll be harder to win, it’s easy to see him on the podium but reaching the top step is the hard part. A support rider for Pogačar at the Tour, this is a chance for him to get a result with the team riding for him.
No more tridents but Movistar have a twin pronged attack with Enric Mas and Matteo Jorgenson. On paper Mas has the pedigree but so far this season Jorgenson’s got the better results, a win on Oman and second place in the Tour de Romandie. This could invert now though as Mas has always been focussing on the Tour de France this season while Jorgenson’s back to racing after his successful spring.
On the podium a year ago surely Ben O’Connor (Ag2r Citroën) would sign up for the same again today? He can do well in a time trial if he’s in top form so paradoxically we’ll probably get an early glimpse of how well he’ll do in the mountains from Tuesday’s time trial.
Many come for a pre-race test, a chance to race for week and keep up their reflexes of racing in a bunch before putting the finishing touches on their form for July. The relatively long time trial is likely to be a bittersweet day for several as it’ll undo their GC bids but since we all know this, nobody is expecting them to win outright anyway. As such they get a trial but without a punishing verdict. Mikel Landa (Bahrain), David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ), Jai Hindley (Bora-hansgrohe), Guillaume Martin (Cofidis), Giulio Ciccone (Trek-Segafredo) should all lose time in the time trial but there’s a range, it’ll be interesting to see where Gaudu and Hindley are at and all will look forward to the Alps after.
Finally Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal-Quickstep) rode the Ardennes classics as part of his return to racing but his mind’s long been on turning around his results for this summer with the Tour de France as his big goal. The outright win? Unlikely in July but we’ll see this week how he’s doing, he’ll turn 31 next Sunday and with age should be losing his legendary ability to jump on steep climbs and becoming more of a diesel, just a turbo diesel.
| | Jonas Vingegaard | | | – | | | Adam Yates, Carlos Rodriguez, Dani Martinez | | | Richard Carapaz, Matteo Jorgenson | | | Mas, Landa |
TV: it’s on France Télévisions for locals, GCN/Eurosport for many others and NBC Peacock and SBS for Americans and Australians. The timing varies with next weekend’s stages having early finishes so that France TV can clear the schedules for the Rolland Garros tennis tournament finals, their other annual sporting staple.