Abolish the MPCC

Criterium du Dauphine
Last Saturday riders from 13 teams were tested for cortisol levels on the morning of Stage 7 of the Dauphiné. It’s part of their membership of the MPCC, the Movement for Credible Cycling. The group’s become laughing stock for some recently and teams are pulling out fast at the moment too. But the guarantees it brings riders and their health is no joke. In fact it’s so good the UCI needs to adopt its rules to the leter.

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The Moment The Race Was Won: The Dauphiné

Chris Froome Dauphine 2015 Valfrejus

Chris Froome attacks Tejay van Garderen on the final climb of the final stage. The American is in yellow and has been marking Froome on the climbs all week, letting Froome go and then patiently trying to reel him in. But this time there’s just a few seconds to save the race. Van Garderen lets Froome go, holds him within range but the gap stretches out: five seconds, six seconds, ten seconds and then Van Garderen cracks. This was the moment the race was won.

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Dauphiné Stage 8 Preview

The last but not the least of the stages of the 2015 Critérium du Dauphiné. The scenic Lacets de Montvernier feature before the final climb to Valfréjus. The stage ends with a ski station summit finish but it’s a short climb, maybe still enough for Chris Froome to challenge Tejay van Garderen’s overall lead.

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Dauphiné Stage 7 Preview

After yesterday’s tough stage in the rain now comes an Alpine festival with a difficult summit finish. There will be some sore legs after yesterday’s warfare and the likes of Chris Froome and Tejay van Garderen will want to test Vincenzo Nibali’s grip on the yellow jersey.

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Roads to Ride: Combe Laval and the Vercors

The Critérium du Dauphiné heads for the Vercors, a high plateau surrounded by precipitous cliffs. The race takes the Col du Rousset, an impressive road but other approach roads are even more stunning. The Combe Laval is famous for its vertigo-inducing cliffhanger section, a narrow road cut into the cliff with a terrifying drop off the side. But is it France’s most overrated road?

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Dauphiné Stage 5 Preview

The stage we’ve all been waiting for. The race heads for the mountains and the Col d’Allos before the Pra Loup summit finish, a copy of Stage 17 of next month’s Tour de France. A hard day but an introduction to the mountains as Saturday stage is harder.

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Dauphiné Stage 4 Preview

The longest stage in the race and the day for breakaway chancers to go on a raid. For a change today’s finish is later than the previous stages.

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Geolocation Telemetry on Trial

Vincenzo Nibali

What are those black things under the saddle?” is the most frequently asked question from readers and Twitter followers this week. Riders in the Critérium du Dauphiné have a small black stick poking out of the back of the saddle. Look and you can see them in the image above. It’s for beaming data, it’s on trial this week before an expected launch in the Tour de France.

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