The route for the 2017 Critérium du Dauphiné has been presented today, a chance to project beyond the spring classics into summer. The Dauphiné is often seen in the shadow of the Tour de France because it borrows some of the same roads and acts a dress rehearsal for July, even with some copycat stages. It runs from Sunday 4 June to Sunday 11 June. Here’s a closer look at the route ahead.
Who’s going to win the Tour de France? This is sometimes the central question to the season. We view so many races as contests through yellow-tinted lenses and in turn no sooner does a rider thrive during a one week stage race than they’re projected as agrand tour contender. One regular question is why don’t some riders aim for week long stage races instead of charging headlong into inevitable defeat in a grand tour? Is there room for week-long specialists?
Chris Froome attacks in the final kilometres of Stage 5 as the road climbs to the Vaujany ski station. After biding his time on the ascent he attacked and only Richie Porte could follow. This was the moment the race was won.
The final stage sees the race end with a tricky mountain stage packed with technical descents – La Rochette might ring a bell – and the unheralded but difficult climbs of the Col de Moissière and the Col du Noyer. Don’t miss the earlier finish time.
Another short stage, just 141km and crammed with 4,570 metres of vertical gain. Yesterday’s saw Chris Froome win the stage and yellow jersey meaning Team Sky will have to control the race today.
A stage promised for the sprinters and an uphill finish to test them and maybe invite some extra names into the contest.
A stage with a difficult climb towards the end, steeper and longer than the roadbook suggests and it should prove ruinous for many of the sprinters.
A ski station summit finish? Yes… but… we’ll see. Today’s stage does have an uphill run to a finish in a ski station but it’s more of a medium mountain stage and one of those days where it’s up to the teams to decide on the finish and whether they want a sprint among 60 riders or a shoot-out between the GC names.
The race leaves the Alps for the Rhone valley and a likely sprint finish with Alexander Kristoff and Nacer Bouhanni the top picks.
A 3.9km prologue. Calling this an uphill time trial is to downplay the effort, it’s an up-mountain race and as prologues go this kind of course is a rarity. With so many contenders for the race not having raced for weeks or more this will give us an immediate test of form.