Favorites stage 7 Critérium du Dauphiné 2024 | The first blow is worth a lot, but...

On Friday, we already had a strong preview, but as the final weekend of the Critérium du Dauphiné approaches, the remaining riders face two very challenging days. IDLProCycling.com tells you everything you need to know about the important seventh stage!

Course for stage 7 Critérium du Dauphiné 2024

The penultimate stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné starts in Albertville, the Alpine city that hosted the 1992 Winter Olympics. This indicates that mountains are never far away, which is also true in this stage. After 33 kilometers, we reach the summit of the first climb of the day, the Col des Saisies. This climb is 9.4 kilometers long with an average gradient of 6.6 percent.

Next, we enter a long, rolling middle section, which includes the Côte d'Arâches (6.1 km at 7.1%). Fifty kilometers from the finish, we start the penultimate climb of the day, the Col de la Ramaz. This one is quite a challenge at 13.9 kilometers long with an average gradient of 7.1 percent. However, the hardest is yet to come, with the climb to Samoëns 1600. Ten kilometers of climbing at 9.3 percent, including several kilometers well into the double-digit gradients. This will undoubtedly cause splits, at this first summit finish at Samoëns 1600.

Climbs
33.3 km : Col des Saisies (9.4 km at 6.6%)
85.9 km: Côte d'Arâches (6.1 km at 7.1%)
118.1 km: Col de la Ramaz (13.9 km at 7.1%)
155.3 km: Samoëns 1600 (10.0 km at 9.3%)

Times
Start: 10:30 AM
Finish: around 3 PM

Weather stage 7 Critérium du Dauphiné 2024

Good weather in the Alps! At the start in Albertville, it could even be around 25 degrees Celsius. Even at the top of Samöens 1600, it’s pleasant, with a temperature of about 18 degrees Celsius.

Favorites stage 7 Critérium du Dauphiné 2024

The crash in the fifth stage has cast a long shadow over this Critérium du Dauphiné. Almost the entire peloton hit the asphalt, and the consequences were visible across the board. Primoz Roglic (BORA-hansgrohe) also crashed but was present at the first mountain test on Friday. The Slovenian mentioned having a lot of shoulder pain but still managed a double victory.

This was partly due to the excellent work of Aleksandr Vlasov, who, along with Giulio Ciccone from Lidl-Trek, positioned themselves among the top three climbers in this race. However, Saturday involves even more elevation gain, so the situation may look different then.

Remco Evenepoel - who also crashed - still stands second in the classification for Soudal Quick-Step but had to let go. Ultimately, the Belgian limited the damage impressively at his own pace and finished close to riders like Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike), Laurens De Plus, Carlos Rodriguez (INEOS Grenadiers), and the surprising Derek Gee of Israel-Premier Tech.

The first real selection has been made, meaning more riders will now look to join the early breakaway, raising the general climbing level in the breakaway groups. Riders like Guillaume Martin (Cofidis), Clement Bérthet (Decathlon AG2R), Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ), Dylan Teuns (Israel-Premier Tech), and Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious) can benefit from this - given their position in the GC - or could Sepp Kuss (Visma | Lease a Bike) think of a comeback?

According to IDLProCycling.com, who are the favorites for stage 7 Critérium du Dauphiné 2024?

Top favorites: Primoz Roglic (BORA-hansgrohe) and Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek)
Outsiders: Aleksandr Vlasov (BORA-hansgrohe), Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike), Carlos Rodriguez (INEOS Grenadiers) and Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step)
Long shots: Laurens De Plus (INEOS Grenadiers), Sepp Kuss (Visma | Lease a Bike), Guillaume Martin (Cofidis), Clement Bérthet (Decathlon AG2R), Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ), Dylan Teuns, Derek Gee (Israel-Premier Tech) and Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious)