Preview Critérium du Dauphiné 2024 | Evenepoel versus Roglic, or perhaps Spanish stars Ayuso and Rodriguez?!

With the Giro d'Italia wrapped up, it's time for cycling fans to gradually prepare for the Tour de France. But before we get there, there are two important preparation races leading up to La Grande Boucle, namely the Tour of Switzerland and the Critérium du Dauphiné. In this article, IDLProCycling.com tells you all about the latter!

As is almost always the case, the Dauphiné offers a great mix of stages this year. Sprinters, punchers and climbers will all get opportunities, with this year's edition – as often happens – particularly favoring the climbers, who will most look forward to this French event organized in the southeast of the country. There are no less than five (!) uphill finishes! It's also important to mention that at the finish of each stage, bonus seconds are available: ten, six and four seconds for the first, second and third place finishers in the daily results. Additionally, there are 3, 2 and 1 bonus seconds available at intermediate sprints.

Last year, the race was right up the alley of Jonas Vingegaard, who won two crucial mountain stages and thereby seemingly effortlessly clinched the overall classification. A month later, he would dominate the Tour de France, effectively making his season. That edition of the Dauphiné was also very successful for then Jumbo-Visma (now Visma | Lease a Bike), as Christophe Laporte also won two stages (and the points classification).

Practical information Critérium du Dauphine 2024

• Sunday June 2 - Sunday June 9, 2024
• Classification: 2.UWT
• Participants

In this article

• Previous winners
• Course, climbs and times
• Favorites
  
• TV information

Previous winners Critérium du Dauphiné

2023 Jonas Vingegaard
2022 Primoz Roglic
2021 Richie Porte
2020 Daniel Felipe Martínez
2019 Jakob Fuglsang
2018 Geraint Thomas
2017 Jakob Fuglsang
2016 Chris Froome
2015 Chris Froome
2014 Andrew Talansky

Course, climbs and times Critérium du Dauphiné 2024

Stage 1 - Sunday June 2, 2024: Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule - Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule (172 km)

The 76th edition of the Critérium du Dauphiné starts in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, in central France. For the opening stage, the organization has chosen Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule as both the start and finish location. Here, the competing riders will be presented with a hilly stage, although the major difficulties (i.e. the three categorized climbs) are mainly in the first half of the race. Following a first lap to the finish, two loops of around thirty kilometers each await, after which – in our opinion – a sprint for victory is likely.

Climbs
17,5 km: Côte de Jenzat (1,4 km at 6,9%)
26,9 km: Côte de Gannat (2,5 km at 6,0%)
44,4 km: Côte de Chouvigny (2,4 km at 7,9%)

Times
Start: 12.50 PM
Finish: around 4.50 PM

Favorites
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
Sam Bennett (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale)
Axel Laurance (Alpecin-Deceuninck)

Stage 2 - Monday June 3, 2024: Gannat - Col de la Loge (142 km)

Day two features the first uphill finish! Starting from Gannat – not too far from Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule – the peloton will cover 142 kilometers toward Col de la Loge. This col is not the most challenging obstacle of the day. That honor goes to several climbs earlier in the route, such as the Côte de Saint-Georges-en-Couzan (7.0 km at 5.8%). Altogether, these 142 kilometers contain 2,700 meters of climbing, making this a tough stage. It’s actually never really flat!

Climbs
45,1 km: Côte de Fagot (5,3 km at 5,4%)
67,4 km: Col Saint-Thomas (4,5 km at 6,6%)
124,4 km: Côte de Saint-Georges-en-Couzan (7,0 km at 5,8%)
134,3 km: Col de la Croix Ladret (3,1 km at 6,1%)
142 km: Col de la Loge

Times
Start: 1.30 PM
Finish: 5.00 PM

Favorites
Primoz Roglic (BORA-hansgrohe)
Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step)
Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ)

Stage 3 - Tuesday June 4, 2024: Celles-sur-Durolle - Les Estables (181 km)

Day three also features plenty of elevation. While the second stage was 142 kilometers long with a total of 2,700 meters of climbing, this section from Celles-sur-Durolle to Les Estables covers 181 kilometers with a total of 2,800 meters of climbing. In short, this one is slightly less difficult (one might say). Right from the start, the climbing begins, although it's primarily the second half we should look forward to. The hills to be conquered are not of the nature that they will instill fear in many riders, although such climbs should never be underestimated. The finish to Les Estables, where the road climbs for about four kilometers at an average of five percent, looks tempting!

Climbs
22,1 km: Côte d'Augerolles (2,6 km at 5,2%)
87,6 km: Côte de Saint-Victor-sur-Arlanc (3,1 km at 9,4%)
125,0 km: Côte de Retournac (3,2 km at 5,4%)
147,1 km: Côte de Valogeon (2,0 km at 5,2%)
181,7 km: Les Estables (3,8 km at 5,2%)

Times
Start: 12.35 PM
Finish: around 5.00 PM

Favorites
Primoz Roglic (BORA-hansgrohe)
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
Axel Laurance (Alpecin-Deceuninck)

Stage 4 - Wednesday June 5, 2024: Saint-Germain-Laval - Neulise (ITT, 34,4 km)

Day four, that means it's time for the time trial! And it’s a long one at 34 kilometers, with the course spanning from Saint-Germain-Laval to Neulise. A total of 375 meters of elevation will need to be tackled, which certainly doesn’t make for a flat course. The road to Pinay, for example, climbs for about three kilometers at an average of four percent. Will we see a great duel between Tarling, Evenepoel, Ayuso and Roglic?

Climbs
None.

Times
Start: 1.40 PM (first rider)
Finish: around 5.00 PM (last rider)

Favorites
Joshua Tarling (INEOS Grenadiers)
Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step)
Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates)

Stage 5 - Thursday June 6, 2024: Amplepuis - Saint-Priest (167 km)

Day five seems like a great opportunity for the sprinters. Although there are a few climbs in the course, they do not appear to be challenging enough that the pure sprinters would have to drop back significantly (and not be able to return). It's also one of the few sprint opportunities, so the sprint teams will likely want to control it!

Climbs
49,7 km: Côte de Croix de Signy (1,6 km at 4,6%)
76,2 km: Côte de Duerne (5,0 km at 6,9%)
11,5 km: Côte de Givors (3,8 km at 4,6%)
144,0 km: Côte de Bel-Air (1,8 km at 5,1%)

Times
Start: 10.35 AM
Finish: around 2.40 PM

Favorites
Sam Bennett (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale)
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
Axel Laurance (Alpecin-Deceuninck)

Stage 6 - Friday June 7, 2024: Hauterives - Le Collet d'Allevard (174 km)

This stage marks the end of the fun for the sprinters, as the last three stages are all up the alley of the climbing specialists. This triptych begins with a 174 kilometer stage between Hauterives and Le Collet d'Allevard, where a climb of 11.1 kilometers at an average of 8.1 percent awaits! In short, the men contending for the yellow jersey will finish at the front!

Climbs
31,6 km: Côte de La Côte-Saint-André (1,8 km at 6,7%)
129,4 km: Col du Granier (8,9 km at 5,4%)
174,1 km: Le Collet d'Allevard (11,1 km at 8,1%)

Times
Start: 12.55 PM
Finish: around 5.00 PM

Favorites
Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step)
Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates)
Sepp Kuss (Visma | Lease a Bike)

Stage 7 - Saturday June 8, 2024: Albertville - Samoëns 1600 (155 km)

Starting from the well-known town of Albertville, on day seven we head toward Samoëns 1600, a ski village that – as the name suggests – is situated at an altitude of 1,600 meters. The road there is ten kilometers long with an average gradient of 9.3 percent. You guessed it: the climbers have this stage marked in their calendars in deep red!

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 3.00 PM

Favorites
Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious)
Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates)
Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step)

Stage 8 - Sunday June 9, 2024: Thônes - Plateau des Glières (160 km)

On the final day, the participants are not exactly given an easy ride, as is often the case in the grand tours. The 160 kilometer long ride between Thônes and Plateau des Glières includes 3,640 meters of climbing, with an epic final climb leading up to the finish (9.4 kilometers at an average of 7.1 percent). As if that weren’t tough enough, this climb is also known for its unpaved sections toward the summit!

Climbs
14,2 km: Col de la Forclaz de Montmin (7,1 km at 7,3%)
32,1 km: Col des Esserieux (4,2 km at 5,4%)
103,1 km: Le Salève (12,1 km at 6,8%)
152,5 km: Plateau des Glières (9,4 km at 7,1%)

Times
Start: 10.30 AM
Finish: around 3.00 PM

Favorites
Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious)
Aleksandr Vlasov (BORA-hansgrohe)
Primoz Roglic (BORA-hansgrohe)

Favorites Critérium du Dauphiné 2024

True top sprinters are few and far between in the Critérium du Dauphiné, making room for strong general classification riders! In what may well be the most important preparatory race for the Tour de France this year, there's a very real chance that we'll see a duel for the yellow jersey between three top contenders. We're talking about Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step), Primoz Roglic (BORA-han sgrohe) and Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates). Evenepoel and Roglic both crashed hard in the Tour of the Basque Country and are making a comeback in the Dauphiné, while the young but oh so strong Ayuso actually won that Basque stage race.

Of the three top favorites, Evenepoel and Ayuso might be the most likely contenders for victory. Evenepoel because of the 34 kilometers of time trialing, Ayuso because of his good form and having been free of mishaps and injuries. But on the other hand, Roglic is a strong finisher. We finish uphill five times, so that's five times where the Slovenian has good credentials to – should it indeed often come down to a sprint – pull a lot of bonus seconds his way. Because Roglic is also, of course, more than a decent time trialist. Excitement guaranteed!

Behind them, there are many names that could contend for a podium spot or other kind of high placement (like a top-five finish). For instance, Carlos Rodriguez. The young Spaniard of INEOS Grenadiers has been seen as Ayuso's rival since their youth days, a rivalry that has already produced several spectacular duels. Rodriguez managed to finish fourth in the Tour last year (and won a stage), so you can bet he's eager for victory here! In the Basque Country, he finished second in the overall classification, about 45 seconds behind – we just mentioned him – Ayuso! Afterwards, Rodriguez also won the Tour of Romandie, so his form is definitely on point!

Continue reading below the photo!

Switching to BORA-hansgrohe, it's worth watching out for Aleksandr Vlasov and Jai Hindley, two more established names in the climbing ranks. The Aussie finished third in this year’s Tirreno-Adriatico, while the 'Russian' riding under a neutral flag has performed very well in various races (including Catalonia, Romandie and Paris-Nice). Should anything unexpected happen with Roglic, Ralph Denk's brigade still has two strong cards to play! That's also true for Soudal Quick-Step, which could potentially deploy Mikel Landa (if needed). In Catalonia, the experienced Spaniard already secured a commendable second place in the GC.

Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious) impressively won the young rider's jersey in the Giro d'Italia. The Italian is not going to the Tour de France (we suspect), but he is indeed starting in the Dauphiné! And despite just having raced a tough Giro, that makes him a formidable outsider. Within that Bahrain team, they also have Santiago Buitrago, who showed some very impressive things in training. And what can Jack Haig do in a race like this? Last year, he impressively finished fifth!

Finally, a few more important contenders. Visma | Lease a Bike has multiple cards to play, given that both Vuelta winner Sepp Kuss and spring revelation Matteo Jorgenson are going to participate in the race. The in-form Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale team is going all in on Felix Gall, while home team Groupama-FDJ has its fingers crossed that David Gaudu has a good week. Lastly, we're very curious what Lidl-Trek can bring to the table with Giulio Ciccone and Tao Geoghegan Hart, and that also goes for DSM-firmenich postNL, which fields Warren Barguil and comeback-kid Max Poole.

Who are the favorites for the Critérium du Dauphiné 2024, according to IDLProCycling.com?

Top favorites: Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) and Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates)
Outsiders: Primoz Roglic (BORA-hansgrohe), Carlos Rodriguez (INEOS Grenadiers) and Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious)
Longshots: Aleksandr Vlasov, Jai Hindley (beiden BORA-hansgrohe), Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious), Mikel Landa (Soudal Quick-Step), Matteo Jorgenson, Sepp Kuss (beiden Visma | Lease a Bike), Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) and David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ)

Data powered by FirstCycling.com

TV Critérium du Dauphiné 2024

Want to watch the Critérium du Dauphiné live? You can! On Eurosport 1, Eurosport.nl and Discovery+ (from 3:00 PM onwards) and on Sporza (VRT 1, at 3:30 PM) you can tune in daily, ensuring you can always catch the finale.