Ineos Grenadiers have won seven of the past 11 editions of the Critérium du Dauphiné but Jumbo-Visma seems to be the dominant force this year, with Primož Roglič the overwhelming favourite for victory.
The Critérium du Dauphiné, a week-long stage race in southern France, is one of the key build-up races ahead of the Tour de France. It starts on Sunday and finishes 8 stages later, just under three weeks out from the Grand Tour of Copenhagen.
The race has probably lost its definitive pre-Tour hit-out status. Tadej Pogačar, winner of the past two Tours, has once again opted to race the Tour of Slovenia in his home country, while Ineos Grenadiers have this year favored the Dauphiné’s old rival. The British team’s probable trio of leaders for July – Adam Yates, Dani Martinez, and Geraint Thomas – are all in action at the Tour de Suisse, which overlaps by a day, leaving Ineos with something of a B-team at the Dauphiné.
Jumbo-Visma, however, are going all in. They bring not only Roglič but what looks like a complete Tour de France lineup, including co-leader Jonas Vingegaard, who was a breakthrough second overall at last Ky Tour. The Belgian champion not only provides luxury support but also a contender for a variety of stages, not least the mid-race time trial.
Rohan Dennis, Christophe Laporte, Steven Kruijswijk, and Tiesj Benoot completed the lineup. Jumbo-Visma has indicated there are three confirmed names on their Tour lineup – Roglič, Vingegaard, Van Aert – but the other four are all on the long list and will be out of their tickets to Copenhagen with a strong collective showing.
Between them, Roglič and Van Aert could compete for most stages in most races, but this is a very special amenity. It’s definitely less mountainous than in recent years, with the emphasis very much on the moderately hilly terrain. There are only two true climbing stages, which makes the entire mid-race time trial even more pivotal. Roglič, the Olympic time trial champion and a rider who can only win a few seconds throughout, is going to take some beating.
In terms of who’ll provide the competition, there’s no Pogačar, but UAE Team Emirates will nevertheless field a strong squad, by Brandon McNulty, who had a strong start to his third year as a pro. Like Roglič, he’ll likely be a strong performer in the trial time and will gain time over the pure climbers there. Two more of Pogačar’s key lieutenants – Rafal Majka and George Bennett – will also be there, as should Spanish prodigy Juan Ayuso.
Ineos Grenadiers, meanwhile, by Tao Geoghegan Hart, winner of the 2020 Giro d’Italia. The Briton, however, is far from certain on the Tour lineup and, after a relatively low-key season so far, will be keen to grasp a rare shot at leadership. Filippo Ganna is a shoo-in for the Tour and he’ll be at the Dauphiné to hone his time tilting skills on stage 4 ahead of the opening TT at the Tour, while Dylan van Baarle is another likely domestique for the Tour, but one who is set to shift to Jumbo-Visma next season. The most active Ineos rider could turn out to be Ethan Hayter, the rising talent who will find the wealth of a moderately good man.
Enric Mas (Movistar) is the next biggest name as Tour de France contenders go, while David Gaudu leads Groupama-FDJ alongside Michael Storer as Thibaut Pinot takes aim at the Tour de Suisse. It can be complicated by the time trial.
The Australian pair of Ben O’Connor (AG2R Citroën) and Jack Haig (Bahrain Victorious) will be buoyed by their compatriot Jai Hindley’s recent Giro d’Italia victory as they look to set our Tour de France credentials. Elsewhere, the start list is not yet complete, but includes the likes of three-time Dauphiné winner Chris Froome (Israel-Premier Tech) and a couple of riders looking to cash in on post-Giro form, such as Wilco Kelderman (Bora- Hansgrohe).
The route
The 2022 Dauphiné features eight stages, the last two days.
There is not much in the way of flat terrain, which explains why there is only one sprinter – Dylan Groenewegen (BikeExchange-Jayco) – on the initial provisional start list. The race opens with two stages in the undulating region of the Ardèche, which may lend themselves to a greater number of sprints from the stronger climbers, or potential successful breakaways.
The opener is a 192km leg from La Voulte-sur-Rhône to Beauchastel, with a finishing circuit that includes a 30km climb from the finish, where the sprinters have to fight to stay in contention. Stage 2 to Brives-Charensac features a long category 2 climb before a descent and several more undulations on the run-in. The first uphill finish comes in the Puy-de-Dome region at Chastreix-Sancy on stage 3, another undulating stage culminating in a final climb of 6.2km at 5.6%.
Stage 4 is the time trial – not just a key stage in the contest, but a key test ahead of the Tour de France. At 31.9km, it’s a test that will significantly shape the leaderboard and the action to follow in the mountains. Running from Montbrison, the finish in La Bâtie d’Urfé is due north but there are several twists and turns, although the terrain is largely flat.
The race then heads towards the Alps via two more undulating stages. The first heads to Chaintré, north of Lyon, and, despite a couple of late kickers, are the most likely to end in a bunch of sprint. The following stage to Gap looks like an earthy ground for a breakaway, with two categories 2 climbs and an undulating run-in.
The final weekend is where the Dauphiné race is best known for: the Alps. This year, the mountain action is condensed into two days but they’re both short and potentially explosive ones. The first starts out of the Col du Galibier (from the easier side) at 2642 meters above sea level, before a descent into the valley and a trip up the achingly long Col de la Croix de Fer. Both are hors-catégorie climbs that dwarf the summit finish, a relatively punchy 5.7km (7.2%) sun up to the ski resort of Vaujany.
The final day also starts with a tough climb – the category 1 Col de Plainpalais – before a more gentle stretch and then the category 1 Col de la Colombière. This time the summit finish is a beast at 11.3km at 9.2% up to the Plateau de Solaison, where Jakob Fuglsang dramatically turned the tables on Richie Porte on the final day of the 2017 edition.