Critérium du Dauphiné route revealed with five defining uphill finishes

Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme revealed the route of the 2024 Critérium du Dauphiné on Thursday in Lyon, with five uphill finishes sure to delight fans who are looking forward to a showdown between the best climbers in the world.

Of the main favourites for the Tour de France only Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) will not be present at the Dauphiné, with Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike), Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) and Primož Roglič (Bora-Hansgrohe) all set to begin the race in the town of Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule on 2 June.

For the defending champion Vingegaard, the route will leave him confident of finding success at the Dauphiné for the third year in succession, after he finished runner-up behind then-teammate Roglič in 2022.

Beginning in the department of Allier for the first time in its 77-year history, the 2024 Dauphiné is eight stages long, consisting of five uphill finishes, two sprint finishes and one 34.4km individual time trial.

It will likely be a sprinter who will take the race’s first yellow jersey, with a flat 174.8km-long opening stage beginning and ending in Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule, but then the puncheurs and GC riders will come to the fore before another sprint finish on stage 5. Between the start of stage 6 in Hauterives and the finish atop Plateau des Glières to close the race, the battle for the overall victory will be decided in the mountains.

Challenging the likes of Vingegaard, Roglič and Evenepoel, race organisers ASO speculate that Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe) Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Tao Geoghegan Hart (Lidl-Trek) could all be lining up at this year’s race. The full list of teams was revealed a couple of weeks ago, with Q36.5 Pro Cycling and Uno-X Mobility handed wildcard invites from the ASO.

Read more: Uno-X Mobility and TotalEnergies return to 2024 Tour de France as wildcards

Where the 2024 Critérium du Dauphiné will be won: unpacking five uphill finishes

As the last major week-long stage race before the Tour de France, the Critérium du Dauphiné always attracts one of the best startlists of the year, features riders nearing top form, and consists of a tough route put on by organisers ASO. This year, however, it seems like the race organisers have taken things up a notch, with a route that spans 1,203.8km and has a whopping five uphill finishes.

Read more: Tour de France 2024 route revealed

That is not to say the sprinters have been completely forgotten, with stage 1 containing no climbs for the final 130km and almost destined to finish in the race’s first bunch sprint. The same fast men will have their chance once again on stage 5 between Amplepuis and Saint-Priest. There may be four categorised climbs on the route, but none of these are particularly arduous and the kilometre-long finishing straight should tempt a showdown between the sprint trains on the outskirts of Lyon.

The other six stages, however, will have all eyes squarely on the GC contenders, who look set to clash in a battle for the ages in advance of the Tour de France.

The first opportunity for the contenders to land blows on one another will come on stage 2 to Col de la Loge, which is the shortest non-time trial stage of the race at 142km, but packs in 25km of climbing to end this brutal test. Leading to the summit of the Col de la Loge will be the Côte de Saint-Georges-en-Couzan (7km at 5.8%) and the Col de la Croix Ladret (3,1km at 6.1%), making this second day one of the toughest of the race.

A battle between the puncheurs and climbers should ensue once again on stage 3 between Celles-sur-Durolle and Les Estables, which is the longest of the stages that finish uphill. The 181.2km-long stage begins in the Puy de Dôme department, but will not venture up the iconic climb, instead heading for the cat-3 finish atop Les Estables (3.8km at 5.2%).

Any time gaps between the contenders at this point in the race will be exacerbated in the stage 4 individual time trial, which is pretty much pan-flat between Saint-Germain-Laval and Neulise.

Read more: Remco Evenepoel unveils Tour de France focused race programme

After the stage 5 sprint finish, the finale of the 2024 Critérium du Dauphiné will come in three successive uphill finishes in the Alps, beginning with the summit finish atop Le Collet d’Allevard. The Col du Granier (8.9km at 5.4%) will provide a prelude midway through stage 6, but the fireworks should arrive on the hors catégorie summit finish, which stands at 8.1% for 11.1km.

© ASO

Profile of stage 7 of the 2024 Critérium du Dauphiné

The penultimate stage will also finish atop a hors-catégorie climb, but will be preceded by four category-1 climbs in the Haute-Savoie department. Finishing up the Montée de Samoëns 1600 (10km at 9.3%), stage 7 will also include the Col de Saisies (9.4km at 6.6%), the Col des Aravis (6.9km at 6.9%), the Col de la Colombière (11.6km at 5.8%) and the Côte d’Araches (6.1km at 7.1%).

To end one of the toughest editions of the Critérium du Dauphiné in history, stage 8 between Thônes and Plateau des Glières will contain four categorised climbs, the last of which stretches for 9.4km at 7.1%. The Plateau des Glières was also tackled in stage 10 of the 2018 Tour de France - remembered for featuring a gnarly stretch of gravel. However, the Dauphiné will tackle the climb from the same side as the 2013 Tour de l’Avenir, which saw Julian Alaphilippe rise triumphant at its summit.

© ASO

Profile of stage 8 of the 2024 Critérium du Dauphiné

Between Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule on 2 June and Plateau des Glières on 9 June, ASO has organised a route that promises some of the best racing of the year.

Read more: Tour de France 2024: Analysing the contenders

Visit our Tour de France home page for all the latest news, including full details and analysis of the 2024 route.