The favorites for the Tour will face off in the Critérium du Dauphiné 2024

Great participation in this 2024 edition of the Critérium du Dauphiné, which takes place between June 2 and 9, one of the usual preludes, with the permission of the Tour de Suisse and the Tour of Slovenia, for those seeking victory in the Tour de France. Only the absence of Jonas Vingegaard, still recovering from his fall but already back to training; and Tadej Pogacar, who will avoid the competition and focus on recovering and training until the Tour, stand out in this edition of the French race.

The Critérium du Dauphiné 2024 announces that the Tour is approaching

After the Giro d'Italia, we have barely had a week of relaxation in cycling activity. This very Sunday, June 2, the Critérium du Dauphiné begins, a race that usually serves to give the final touches to the preparation of those who will compete in the Tour de France a month later.

A race that has traditionally been a mandatory stop for those aspiring to the yellow jersey of the Tour, although in recent years it has ceded part of its prominence to races like the Tour de Suisse or the Tour of Slovenia. However, this 2024 edition of the Critérium du Dauphiné becomes a true Tour rehearsal not only because of its demanding route but also because of the level of participation that will be present at the start in Saint Pourçain sur Sioule.

Favorites to win the Critérium du Dauphiné 2024

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Although many of the line-ups of the teams participating in the Critérium du Dauphiné 2024 are still to be finalized, the calendars of many of the world's cycling references pass through the French race this season.

This is the case of Soudal-QuickStep who presents their luxury team with Remco Evenepoel ready to show that he is capable of overcoming high mountains, his pending subject if he wants to attack the Tour de France with full guarantees. The Belgian will have the invaluable support of Mikel Landa who, in his new role as a luxury domestique, without the pressure of leadership, has regained the freshness with which he amazed us not long ago.

Another team that sends a squad very similar to what we will see in the Tour de France is INEOS Grenadiers with Carlos Rodríguez as leader who returns to competition after winning the Tour de Romandie. After the break and the usual altitude training camps in May, the rider from Sexi seeks to confirm that form and strengthen his confidence for July.

If we talk about contenders to conquer the yellow jersey, it is inevitable to mention Primoz Roglic at the head of a Bora-Hansgrohe, in one of the last races before they start wearing the Red Bull colors, which is truly intimidating. In the Critérium du Dauphiné, they will have a large part of their artillery including cyclists of the caliber of Jai Hindley or Aleksandr Vlasov.

The line-up of Visma-Lease a Bike is also noteworthy. For the Dutch team, this Critérium du Dauphiné becomes a kind of experiment in case Jonas Vingegaard does not fully recover for the Tour or, in the event that he does, fails and a plan B is needed. In this race, the leadership of Visma-Lease a Bike will be shared between Matteo Jorgenson and Sepp Kuss who must demonstrate that they are capable of taking over in the Grande Boucle if necessary.

Finally, we cannot forget to mention the UAE Team Emirates where, obviously, Tadej Pogacar will not be present, as he will not compete until the Tour de France to allow time for recovery after the Giro d'Italia. In his place, the leadership passes to Juan Ayuso who, despite his youth, must be prepared to take over in case the Slovenian does not achieve the desired performance in the Tour.

Route of the Critérium du Dauphiné 2024

8 stages spread between the rugged terrain of the Massif Central and the Alps make up the Critérium du Dauphiné 2024, which takes place from Sunday, June 2 to Sunday, June 9.

The race begins with a completely flat stage that serves as a kind of warm-up before a second medium mountain stage where the first uphill finish takes place, in Col de la Loge, reached after linking two climbs where the last 20 kilometers are almost all uphill, which should start to clarify the general classification even without major differences. A similar profile to the third stage that ends at Cote Les Estables, this climb much more gradual than the previous day and offers a day that seems appropriate for the victory of a high-level breakaway.

However, the contenders for victory in the Critérium du Dauphiné 2024 will have their first test in the third stage in the form of an individual time trial with a respectable 34.4 kilometers that will surely condition the script of the following days.

After that, a day that should be a transition in terms of the general classification with a hilly route full of small climbs. On the other hand, the sixth stage is flat until its final 40 kilometers where the climbs to Col de Granier and the finish at Le Collet d'Allevard will be linked, the latter being of significant difficulty and where, for sure, the general classification riders will be protagonists.

Just a warm-up for the two final high mountain stages where the race should be clarified. The 7th stage will link Albertville with the ski resort of Samoens 1600 with the Col de Saisies, the Cote d'Araches, and the tough Col de la Ramaz in between. As a dessert, a mountainous finish with the beautiful Plateau des Glieres as the backdrop.

How to watch the Critérium du Dauphiné 2024

Eurosport will cover the Critérium du Dauphiné race, which they will broadcast daily from 3:00 PM to approximately 5:00 PM. The broadcast is conditioned by the dispute of Roland Garros, one of the key events for the sports channel, so the only option will be to resort to their digital platform.