Male Team 09 - 16 Jun
Critérium du Dauphiné
1201 Kilometers 8 Stages
The Critérium du Dauphiné presents in 2019 a route quite similar to previous years’. Two rolling stages, two flat courses for sprinters, a demanding individual time trial and three big mountain days, two of them with short distances, make for a challenging ‘mini-Tour’ in the Alps, the first of three paths the biggest names in the sport can follow towards next July’s Grande Boucle.
Five rated climbs, including Roquenatou (Cat-2) with 18km from the finish in Jussac -st. 1, Sunday 9th-, and another seven climbs towards Saint-Victor-sur-Arlanc (Cat-2), at an identical 18km from Craponne-sur-Arzon -st. 2, Monday 10th-, will filter the group out before the crucial ITT in Roanne (26km, Wednesday 12th), which will include the climb of Saint-André-d’Apchon halfway through the course.
The second, final weekend of racing will bring the real mountains. On Friday 14th, the Col de Beaune (Cat-2) will be followed by a short, fast descent into Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne, after 229km and seven other categorized climbs. Saturday 15th’s stage seven will be the Queen one, over Épine (Cat-1), Granier (Cat-1), Marcieu (Cat-1) and Pipay (HC) with no long flat sections in between. Finally, seven ascents -shorter, yet steeper- in just 113km will decide the race on Sunday 16th, with Rives (Cat-1) and Champéry (Cat-3) as ‘dessert’.