The route of the Critérium du Dauphiné 2024 unveiled in Lyon on Thursday obeys principles that are now well anchored. An increase in power throughout the week, from June 2 to 9, which will leave some opportunities for sprinters, adventurers and punchers, an individual time trial in the middle of the course which will draw an initial hierarchy among the favorites and a final explanation, over three days and in the mountains, for climbers and runners in the general classification.
Pogacar absent
Three summit arrivals will await them and should decide the fate of the next Dauphiné: at Collet d’Allevard, at Samoëns 1600, and at the Glières plateau. It will obviously once again also be a rehearsal for the Tour de France (June 29 – July 21).
Only Tadej Pogacar will be missing, who will at that time be recovering from his Tour of Italy (May 4-26). On the French side, David Gaudu, who will once again aim for the Tour general, will be at the start from Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule. If the Breton won a stage on the Dauphiné in 2022, ahead of Wout Van Aert in Chastreix-Sancy, he has never been in contact overall (30th in 2023, 17th in 2022, 9th in 2021 for the last three years) .
1st stage (Sunday June 2): Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule – Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule (174.8 km)
The Critérium du Dauphiné 2024 will start from Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule, in Allier, with a stage which confirms the close relations between the organizers and the vineyards and which will be especially coveted by the sprinters. The latter will still have to survive the more than 2,000 m of positive altitude difference of the day, a few hills scattered at the start of the stage and two laps of the circuit around Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule. We can therefore expect a “complete” sprinter to raise his arms, like Christophe Laporte in 2023, first stage winner and Yellow Jersey.
2nd stage (Monday June 3): Gannat – Col de la Loge (142 km)
The adventurers and the puncheurs will enter the scene during the second stage, which will head towards the Loire, after an incursion into the Puy-de-Dôme, and will accumulate more than 2,500 m of positive altitude along the way. In the finale, the coast of Saint-Georges-en-Couzan (7 km at 5.8%) and the Col de la Croix Ladret (3.1 km at 6.1%) will lead to the finish at the Col de la Lodge, in the Forez mountains.
3rd stage (Tuesday June 4): Celles-sur-Durolle – Les Estables (181.2 km)
The 3rd stage will be aimed at a “public” similar to that of the day before, but on a longer and even more challenging route (nearly 3,000 m of elevation gain), between Puy-de-Dôme and Haute-Loire. Five difficulties are listed, the most severe in the middle of the stage, the coast of Saint-Victor-sur-Arlanc (3.1 km at 9.4%), with an arrival at Les Estables which does not present a frightening average (3 .8 km at 5.2%). A course that would have pleased Julian Alaphilippe, but the double world champion (2020, 2021) will skip the Dauphiné this year since he will be taking part in the Giro.
4th stage (Wednesday June 5): – Saint-Germain-Laval – Neulise (34.4 km, ind. clm.)
The traditional time trial on Wednesday at the Critérium du Dauphiné will take place in the Loire and, like every year, will draw an initial hierarchy among the contenders for final victory. It will also allow Vingegaard, Evenepoel and Roglic to measure themselves before the Tour de France and the final time trial, between Monaco and Nice, over an equivalent distance (34 km), even if the time of the Grande Boucle will be much harder. Last year, Vingegaard achieved the best time of the favorites from Dauphiné, but he did not win the stage, dominated by the Dane from UAE Mikkel Bjerg.
5th stage (Thursday June 6): Amplepuis – Saint-Priest (200.2 km)
The longest stage of the week is promised to the sprinters, who will have a second and final opportunity to shine. There will still be 2,800 m of positive altitude difference and four climbs listed on the program, but the last 20 kilometers before arriving at Saint-Priest, in the Rhône, will not present any difficulties and should allow the sprinter formations to organize for packing.
6th stage (Friday June 7): Hauterives – Le Collet d’Allevard (173.2 km)
The start of the stage will be given in Hauterives in front of the Ideal Palace of Ferdinand Cheval, the “Facteur Cheval”, a masterpiece of naive architecture and art, and it will also be the start of a triptych decisive for this edition. Everything should be decided in the final ascent of Collet d’Allevard, classified out of category (11.1 km at 8.1%). The Isère station has hosted several arrivals from Dauphiné, the last in 2011, when Joaquim Rodriguez won there.
7th stage (Saturday June 8): Albertville – Samoëns 1600 (145.5 km)
The queen stage of this edition, between Savoie and Haute-Savoie, with 4,300 m of positive altitude difference on the program, through the Cols des Saisies (9.4 km at 6.6%), Aravis (6.9 km at 6.9%), Colombière (11.6 km at 5.8%) and the Côte d’Arâches, an impressive wall (6.1 km at 7.1%) that the Tour de France had taken in 2009 between Bourg-Saint-Maurice and Le Grand-Bornand, where Thor Hushovd won. The finish will be unprecedented at Samoëns 1600, another climb classified out of category (10 km at 9.3%) which the locals, according to Christian Prudhomme, the director of the Tour de France, compare to that of the neighboring Joux-Plane, but even more difficult. She could crown the winner of the 2024 Dauphiné.
8th stage (Sunday June 9): Thônes – Plateau des Glières (152.5 km)
The epilogue will take place exclusively in Haute-Savoie, over three climbs classified in the first category. The start of this last stage will be explosive, with almost the Col de la Forclaz de Montmin (7.1 km at 7.3%), followed by the less formidable Col des Esserieux (4.2 km at 5.4%). ), before a little respite until Salève (12.1 km at 6.8%).
The outcome will be played out on the Glières plateau (9.4 km at 7.1%), a mecca of the Resistance that the riders now know well having climbed it twice in the Tour de France but by a different route, in 2018 (Julian Alaphilippe took the lead there before winning the stage at Grand-Bornand) and 2020 (Richard Carapaz in the lead, Michal Kwiatkowski winner at La Roche-sur-Foron).
