Criterium du Dauphine (2.UWT), 3-10 June

[dick the quick]

Still no dedicated thread for the Dauphine, if I am not mistaken, and the race begins tomorrow.

So I take the liberty to start discussion.

Route:
Pretty much the same race design as over some previous years, following the well-known sequence: short ITT => two hilly stages => a mid-race time trial (TTT this time) => four MTF stages (most of them short ones) loaded with mountains.

Stage profiles:

P: Valence => Valence (flat ITT 6,6 km)

1: Valence => Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert (hilly, 179 km)

2: Montbrison => Belleville (hilly, 181 km)

3: Pont-de-Vaux => Louhans-Chateaurenard (flat TTT, 35 km)

4: Chazey-sur-Ain => Lans-en-Vercors (mountain, MTF, 181 km)

5: Grenoble => Valmorel (single mountain, MTF, 130 km)

6: Frontenex => La Rosiere Espace San Bernardo (mountain, MTF 110 km)

7: Moutiers -> Saint-Gervais-les-Bains (Le Bettex – Mont Blanc) (mountain, MTF, 136 km)

Full startlist:
https://www.criterium-du-dauphine.fr/en/riders

Teams and key riders:
Ag2R (Bardet, Gallopin, Latour, Vuillermoz)
Astana (Bilbao)
Bahrain (Nibali)
BMC (Caruso, Teuns)
Bora (Buchmann, McCarthy)
Cofidis (Herrada x2)
Dimension Data (Boasson Hagen, Cummings)
EF (Rolland)
Fortuneo (Barguil)
Groupama-FdJ
Katusha (Zakarin)
Lotto-Jumbo
Lotto-Soudal (Benoot, de Gendt)
Mitchelton (A. Yates)
Movistar (Soler)
Quickstep (Jungels, Alaphilippe)
Sky (Thomas, Kwiatkowski, Moscon)
Sunweb
Trek (Brambilla)
UAE (D. Martin)
Vital Concept
Wanty (G. Martin)

Overall impression is that this years TdS takes a deserved revenge on CdD in terms of startlist quality, but even if it is true - you can’t really complain.

 

[Juan Pelota]

This route is insane. 4 mtn top finishes back to back. Have we ever had anything like this in the Dauphine? I believe that TDF only has 3 mtn finishes this year..

 

[Jspear]

Yeah I hadn’t even paid attention to the route. Not a single sprinter stage...kinda cool. Climbers with weaker TTT teams could easily make the time up in the mountains if they really want to....

 

[PremierAndrew]

I wish Bernal was here on those MTFs. Would be a nice early indicator in his career of his recovery

 

[Flamin]

When u23 races are longer than the pro's

 

[Gigs_98]

Re: Critritum du Dauphine (2.UWT), 3-10 June

The dauphine has always been pretty good for the last few years but I just hate that the ASO doesn't care about this race itself and makes it all about the Tour de France already. You have a crucial TTT in the tour, you have one here too; You don't want to get tired in a preparation race, so the last three mountain stages are all ridiculously short; You plan to make a recon ride for stage 11 in the tour? You can just do it here as we have the exact same stage in the dauphine route too.
Even the innovative stages in the dauphine are usually just there to test climbs for future tdf editions. This all robs the dauphine it's character and makes it less of a race than a tdf training camp with an official winner

 

[RedheadDane]

Re: Critritum du Dauphine (2.UWT), 3-10 June

The dauphine has always been pretty good for the last few years but I just hate that the ASO doesn't care about this race itself and makes it all about the Tour de France already. You have a crucial TTT in the tour, you have one here too; You don't want to get tired in a preparation race, so the last three mountain stages are all ridiculously short; You plan to make a recon ride for stage 11 in the tour? You can just do it here as we have the exact same stage in the dauphine route too.
Even the innovative stages in the dauphine are usually just there to test climbs for future tdf editions. This all robs the dauphine it's character and makes it less of a race than a tdf training camp with an official winner

This year that shouldn't even be an issue, what with the longer time between CdD and TdF this year?

 

[hazaran]

Re: Critritum du Dauphine (2.UWT), 3-10 June

This year that shouldn't even be an issue, what with the longer time between CdD and TdF this year?

Isn't that exactly the problem? The Tour is more than a month away so if you're flying here you have a pretty big issue on your hands. That's presumably also why the startlist is bad compared to Suisse, with the latter now being in the traditional CdD slot compared to the Tour.

 

[Laplaz]

Perfect route for Ilnur (apart from the TTT) with 4 MTF. I could see him winning this.
Dark horses: Caruso and Soler.

 

[Cance > TheRest]

When does the broadcasting start on the mountain stages? I'm asking because I wouldn't want to miss out on tv pictures when they pass Cormet de Roselend via Col du Pré. Great climb, it is.

 

[DNP-Old]

Awful course.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re:

When does the broadcasting start on the mountain stages? I'm asking because I wouldn't want to miss out on tv pictures when they pass Cormet de Roselend via Col du Pré. Great climb, it is.

Pretty late, only just something like 1 hour and 35 minutes as far as I can tell.

I don't like the route either and the startlist is quite bad. Not feeling the hype for this race this year.

 

[Poursuivant]

Bardet will win this.

 

[The Barb]

Geraint Thomas the clear top pick for me.

 

[Bot. Sky_Bot]

Yes, excellent route, with TTT. Thomas vs. Kwiatek vs. Nibali.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

The TTT would simply have killed the GC race if Froome (or Bernal) was leading Sky, but Thomas or Kwiatkowski can at least in theory be toppled if someone else is super strong on the climbs. I’m not sure how likely it is that anyone will be super strong though, given the gap to the Tour.

 

[Squire]

Geraint Thomas the clear top pick for me.

I agree, provided he brings his A game. The climbs are generally very Thomas-friendly too: Long and gradual.

 

[Laplaz]

Can't see G. Thomas winning this with 4 MTF honestly...
P.S.: Bohli to win the prologue tomorrow.

 

[deValtos]

Why am I not that excited for this? :Neutral:

Has to be the startlist I guess.

 

[movingtarget]

Why am I not that excited for this? :Neutral:

Has to be the startlist I guess.

Yeah but the racing should still be good.

 

[Jungle Cycle]

i guess it should be interesting to see;
does this AG2R can keep up with a+b sky, bmc and bahrain in the ttt?
does this sky and thomas can hold an advantage 4 days in the mtn?
does a bmc looking for contracts can take a possible leader until the 1st mtn? or qs?
witch Martin, Yates, Zaka and Nibali will show up in the mtn?
final sprint with b+c sprinters is always fun..
i`m interest..

 

[The Hegelian]

In my head this is the premier week long stage race, or at least, the one I would most want on my palmares. But this year is definitely different - and it's probably for the best because Tour de Suisse definitely needed a boost. Was getting really b grade.

Still a decent field for the Dauphine. I'm kind of interested in how Jungels will go. Podium: Bardet, Nibali & Thomas, not sure which order.

 

[Robert5091]

The extra week to TdF has really changed CdD - expect guys trying to get on their teams for TdF to go 100% otherwise GC contenders for TdF will treat it as a training stint.
(Oh, and De Gendt to be in the breakaway )

 

[Robert5091]

Weather forecast is a cloudy 25C with a 50% chance of showers. First man down the ramp at 12.08 CET.

 

[Robert5091]