The most important preparation for the Tour de France has had it's route reveiled today as reported by Le Gruppetto. Once again feature a balanced route that provides opportunities for all kinds of riders in the Critérium du Dauphiné .
This year the race is set to run from the 5th to 12th of June for 8 days of top-level racing. It starts off with a couple of hilly stages as had been the habit in the last few years, stages that are very open and can have several different scenarios lead up to a win. On stage 3 the race has it's first summit finish, albeit not a complicated one, where the puncheurs can certainly fit in the fight for the win, before a 31.9 kilometer long time-trial in La Bâtie d'Urfé, which should make significant differentes in the overall classification before the mountains.
In the second half of the race we find the two stages that are suited to the sprinters with finale in Chantré and Gap, although none are perfectly flat, and in the final two days of the race the big differences will be made. On stage 7 the peloton will start the day off going over the Col du Galibier via Lautaret, followed by the Col de la Croix de Fer and a summit finish at the Vaujany ski station in a day with only 135 kilometers on the menu.
In the final day, everything will be decided in the Plateau de Solaison, just as it was in 2017 when Jakob Fuglsang conquered the overall classification with a memorable raid in the final day. It is too early to know which riders will be at the start but as is the case every year a peloton packed with world-class riders is expected, as they look to get some racing kilometers in the legs before what is the main goal of the season for many.
Stage 1: La Voult-Sur-Rhône - Beauchastel, 191.8Km
Stage 2: Saint-Péray - Brives-Charensac, 169.8Km
Stage 3: Saint-Paulien - Chastreix-Sancy, 164Km
Stage 4: Montbrison - La Batie D'Urfé, 31.9Km
Stage 5: Thizy-Les-Bourgs - Chaintré, 162.3Km
Stage 6: Rives - Gap, 196.4Km
Stage 7 Saint-Chaffrey - Vaujany, 134.8Km
Stage 8: Saint-Alban-Leysse - Plateau de Solaison, 139.2Km