Criterium du Dauphine announces hilly opening stage of 2025 edition

The route for the opening stage of the 2025 Criterium du Dauphine has been announced, with a challenging ride from Domérat to Montluçon kicking off the main Tour de France warm up race. The Dauphine is often a brilliant indicator of which riders in teams are best prepared for the Tour in July, and the details of the opening stage were confirmed earlier today by the race organiser, ASO.

Set to take place from Sunday, June 8th, to Sunday, June 15th, the 2025 edition of the Dauphiné will begin with a stage tailor-made for riders who excel on rolling terrain and hilly profiles. Last year, the first stage was claimed by Mads Pedersen, while Primoz Roglic ultimately secured the overall title, fending off a spirited challenge from Matteo Jorgenson to hang on for the overall win on the final day.

The 2025 opening stage spans 189.2 kilometres and offers a mix of flat and hilly sections. The first half of the route is predominantly flat, providing an opportunity for the peloton to settle in. However, the real test begins in the latter half, where riders will face a series of undulating challenges, and the second half of the race includes seven categorized climbs, all ranked as fourth category.

The stage concludes with the Côte de Buffon, a short but steep ascent of 0.6 kilometres at an average gradient of 8.6%. From the summit, the riders will have just 4.5 kilometres remaining to the finish line in Montluçon, ensuring an explosive start to the Dauphiné.

Roglic won two stages on his way to overall victory last year, and Jonas Vingegaard was unbeatable in 2024. It’s actually a rare stage race that Tadej Pogacar has not won, and it remains to be seen whether he will use the famous race in his preparations for his Tour de France defence next season, where he will try and win his fourth yellow jersey.