Regarded as one of the most crucial races leading up to the Tour de France, the Critérium du Dauphiné holds a prominent position among the main World Tour stage races. Often serving as the final preparation step before the Grand Boucle, it commences on June 5th. Over the course of eight stages, riders will traverse the challenging terrain of the Massif Central, the Rhône Valley, and the Alps.
Although some view the race as preparation, there is a lot of reputation and World Tour points available which will create an interesting battle over the course of over a week.
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Stage 1: La Voulte-sur-Rhône - Beauchastel, 191Km
Stage 2: Saint-Péray - Brives-Charensac, 169Km
The first two stages are very open. Although they may favour the sprinters, there are plenty opportunities where breakaways, late attacks or even some GC riders may try to take advantage of the complicated set of days. Stage 1 into Beauchastel sees a 10.1-kilometer long climb at 4% twice, the final time only 31 kilometers away from the finish. Whilst the second has a very hilly route, with a couple of pinch points inside the final 15 kilometers which may be very well suited for late attacks.
Stage 3: Saint-Paulien - Chastreix-Sancy, 164Km
The third stage into Sancy will be the race's first summit finish. Not a brutal day, but one where the climbers will certainly come to the front, and where some puncheurs may also stand a chance. The summit finish in the Sancy ski resort is 6.1 kilometers long at 5.5% average gradient - however it mellows in the final kilometer.
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Stage 4: Montbrison - La Bâtie d'Urfé, 32Km
Stage 4 is the race's sole individual time-trial, however of sizeable dimensions for a one-week race. The route from Montbrison to La Bâtie d'Urfé is 32 kilometers long and features long and non-technical flat sections. It's a day where the specialists will have their way, whilst the overall classification will be changed quite a lot.
Stage 5: Thizy-les-Bourgs - Chaintré, 162Km
Stage 6: Rives - Gap, 196Km
Stages 5 and 6 provide further opportunities for the sprinters however, as the opening two days, it also features some traps. Stage 5 has a hilly start where a strong breakaway may be formed in the ascents, whilst the last third of the stage also features small climbs with 24.5 and 13.5 kilometers to go that may disrupt the forecasted scenario.
The sixth day of racing will take the riders into the Alps for a finale in Gap. There are some longer ascents on the day which may make the difference. Late on in the day the peloton will descent into Gap, but then ride a small rolling ascent that summits with only 4.5 kilometers to the finish before a very fast run-in to the line.
Stage 7: Saint-Chaffrey - Vaujany, 134Km
Stage 7 is almost an exact replica of the Tour de France's stage 12. It features early on the ascent of the Col du Galibier via Lautaret well into 2600 meters of altitude, rough terrain for every rider. Later on, the race will also tackle the Col de la Croix de Fer, 28.4 kilometers at 5.2% average gradient however it's a climb split into three, where the gradients generally go much higher - including the final seven kilometers where it averages 8%.
After a descent that includes a couple of steep pitches, the riders will climb into Vaujany for the stage finale. An explosive climb, however at the end of such a hard day it will be a small ascent. 5.9 kilometers at 7.1%, the gradients bite quite more however the final kilometer is relatively flat.
Stage 8: Saint-Alban-Leysse - Plateau de Solaison, 139Km
The final day of racing will see the riders head further north into the Alps, for what is sure to be the queen stage of the race. 3700 meters packed in less than 140 kilometers, with several climbs throughout the day. The day starts with a difficult ascent, however they get harder throughout the day.
The final ascent of the day - and the race - will be the Plateau de Solaison. 11.4 kilometers at 8.9% average gradient, it's a very constant ascent which features nasty gradients where big gaps can be created and the race can be turnt on it's head.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- for what?frieders311-11-2026
- Blah blah blah!frieders311-11-2026
- Where Merckx just rode every single race he could and won all the time, Hinault won less often (percentage wise) because he was more judicious in what he raced. His palmares are nuts. He had amazing rivals, one to start his career and another to end it in the grand tours. His classics were solid. What sets him apart from Merckx and Pogačar are that he basically dabbled in the classics while the other two love(d) them. I used to compare Pogačar to Hinault for his grand tour record and occasional classics win, until I realized that the comparison was wrong. Pogačar loves the classics - ah, the memory of his reaction to finishing fourth in a 2 person sprint in Flanders in ‘22: utter domination in any one day race since then, even when he doesn’t win. Hinault lived for the grand tours and I don’t think anyone else will ever reach his record. 10 wins in 13 attempts? Good lord. An amazing rider. Wish there was more footage to watch.RidesHills11-11-2026
- I had no idea about that either.
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
- As he isn't currently with Red Bull, I guess if he want to race for one more year he needs to find a team. He's 37 so this will be his last year I would guess, unless he wants to race for almost nothing like Froome did.awp10-11-2026
- I think some are making much ado about nothing. Even though Jonas is getting older, before his crash in the Tour, he looked like a solid 2nd all the way home. No one can really climb with Tadej until this year, Eric Mas showed himself which I think was a one off year for him and Paul Seixas has been able to be pretty close to him. Whatever stage race Jonas enters as long as Tadej is not there he is a favorite to win.awp10-11-2026
- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
- Ciccone had a very strong end of season. Consistently attacking and livening up races. Hope he makes that last leap in progress and starts notching some significant wins. Great rider to watch.Occam10-11-2026
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