Stages & Profiles Tour Auvergne - Rhône Alpes 2026: 4000 meters of climbing in 120 kilometers on the queen stage

The Tour Auverge - Rhône Alpes, formerly known as the Criterium du Dauphiné, is taking place from the 7th to 14th June 2026. The French race is highly praised as the Tour de France's most important preparation race, and one of the big World Tour events of the year. Here is when and where to watch the race live and on TV, including in the USA and UK.

Jacques Anquetil, Raymong Pouldor, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Thévenet, Bernanrd Hinault, Greg Lemond and Lance Armstrong are amongst the many names who have raised their arms in the past on the 'Dauphiné'. In recent history the race has lost no prestige, maintaining its reputation as riders such as Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome, Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar have all won it ahead of the Tour.

It is a mountainous race and this year perhaps more than any other recent edition. The opening stage, right away, can be decisive for the overall classification; whilst the final two days will rival most of the Tour's own mountain stages. There will be two opportunities for the sprinters, although they are both hilly days that will be hard to control; and a hilly team time trial that will serve as specific preparation for the opening day of the Tour.

The race starts off with a short but very explosive stage. 146 kilometers on the menu and 3200 meters of climbing - however it is a high-mountain stage, which could be placed anywhere in the race and it could detonate the overall classification.

The organizers plan for absolute chaos from the start, with the race starting off with a long, uncategorized climb into an intermediate sprint. Throughout the stage there are several steep ascents, and the action should truly begin with 52 kilometers to go, with a 2.4 kilometers climb that averages over 10%. Right after, another 5 kilometers at 6%...

After a short descent the riders will go into the Côte de Rousset which is 8.3 kilometers long at 7.5% and summits with 21 kilometers to go. The climb should see the main GC guys go head to had, as what follows is a descent and later on only 7 flat kilometers.

The final ones still tilt uphill quite a bit, which mean that even if we do see some sort of sprint, it could be interesting and it could lead to gaps at the finish line.

The second stage of the race is hellish to control, as the riders head deep into the Massif Central. The stage is very long, and not very well suited to any particular kind of rider. There are 233 kilometers on the menu and a whole 3700 meters of climbing, although the riders don't have a single very difficult ascent.

But the hardest is right at the start with 7.9 kilometers at 6.2%. Two categorized climbs early on mean that there should be a strong breakaway, and on the rolling terrain that will be faced all day long, it will be very difficult to control the race.

Amongst the climbs is a 21-kilometer long one that averages 4% and has a KOM sprint halfway through it. It ends with around 100 kilometers to go, and if the race is controlled at that point, then it's possible that later on some teams could try and control the race into a sprint.

But the riders still have two more categorized climbs late in the day - one of them 4.2 kilometers long at 6.6% (31Km to go) and the final one 2 kilometers at 6.8% (12Km to go). Both climbs are launchpads for attacks that can split the race; whilst inbetween there are several rolling roads in which attacks can also come, and chasing will always be hard.

The riders descent into Le Puy-en-Velay and there the finale is flat, but it is technical and there is very little time to actually chase down the attacks that can potentially anticipate the peloton's arrival into town.

The riders do not have an individual time trial this time around in Auvergne, however they have a team time trial in anticipation to the Tour's Barcelona opener. But in the race's traditional fashion, there are no flat roads.

It is maybe the hardest team time trial I've ever seen, with 28 kilometers and 400 meters of climbing. There is one climb that is 4.9 kilometers long at 3.5%; and a second one which is 4.3 kilometers long at around 3%. They are not serious climbs, but they do some damage, specially on such a high-intensity effort.

Pacing is absolutely crucial, because teams will have to decide on whether to take the climbs hard and gain time but then risk losing on the downhill sections; or to take it easier and then really push in the final half of the TTT.

It's a very hard one to measure. But the riders don't find a simple finale either, as the final 800 meters average 6% and will mean that the riders will mostly arrive isolated.

The fourth day of the race is not as long as stage 2, but the type of racing will not be too different. The riders have a flat finale in Montrond-les-Bains however the first two thirds of the stage will have plenty climbs and will be quite difficult to control.

The stage opens up right away with a combination of rolling climbs that will be beneficial to the formation of a strong breakaway. After 60 kilometers of racing begins a sequence of no less than five categorized climbs.

It is a hard stage, it can end in a sprint but in any regular scenario there's no-one that will want to work hard all throughout this terrain. The hardest climb is 7.8 kilometers at 5.5% whilst the uphill terrain ends finally with 50 kilometers to go.

There is a long descent and the last 35 kilometers are flat, without any obstacle. Hence, there is terrain to organize a chase and push on. If a bunch sprint is to happen throughout this race, then this might just be the most likely stage for it to happen.

The second potential sprint stage of the race is stage 5, starting in Saint-Chamond and finishing in Villars-les-Dombes. The riders head back out of the Massif Central, but not without more climbing.

Once again it is a very difficult stage start, with two categorized climbs within only 7 kilometers. The first 90 kilometers of the stage barely have a single flat meter, with plenty climbs and descents back-to-back making it a very difficult affair.

It's possible to control the stage throughout, however the second half is flat, where there isn't really room to surprise. The riders head north and then eastwards towards a finale that is rather simple, without a single technical feature to note in the final kilometers.

The sixth stage of the race has a flat start and will have a hilly finale. A day for the GC riders, however for a breakaway to escape will be difficult taking into consideration that this time around there is no climbing to do so.

With 98 kilometers of racing there is a 'warm-up' climb with 8.1 kilometers at 5.6%; but the riders then take on another long valley deep into the Alps, through Albertville. In Ugine, they then begin the final sequence of climbs.

The first one is 11.6 kilometers long at 4.9%, where big attacks won't happen but teams have the opportunity to do some damage in the peloton. The climb ends with 9 kilometers to go, but above all there will be a leadout battle at the top to take on the short, yet quite steep and technical climb.

That is because the entrance into the climb to Crest-Voland is also steep and attacks can happen right from the very first meters. 5.9 kilometers at 7.4% is a climb that will be ridden quite quickly and the riders come off a descent and with explosivity in their legs.

If it doesn't blow up right away then there should be a climb without too many differences, however definitely as an opportunity for the GC battle to light up. In general however, the stage may still be a slight warm-up towards the final weekend of racing.

The final weekend of the race features two queen stages, each of them very short but extremely difficult. The first of which happens within the Jura mountain range, with seven climbs to be tackled - not all of them categorized.

Right from kilometer 0 the riders climb, firstly 5.1 kilometers at 5.9%. Descent, then 2.9 kilometers at 4.2%. Descent again, then 7.7 kilometers at around 6%... In these three climbs a lot can happen, as teams can set up satellite riders up front; but the stage hunters will also be looking to form a strong breakaway.

The riders have the very difficult first ascent to Grand Colombier early on, although it will only be a small section of the climb - 7.1 kilometers at 8.4%, ending with 57.5 kilometers to go.

The riders then head north and go around the mountain to climb the Col de Richemond, 7.7 kilometers at 6.1% - this one ending with 22.5 kilometers to go.

Then to end the stage a second ascent to Grand Colombier, through it's hardest side. This is a climb that is brutal in every sense of the word, and could be the queen stage in any Grand Tour.

The final climb is 8.5 kilometers long and averages 10%. Even more importantly, the first half is the hardest, averaging 12% and having a few ramps that reach much closer to 20%. The GC would, by most race's standards, be closed off here. But the following day sees an even harder stage.

The actual queen stage of the Tour Auvergne - Rhône Alpes has an eye-watering 4000 meters of climbing in a mere 120 kilometers. This is a day where there is just no warming up, there are brutal climbs from kilometer 0, and a summit finish where the GC can also be turned on its head.

The stage starts off with the Col du Pré, 10 kilometers long... The final 7 of which average almost 10%, which can destroy the race completely only a few minutes in - with the climbing also being quite explosive with its many switchbacks.

The second climb is the Montée de Bisanne, which is 11.5 kilometers long at 8.9%, finishing with only 43 kilometers of racing. Two colossal mountain passes within just a few kilometers, but the action is very far from over.

A third categorized ascent will be the Col des Aravis, not as difficult - 7 kilometers at 6.9% - however with a very notable landscape around. The riders then finally get to have a long descent into the final climb, getting some rest before the final big effort to the line.

The ascent to Plateau de Solaison is not new to the race, and will be used at the Tour de France. The Auvergne organizers decided to use it also in its own race, ending it at the summit just as they did back in 2017.

The climb is 11.5 kilometers long at 8.9%, another huge effort and a climb that is very steep right from the base. The differences can be massive and the race can be decided at any point of the stage really.