Critérium du Dauphiné

Critérium du Dauphiné 2025: Key Details
Dates | 8-15 June 2024 |
Total distance | 1,201.9km |
Stages | 8 |
Start | Domérat |
Finish | Plateau du Mont-Cenis |
UCI ranking | WorldTour |
Edition | 77th |
Total climbing | 174.3km |
2024 winner | Primož Roglič (Bora-Hansgrohe) |
Leader's jersey colour | Yellow |
TV coverage (UK) | Eurosport/discovery+ |
TV coverage (US) | TBC |
Critérium du Dauphiné 2025 is the 77th edition of the race, and is being held between June 8 and June 15. Its mountainous terrain and spot in the calendar, just three weeks before the start of the Tour de France, makes it a favourite warm-up race for the major GC contenders.
The race was created in 1947 by the newspaper Le Dauphiné Libéré, and was known as the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré until 2010, when it came under the control of Tour de France organisers ASO.
Despite its status as one of the key warmup races for the Tour, relatively few riders have won both races in the same year. Chris Froome won both three times, in 2013, 2015, 2016, while Bernard Hinault did the double in 1979 and 1981. Most recently, Jonas Vingegaard won both races in 2023.
Taking place in the Rhône-Alps region in the southeast of France, the eight-day stage race favours climbers, and tends to feature a number of Tour de France climbs including Mont Ventoux and the Col du Galibier. This year the Col de la Madeleine on Stage 7 is the most infamous, with the majority of the toughest climbs packed into that penultimate stage.
Home favourite Romain Bardet is set to retire from road racing at the end of the Dauphiné, so expect some gutsy performances from the veteran Frenchman, while the entire 2024 Tour de France podium - Tadej Pogačar, Jonas Vingegaard, and Remco Evenepoel - are on the provisional start list.
Critérium du Dauphiné 2025: The route
This year the race will begin with a 189km stage from Domérat to Montluçon, in the Allier department, with a bunch sprint likely but some late climbs offering a potential springboard for a puncheur to take the yellow jersey.
Stages 2 and 3 - the latter beginning in Romain Bardet's home town of Brioude - are firmly in puncheur territory, with category 3 and 4 climbs aplenty as well as the odd cat 2. Stage 4 is a zippy 17.7km time trial with a large bump in the middle of the parcours to liven things up and potentially cause problems for the TT specialists.
The hills return on Stage 5, the last possible outing for the sprinters, while Stage 6 is where things start to get serious, with the first Cat 1 climb - the Côte de Mont-Saxonneux - 40km or so from the uphill finish at the Combloux ski resort. From there, it's into the major mountains and the real GC showdown.
The riders will tackle three HC climbs and 4,700m of elevation gain on Stage 7: the 2000m Col de la Madeleine straight out of the gate, the Col de la Croix Fer at the halfway mark, with a summit finish at Valmeinier 1800 to finish.
The final stage is comparatively gentler, with six climbs but only two Cat 1s, including one - the Col du Mont-Cenis - shortly before the finish line at the Plateau du Mont-Cenis.
Critérium du Dauphiné 2025: Stage-by-stage
Stage | Day | Start | Finish | Distance | Terrain |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 8 June | Domérat | Montluçon | 189.2km | Hilly |
2 | 9 June | Prémilhat | Issoire | 204.6km | Hilly |
3 | 10 June | Brioude | Charantonnay | 202.8km | Hilly |
4 | 11 June | Charmes-sur-Rhône | Saint-Péray | 17.7km | ITT |
5 | 12 June | Saint-Priest | Mâcon | 182.6km | Hilly |
6 | 13 June | Valserhône | Combloux | 139.1km | Hilly |
7 | 14 June | Grand-Algueblanche | Valmeinier 1800 | 132.1km | Mountains |
8 | 15 June | Val-d'Arc | Plateau du Mont-Cenis | 133.8km | Mountains |
Critérium du Dauphiné: The jerseys
Like at other ASO-run races including the Tour de France, the leader of the race - the rider with the lowest overall time - wears a yellow jersey, the best young rider (aged 25 or under) wears a white jersey, and the points leader (collecting points from sprints) wears a green jersey. The King of the Mountains (rider with the most points over classified climbs) wears a dark blue jersey with white polka-dots, a similar design to that at the Tour de France but with different colours.
Critérium du Dauphiné: Past winners
2024: Primož Roglič (Slo) Bora-Hansgrohe
2023: Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Jumbo-Visma
2022: Primož Roglič (Slo) Jumbo-Visma
2021: Richie Porte (Aus) Ineos Grenadiers
2020: Daniel Martínez (Col) EF Pro Cycling
2019: Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana
2018: Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky
2017: Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana
2016: Chris Froome (GBr) Team Sky
2015: Chris Froome (GBr) Team Sky
2014: Andrew Talansky (USA) Garmin-Sharp
2013: Chris Froome (GBr) Team Sky
2012: Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Team Sky
2011: Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Team Sky
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Tadej Pogačar takes yellow jersey at Critérium du Dauphiné with solo victory on stage 6
World champion drops Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel on first summit finish
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Remco Evenepoel wore a new cutaway visor in the Critérium du Dauphiné time trial - here's the simple reason why
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Remco Evenepoel flies to time trial victory on stage 4 of Critérium du Dauphiné, takes over race lead
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Critérium du Dauphiné stage 4 time trial start times
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Iván Romeo powers to first WorldTour victory and race lead on stage three of the Critérium du Dauphiné
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Jonathan Milan outsprints Fred Wright and Mathieu van der Poel to win stage two of the Critérium du Dauphiné
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How to watch the Critérium du Dauphiné 2025: Everything you need to live stream this Tour de France warm-up race
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Tadej Pogačar, Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel set to clash across mountainous week - everything you need to know about the Critérium du Dauphiné
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Jonas Vingegaard confirms race schedule ahead of Tour de France
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Primož Roglič seals the overall victory at the Critérium du Dauphiné after late scare on the Plateau des Glières
Carlos Rodríguez wins the final stage of the race with an attack on the climb to Plateau des Glières
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Remco Evenepoel struggles for form in the mountains as Primož Roglič affirms Tour de France favourite status
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Primož Roglič victorious in brutal Critérium du Dauphiné queen stage
Bora-Hansgrohe leader sprints to win atop Samoëns 1600 ahead of Matteo Jorgensen and Giulio Ciccone
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Primož Roglič blitzes his rivals to win stage six of Critérium du Dauphiné and take over the race lead
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'A good sign towards the Tour de France': Remco Evenepoel takes time trial victory at Critérium du Dauphiné
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Trek keep the guessing game going with 'Madone/Émonda' at Critérium du Dauphiné
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'It was a nice first day, but definitely took a bit out of the legs' - Mark Donavan on his day out in the breakaway at the Critérium du Dauphiné
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Mads Pedersen sprints to victory on stage 1 of the Critérium du Dauphiné
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From doubts to a first pro win: Mikkel Bjerg takes stage four and yellow jersey at Critérium du Dauphiné
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Christophe Laporte doubles up at Critérium du Dauphiné with 'unexpected' stage three win
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‘I surprised myself’ - Julian Alaphilippe back to winning ways on stage two of Critérium du Dauphiné
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After 'fighting with the best guys', Ben O'Connor is proud of his Critérium du Dauphiné podium
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Jonas Vingegaard wins stage eight of the Critérium du Dauphiné as Roglič triumphs on GC
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Carlos Verona holds off Primož Roglič to win stage seven of the Critérium du Dauphiné
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A 'dangerous mistake' — Juan Sebastián Molano disqualified from Critérium du Dauphiné for hitting Hugo Page
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