Criterium du Dauphine prologue start times

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After opting for a road stage to open last year’s race, the organisers have reinserted a prologue into proceedings for the 2018 Criterium du Dauphine. It is the only individual test against the clock with a team time trial to come mid-race.

The last Dauphine prologue was a testing uphill course in Les Gets but this year’s effort will be much more to the liking of the time trial specialists. It is just 6.6 kilometres around Valence and nigh on pan flat, giving some of the stronger sprinters an opportunity to get amongst the specialists.

With the Tour de France a further two weeks away than usual, the field is more muted than in most years but there are still plenty of riders to keep an eye on over this short course. British time trial champion Stephen Cummings is the first time triallist off at 12:11 CET. It’s hard to know what sort of Cummings will rock up at a race but he’s got something to prove ahead of the Tour de France and he may well do it here.

Ilnur Zakarin is an early runner and will be the first of the general classification riders to set down a marker when he rolls down the ramp five minutes after Cummings. He’s a good time triallist, though this style of course is not that well suited to him.

European time trial champion, Victor Campenaerts begins his ride at 12:21 and will be looking to put the disappointments of the Giro d’Italia behind him. He left the corsa rosa early so should be reasonably well rested for the Dauphine. Jonathan Castroviejo is another to look out for at 12:26 as he hopes to book a spot in Team Sky’s Tour de France squad.

The potential contenders for the stage are well spread out with Jos van Emden coming at 12:32, Bob Jungels at 12:40 and Matthias Brandle at 12:52. There is then a lengthy break before we catch up with a couple of the GC contenders. Vincenzo Nibali and Romain Bardet set off at 13:29 and 13:31 respectively. Neither are known for their time trialling talents, though Nibali can put in a decent effort, and will be focused on taking chunks out of each other.

Another GC rider, Adam Yates sets off at 14:05 as we edge towards the meat and potatoes of today’s action. Watch out for Daryl Impey at 14:27 before we enter the final 10 riders with Julian Alaphilippe kicking off the final countdown at 14:30. Geraint Thomas, Pierre Latour and Emanuel Buchmann are all in the final run of 10 with Astana’s Hugo Houle the last man off the ramp at 14:40. The course is short enough that the gaps between the riders will remain at one minute throughout the day.

Start times