Criterium du Dauphine 2016: Preview

Image 1 of 7

Chris Froome (Team Sky) and Alberto Contador (Tinkoff) chat in the bunch(Image credit: Bettini Photo)

How to follow the Critérium du Dauphiné: Cyclingnews will have live text coverage from start to finish for every stage, as well as rider interviews, race reports, podcasts, video highlights and post-race analysis.

Contador was the sharper of the two when they clashed at the Volta a Catalunya earlier this season and has won the Vuelta al País Vasco and finished on the podium in Paris-Nice and the Volta ao Algarve to silence any suggestions that he is beginning to slow as he approaches retirement. With Nairo Quintana busily honing his form in Colombia, the Tinkoff leader is Froome's most predicable yet dangerous opponent.

Aru will make his debut in the race and will be keen to impress after his teammate Vincenzo Nibali won the Giro d'Italia and looks set to ride the Tour de France in order to gain form. Aru certainly has a route that suits his characteristics but it will be interesting to measure whether he targets the overall in the Dauphiné or – like Nibali has done in the past – uses particular stages in which to measure his condition.

The eight-day race begins with a lung-busting 3.9-kilometre uphill time trial in Les Gets that will test the limits of the GC contenders. While the distance will not create any significant gaps, it will provide a window into the form of many riders ahead of the Tour de France. The climb itself starts out a reasonably manageable 6 per cent but rapidly ramps up with the entire second half at around 15 per cent. The nine switchbacks offer little in the way of respite for the riders, making it a complete contrast to last year's longer, far flatter opening stage.

The Dauphiné returns to the capital of the Arve Valley with a stage designed for the sprinters. With Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis), Alexander Kristoff (Katusha), Sam Bennett (Bora Argon 18), and John Degenkolb (Giant Alpecin) all in the mix, the stage will be controlled by the sprinters' teams, rather than the GC contenders, although a break is likely to form and contest the four fourth-category climbs. The last climb comes almost 50 kilometres before the finish, providing the sprinters with little excuse.

The first uphill road stage finish of the race should provide another shake up in the overall standings with a third category climb up to Chalmazel-Jeansagnière. The preceding 155km are rolling throughout with the Col de Durbize coming inside the opening 15km, and the Col de la Croix Nicelle after 52km. However, it's the final slog to up Chalmazel-Jeansagnière and the all-important Côte de Saint-Georges-en-Couzan that comes just before that should set the race alight. Teams such as Sky and Tinkoff will have to measure their approaches in order to control the field but with so many fresh legs, the attacks will be constant. If this stage came later in the race it would be ideal for a break but with the race so tightly contested, there's little chance in the peloton being so relaxed.

The first half of the stage is a flat affair as the race heads due south. However, the second half of the stage consists of three catergorised climbs. The last ascent – the Côte de Sécheras – is second category, 2.8km in length and with pitches averaging 8 per cent. The majority of the sprinters will be distanced and could struggle to regain contact but a rider such as Edvald Boasson Hagen (Dimension Data) should be targeting the win. He can climb when required and is in form. Surviving the 13.9 per cent section on the climb will be crucial to his chances.

At 6.4km in length the climb to Vaujany isn't particularly long but it's the break in gradient that will test many of the riders. The toughest sections come just after the start, and right at the summit but before the riders reach the final they must alternate between pitches of 5 and 12 per cent. If riders time their efforts incorrectly they'll quickly be found out. There's enough there to have the pure climbers and the all-rounders eyeing an opportunity.

The previous day will have provided an indication as to who would not feature at the top of the GC but stage 6 is clearly where the race can be won with the Col de Champ-Laurent, Col du Grand Cucheron, Col de la Madeleine, Montée des Frasses and the final first category ascent to Meribel all sandwiched into 141 kilometres of racing. The final climb, 12.3 kilometres in length suits a Team Sky tactic of control and containment, with a steady 6-8 per cent for the majority of the ascent.

Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.