Apart from the Villard the stage offers two 4th category cols shortly after the start – Cote d’Esserts-Blay and Cote de la Soffaz. Both are short and not too steep, while Cote du Villard is 1.2 kilometres at 8.7% a bit spicier. The first round on the local circuit equals 22 kilometres and the next five rounds are 16 kilometres each.
Albertville and the Tour de France are good friends. In 2013 the pack passed through the town en route to the Grand Bornard (a stage won by Rui Costa) and the 2012 edition saw the start of the Queen Stage to Les Sybelles, which turned out to be a joyful day for Pierre Rolland.
Last year, the Dauphiné opened with a short time trial in Lyon. Chris Froome took the leader’s jersey.
Click here for race report and race results.
Critérium du Dauphiné 2015 stage 1: Route maps, height profiles, and more
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