What a start! The 2016 Critérium du Dauphiné leaves with a climb up Montée du Mont Chéry, a.k.a. a 3.9 kilometres uphill prologue with an average gradient at 9.7%. Stage 1 brings the first of two chances for the sprinters, while stage 2 leads to a 20 kilometres closing climb in two stages.
Stage 3 takes the riders over mountainous terrain in the Ardèche region to a downhill finale before stage 4 is the second chance for the fast men on a finish line that is slightly uphill. At 140 kilometres, seven categorised climbs welcome the 5th stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné. The finish lies at an elevation of 1,223 metres.
Still, the real climbing is yet to come in the closing weekend. Stage 6 leads to Méribel with a real monster halfway. Col de la Madeleine is a 19.9 kilometres climb at 7.9%, while the last climb brings 16.8 kilometres at 5.7% to the table.
Stage 7 offers five peaks, two of which are in the 1st category. The last climb up to Superdévoluy is a 4 kilometres toil at 5.9%, but don’t be surprised if the penultimate climb turns out to be decisive. Col du Noyer is 7.5 kilometres at 8.4% and the top is crested with merely 11.5 kilometres left.
Critérium du Dauphiné 2016: Route maps, height profiles, etc.
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