Critérium du Dauphiné 2018 Route stage 1: Valence

Critérium du Dauphiné 2018 Route stage 1: Valence - Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert

Monday 4 June 2018 - At 179 kilometres, the 1st stage in the Critérium du Dauphiné is a hilly race between Valance and Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert. The route takes in seven intermediate cols and the last one is crested with 4 kilometres to go.

Pro-cycling fans are treated in Valence. A prologue and also the departure of the first stage, while next July the 13th stage of the upcoming Tour de France starts in the birth place of French riders Guillaume Bonnafond and Axel Domont.

On the road Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert it’s hard to find section on level ground, but the riders don’t face Tourmalet-like slopes either. The toughest taks looms shortly after the start. The Col de Leyrisse is a 9 kilometres 2nd category hill, while the other climbs are 3rd and 4th category.

Obviously, the first KOM-points are up for grabs at the Leyrisse, yet the route continues to climbs for a while. It’s only after some 20 kilometres before the riders drop down. In the valley it goes straight back on the Col de Désaignes and Côte Saint-Agrève, two climbs in alignment and totalling at approximately 10 kilometres.

Following a rolling section of over 50 kilometres, containing the Côte de Terrière, the route starts to descend and with 40 kilometres to go the last hilly section appears. The route climbs the Côte de La Croix de Marlet and the Côte du Barrage de Grangent (twice). At kilometre 154.5 the first passage on the line is a fact before the riders face two more laps on a 12.75 kilometres. This local round features the climb to the Grangent reservoir, which therefore is included twice. The last time over the top is with 4 kilometres to go.