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 to Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert it’s hard to find a section on level ground, but the riders don’t face Tourmalet-like slopes either. The toughest task looms shortly after the start. The Col de Leyrisse is a 8.5 kilometres 2nd category hill with an average gradient of 4.5%, while the other climbs are 3rd and 4th category.
Obviously, the first KOM-points of the Dauphiné are up for grabs at the Leyrisse, yet the route continues to climb for a while. It’s only after some 20 kilometres before the riders drop down. Following a short section in the valley the road goes back up gain. The Col de Désaignes and Côte Saint-Agrève are two climbs in alignment, totalling at 11 kilometres. The Désaignes is 5 kilometres at 4,5% and the Saint-Agrève 6 kilometres at 5%.
Following a rolling section of over 50 kilometres, containing the Côte de Terrière (1.6 kilometres at 6.3%), the riders tackle the Côte de La Croix de Marlet. This 2.2 kilometres hill at 4.7% is crested with 40 kilometres to go. Some 11 kilometres further down the road the riders enter a circuit and they cross the finish line for the first time 4 kilometres later.
Amounting to 12.2 kilometres, the closing circuit is raced two time. This local round features the climb to the Grangent reservoir (1.3 kilometres at 4.5%), which therefore is included twice. The last time over the top is with 4 kilometres to go.
The first three riders on the line win time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds. The race doesn’t include intermediate sprints.
The expected arrival is around 16:30 local time.
Read also: results/race report 1st stage Critérium du Dauphiné 2018.
Critérium du Dauphiné 2018 Stage 1: Route maps, height profiles, and more
Click on the images to zoom
Related articles Favourites - Critérium du Dauphiné 20 Overview - Critérium du Dauphiné 20 Stage 7: Adam Yates wins in shadow Mont Blanc, Thomas pockets overall - Critérium du Dauphiné 20 Stage 6: Pello Bilbao wins in La Rosière ski station, Geraint Thomas cements GC lead - Critérium du Dauphiné 20 Stage 5: Daniel Martin wins in Valmorel, Geraint Thomas new leader - Critérium du Dauphiné 20 Stage 4: Julian Alaphilippe wins uphill, Gianni Moscon new leader - Critérium du Dauphiné 20 Stage 3: Sky crushes rivals on TTT, Kwiatkowski back in overall lead - Critérium du Dauphiné 20 Stage 2: Sprint victory Ackermann, Impey new leader - Critérium du Dauphiné 20 Michal Kwiatkowski first GC leader after prologue win - Critérium du Dauphiné 20 Route prologue: ITT in Valence - Critérium du Dauphiné 20 Route stage 2: Montbrison - Belleville (Beaujolais) - Critérium du Dauphiné 20 Route stage 3: Pont-de-Vaux - Louhans (TTT) - Critérium du Dauphiné 20 Route stage 4: Chazey-sur-Ain - Lans-en-Vercors - Critérium du Dauphiné 20 Route stage 5: Grenoble - Valmorel - Critérium du Dauphiné 20 Route stage 6: Frontenex – La Rosière - Critérium du Dauphiné 20 Route stage 7: Moûtiers – Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc - Critérium du Dauphiné 20 More articles Tour of the Alps 2019: Geoghegan Hart outsprints Nibali, Sivakov still leader
Tour of the Alps 2019: The Route
Tour of the Alps 2019 Route stage 4: Balselga di Pinè - Cles
Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2019: The Route
Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2019: Riders
Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2019: Favourites
Liège-Bastogne-Liège: Winners and records
Tour of the Alps 2019: Riders
Tour of the Alps 2019 Route stage 5: Kaltern - Bolzano
Tour of the Alps: Winners and records
Tour de Romandie 2019: Riders
Tour de Romandie: Recent winners
Giro 2019: The Route
Giro 2019: Riders
Giro 2019 Route stage 1: Bologna - San Luca
Giro 2019 Route stage 2: Bologna - Fucecchio
Giro 2019 Route stage 3: Vinci - Orbetello
Giro 2019 Route stage 4: Orbetello - Frascati
Giro 2019 Route stage 5: Frascati - Terracina
Giro 2019 Route stage 6: Cassino - San Giovanni Rotondo
Giro 2019 Route stage 7: Vasto - L'Aquila
Giro 2019 Route stage 8: Tortoreto Lido - Pesaro
Giro 2019 Route stage 9: Riccione - San Marino
Giro 2019 Route stage 10: Ravenna - Modena
Giro 2019 Route stage 11: Carpi - Novi Ligure
Giro 2019 Route stage 12: Cuneo - Pinerolo
Giro 2019 Route stage 13: Pinerolo - Colle del Nivolet
Giro 2019 Route stage 14: Saint Vincent - Courmayeur
Giro 2019 Route stage 15: Ivrea - Como
Giro 2019 Route stage 16: Lovere - Ponte di Legno
Giro 2019 Route stage 17: Commezzadura - Anterselva
Giro 2019 Route stage 18: Valdaora – Santa Maria di Sala
Giro 2019 Route stage 19: Treviso – San Martino di Castrozza
Giro 2019 Route stage 20: Feltre - Croce d'Aune/Monte Avena
Giro 2019 Route stage 21: ITT in Verona
Giro d'Italia: Winners and records
Tour of California 2019: The Route
Tour of California: Winners and records
Critérium du Dauphiné 2019: The Route
Critérium du Dauphiné: Recent winners
Tour de Suisse 2019: The Route
Tour de Suisse: Recent Winners
Tour de France 2019: The Route
Tour de France 2019 Route stage 1: Brussels - Brussels
Tour de France 2019 Route stage 2: Brussels - Brussels
Tour de France 2019 Route stage 3: Binche - Epernay
Tour de France 2019 Route stage 4: Reims - Nancy
Tour de France 2019 Route stage 5: Saint-Dié-des-Vosges - Colmar
Tour de France 2019 Route stage 6: Mulhouse - La Planche des Belle Filles
Tour de France 2019 Route stage 7: Belfort - Chalon-sur-Saône
Tour de France 2019 Route stage 8: Mâcon - Saint-Étienne
Tour de France 2019 Route stage 9: Saint-Étienne - Brioude
Tour de France 2019 Route stage 10: Saint-Flour - Albi
Tour de France 2019 Route stage 11: Albi - Toulouse
Tour de France 2019 Route stage 12: Toulouse - Bagnères-de-Bigorre
Tour de France 2019 Route stage 13: ITT in Pau
Tour de France 2019 Route stage 14: Tarbes - Col du Tourmalet
Tour de France 2019 Route stage 15: Limoux - Prat d'Albis
Tour de France 2019 Route stage 16: Nîmes – Nîmes
Tour de France 2019 Route stage 17: Pont du Gard - Gap
Tour de France 2019 Route stage 18: Embrun - Valloire
Tour de France 2019 Route stage 19: Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne - Tignes
Tour de France 2019 Route stage 20: Albertville - Val Thorens
Tour de France 2019 Route stage 21: Rambouillet - Paris
Tour de France 2019: Riders
Vuelta 2019: The Route
Vuelta 2019: Riders
Tour of Britain: Winners and records
World Cycling Championships: Winners and records
Tour of Flanders 2019: Alberto Bettiol solos to glory
Tour of Flanders 2019 - women: Bastianelli bests Van Vleuten and Ludwig in three-up sprint
Cycling Calendar 2019
Tour of Valencia 2019: Groenewegen wins last stage, Izagirre overall winner
Win a free cycling jersey!
Tour Down Under 2014 Route stage 1: Nuriootpa - Angaston
Tour Down Under 2014 Route stage 2: Prospect - Stirling
Race Results Service
Details of the finish
3D bird’s eye route
Valence and Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert at Google Maps
Instagram @criteriumdudau…
Critérium du Dauphiné Tweets