Three years ago the 1st stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné finished in Saint-Vulbas with Nacer Bouhanni taking the flowers. This time the riders leave the village for 80 kilometres on predominantly flat roads before the Col de la Chambotte appears. The climb is the first in a series of eight and it is not the easiest: 5 kilometres at 7.8%. Following the downhill the route continues to climb in a more rolling fashion. Actually, the Côte de Lachat (2.9 kilometres at 4.7%) is the first part of a 35 kilometres long climb at shallow gradients to an altitude of 969 metres. Col du Frêne – 2.2 kilometres at 5.1% – is the last part of it before the ridders reach the summit at kilometre 131.5.
A sharp descent to approximately 250 metres and it all starts again. Gradually, the route climbs to the highest point of the day, Col de Beaune. Actually, the section between kilometre 140 and the foot of the Col de Beaune at kilometre 212.5 is a extended false flat with four climbs standing out: Côte de Châteauneuf (1.4 kilometres at 6.6%), Côte d’Aiton (1.3 kilometres at 8%), Côte de Saint-Georges d’Hurtières (4.9 kilometres at 5.9%), and Côte de Bochet (1.6 kilometres at 7.4%).
The Bochet is crested 8 kilometres before the riders enter a final lap of 16.5 kilometres. Roughly half of it is the ascent of the Col de Beaune – 8.1 kilometres at 6% – and the other half is a tricky descent to the line in Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne. Breakneck speeds in the finale, that’s for sure, while the last 500 metres are flat.
Another interesting read: results/race report 2019 Critérium du Dauphiné.
Critérium du Dauphiné 2019 stage 6: route, profiles, more
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