The 1st stage is entirely played in the Ardèche region.
The riders clip into their pedals in La Voulte-sur-Rhône to tackle the Col de Leyrisse shortly after the start. The 8.5 kilometres climb goes up at an average gradient of 4.5%. On undulating terrain the route continues to the foot of the Côte des Baraques, which adds another 3.3 kilometres at 6.6% before reaching the highest point of the day.
A long descent takes the riders to this finishing circuit, which is tackled 1.5 times to feature the Côte de Chambon de Bavas twice. , which is a 5.2 kilometres climb at 4.8%. After a short section on the flat the climbing continues on the Col du Moulin à Vent: 3.4 kilometres at 4.8%. The ensuining descent moves through Privas, where Wout van Aert sprinted to victory in the 2020 Tour de France.
Although the route of the opener is predominantly hilly, the finale is flat. On the wide roads along the Rhône the riders charge towards the line in Beauchastel.
Last year, Brent Van Moer won the Dauphiné’s 1st stage from the breakaway.
The first three riders on the line gain time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds, while the intermediate sprint comes with 3, 2 and 1 seconds.
Ride the route yourself? Download GPX stage 1.
Another interesting read: route 1st stage 2022 Critérium du Dauphiné.
Critérium du Dauphiné 2022 stage 1: route, profile, more
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