A modest climb of 2.8 kilometres at 4.8% at kilometre 15 could serve as a warm-up to the lumpy middle part of the race. This section opens after roughly 70 kilometres when the riders tackle the 15 kilometres long climb to Violay, which may sound harder than it really is, as the average gradient sits at 2.2% – basically a prolonged false flat.
Shortly after moving through Violay, the first KOM points are up for grabs on the Côte de Croix-de-Signy, a climb of 1.6 kilometres at 4.6%. Following a flat stretch and a downhill, the Côte de Duerne throws in 5 kilometres at 6.9%. There are still over 90 kilometres left to race at the summit.
A rolling section and a long descent take the riders to the Côte de Givors. Officially, this is a 3.8-kilometres climb at 4.6%, but the road continues to rise at roughly 3% over the next 7 kilometres. A downhill to Vienne precedes the virtually flat final phase of 35 kilometres. Only one minor climb lies in the way – Côte de Bel-Air, only 1.8 kilometres at 5.1% – before the last 23 kilometres are absolute sprinters’ material. That said, are the fast men going to survive the hills… or, will attackers be given free rein?
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 5th stage 2024 Critérium du Dauphiné.
Critérium du Dauphiné 2024 stage 5: route, profiles, more
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