2020 Critérium du Dauphiné Stage 1 Live Coverage
Welcome to our live coverage of Stage 1 of the 2020 Critérium du Dauphiné! Our live profile and commentary are below, followed by a preview of the technical aspects of the route.
Course Preview
The Critérium du Dauphiné opens with a hilly race of 218.5 kilometres. The finish lies 1 kilometre behind an uphill section that adds up to 11 kilometres.
Following a rolling section the first uphill appears after some 30 kilometres. The Côte de Château de l’Aulteribe is just 1 kilometre long, but it’s a nasty hurdle with an average gradient of 8.2%.
On the other hand, the race is still young, so the legs are fresh. After the Col du Béal (10.2 kilometres at 5.6%) and the Côte de Courreau (4 kilometres at 5.7%) the riders are almost 100 kilometres into the opener of the Dauphiné.
While pedaling through the valley of the Loire river the route remains obstacle-free for tens of kilometres until the Côte de Saint-Héand ushers in the finale. It is a modest climb of 2.9 kilometres at 4.2%.
After the descent the Critérium du Dauphiné pays tribute to Andrej Kivilev, the Kazach rider who lost his life in the 2003 edition of Paris-Nice. He crashed helmet-less, which was the trigger to make wearing helmets compulsory in the peloton. The Montée Andreï Kivilev climbs for 3.6 kilometres at 3.8%. Shortly after the summit the riders cross the finish line for the first time.
A 36 kilometres circuit rounds out the route. The Côte de Leymieux – 2 kilometres at 5.5% – and Col de la Gachet – 3.3 kilometres ar 4.6% – are connected by an uphill false flat, so one could argue the last 11 kilometres are essentially one climb.
The finish is situated 1 kilometre after the summit of the Col de la Gachet. The first half of the last kilometre goes downhill before the roads kicks up again for a final drag to the line.
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