2024 Critérium du Dauphiné Stage 2 Live Coverage
Welcome to our live coverage of Stage 2 of the 2024 Critérium du Dauphiné! Our live profile and commentary are below, followed by a preview of the technical aspects of the route.
Course Preview
At 142 kilometres, the riders travel on undulating hilly terrain from Gannat to Col de la Loge in the 2nd stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné. The route includes almost 2,700 metres of climbing, while the ascent to the finish line is 10.9 kilometres long with an average gradient of 3.6%.
It’s fair to say that the finishing climb is not really a proper climb at all. The first 3.1 kilometres could be considered an ascent, as it rises at 6.1% – this section is called the Col de la Croix Ladret. However, the rest of the route is a false flat leading to the home straight.
If one takes a different approach to the finale and zooms out more, one could also argue that the climb to the line adds up to 23 kilometres. That’s where the Côte de Saint-Georges-en-Couzan begins, which is a 7 kilometres test at 5.8%. There’s no downhill at the top, but rather a plateau of about 8 kilometres, which continues onto the Col de la Croix Ladret. So, no matter how you look at it, it’s an interesting finale.
The riders traverse flat to rolling terrain in the run-up to the final 23 kilometres. Two climbs stand out in this section: the Côte de Saint-Georges-en-Couzan, which slopes at 5.4% over 5.3 kilometres, and the Col de Saint-Thomas, adding 4.5 kilometres at 6.6% to the mix.
The first three riders to cross the line gain time bonuses of 10, 6, and 4 seconds, while the intermediate sprint offers 3, 2, and 1 seconds.
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