2025 Critérium du Dauphiné Race Preview
The details of this year's 2025 Critérium du Dauphiné are falling into place. Find the latest route profiles and maps below, followed by our strategic preview of the race.
The Critérium du Dauphiné features challenging hilly stages, although some may offer chances for sprinters. The general classification (GC) battle hinges on an individual time trial (ITT) on the fourth day and a tough final weekend in the high mountains. The race begins on Sunday, June 8 and ends on Sunday, June 15.
The first stage occurs in the Montluçon Communauté area. The latter half of the race includes short climbs, with the final ascent — 600 meters at 8.6% — summiting 4.5 kilometers from the finish.
The second stage is also hilly, but the climbs are distributed more evenly throughout the route. The last incline — 1.8 kilometers at 5.7% — occurs with 17.9 kilometers remaining. At 204.6 kilometers, it is the longest stage of the week.
As the Dauphiné progresses, the elevation gain increases, with stage 3 stepping up the challenge on a rolling 202.8-kilometer route. A grueling wall of 1.2 kilometers at 9.2% serves as the final test before the riders descend into a flat 13.4-kilometer stretch to the finish.
The Saint-Péray time trial in stage 4 marks the first significant challenge for the GC contenders. The 17.7-kilometer route is mostly flat to rolling, except for a steep climb midway through.
The fifth stage is mainly flat, but a 50-kilometer section features a series of four hills. The final one — 5.3 kilometers at 4.6% — is crested 27 kilometers from the finish line.
The Critérium du Dauphiné offers its first uphill finish on the sixth day. Stage 6 includes an elevation gain of over 2,800 meters, culminating at the ski resort of Combloux after a 10-kilometer climb, with the last 2.7 kilometers ramping up to 8.2%.
Another ski resort marks the finish of stage 7. After navigating the Col de la Madeleine — 24.6 kilometers at 6.2% — and the Col de la Croix de Fer — 22.4 kilometers at 6.9% —, the riders cross the finish line in Valmeinier 1800. The final ascent measures 16.5 kilometers long, averaging 6.7%. The total elevation gain for the 132.1-kilometer route amounts to nearly 4,900 meters.
The final stage is also challenging but somewhat less daunting. The riders face 3,600 meters of climbing over a 133.8-kilometer course, with the majority of the elevation gain occurring in the last 80 kilometers. The final climb — 9.6 kilometers at 6.9% — sets the stage for a flat 5-kilometer showdown on the Mont-Cenis plateau.
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