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The route for the Critérium du Dauphiné 2013 was unveiled in Lyon this morning. It proposes a particularly mountainous challenge that will start for the first time in Switzerland. The leading lights of the cycling elite will take in a visit to the Alpe d’Huez climb during the stage finishing in Superdévoluy that is likely to be decisive.

The principle and what is at stake remain the same. The week of racing on the Dauphiné will again play its role of revealing the ambitions and performances of the main players expected on Le Tour this year. However, traditions have been shaken up somewhat for the route of the 65th edition. For the first time in its history, the start of the Critérium du Dauphiné will take place in Switzerland. The race will be making a return to the country, having already been there for a stage finish in Geneva in 2002. The race will not just be innovating in geographical terms, because on 2nd June, the first day of racing will not be devoted to a prologue, but to a first stage that will already set the ultra-mountainous tone of the edition, with a 121 kilometre loop in the Abondance mounts and valleys, starting from Champéry.

On this hilly terrain, the sprinters may perhaps have a chance to shine in Oyonnax and/or Tarare, whilst the all-rounders could take pride of place on the time-trial at the Parc des Oiseaux. However, the confrontations will especially take place between climbers, who will be hitting the heights as from the finish at the resort of Valmorel, for the 5th stage. Two days later, the mountain specialists will tackle the 21 bends of the road leading up to l’Alpe d’Huez, which they will cross to reach the Col de Sarenne pass (at an altitude of 1,966 m), before becoming the first riders in a competitive event to try and tame the dizzying and tricky decent into Le Freney d’Oisans. It is a unique opportunity to prepare for the 18th stage of the Tour de France, but it will also be necessary to keep some energy in reserve for the end of the day: shortly after climbing over the Col du Noyer pass, the final outcome should start to take shape at Superdévoluy. The places on the podium may be won on this day, but attacks could still be fruitful on the climbs in the final stage. As the pack tackles the road to the Col de Vars pass and the last forty kilometres of the race, there will only be one flat portion left before the finish of the race in the resort of Risoul.

The stages on the programme:
Sunday 2nd June, stage 1: Champéry-Champéry, 121 km
Monday 3rd June, stage 2: Châtel - Oyonnax, 183 km
Tuesday 4th June, stage 3: Ambérieu-en-Bugey - Tarare, 164 km
Wednesday 5th June, stage 4: Villars-les-Dombes – Parc des Oiseaux, 32.5 km (individual time-trial).
Thursday 6thJune, stage 5: Grésy-sur-Aix - Valmorel, 139 km
Friday 7th June, stage 6: La Léchère - Grenoble, 141.5 km
Saturday 8th June, stage 7: Le Pont-de-Claix - Superdévoluy, 184 km
Sunday 9th June, stage 8: Sisteron -Risoul, 152 km

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Twenty-two teams have been selected to take part of the 65th edition of the Criterium du Dauphiné, which will take place from the second to the ninth of June 2013.

The following eighteen teams have been selected in compliance with International Cycling Union rules :

Astana Pro Team (Kaz)
Blanco Pro Cycling Team (Ned)
BMC Racing Team (USA)
Cannondale Pro Cycling (Ita)
Lampre-Merida (Ita)
Omega Pharma-Quick Step Cycling Team (Bel)
Orica - GreenEDGE (Aus)
Sky Procycling (Gbr)
Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team (Ned)
Movistar Team (Esp)
AG2R La Mondiale (Fra)
Euskaltel Euskadi (Esp)
Garmin - Sharp (USA)
Team Argos-Shimano (Ned)
Team Saxo-Tinkoff (Den)
FDJ (Fra)
Lotto Belisol (Bel)
RadioShack - Leopard (Lux)

Four other teams, invited by the organizers, will make up the field for the 2013 edition of the Criterium du Dauphiné :

Cofidis, Solutions Crédits (Fra)
Team Europcar (Fra)
Bretagne-Séché Environnement (Fra)
Team Netapp-Endura (Ger)

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The official start list of the 64th Critérium du Dauphiné has been published after the team managers meeting. As the defending champion, Bradley Wiggins will have the number 1. He’ll be the last man to start the prologue at 2.34pm on Sunday. The RadioShack-Nissan team will take part in the competition with seven riders only. Dutchman Joos Posthuma is missing from the provisional start list.
Among the 175 starters, three riders have won the race previously: Bradley Wiggins (2011), Janez Brajkovic (2010) and Alexandre Vinokourov (1999).
Seven riders have made the final podium in the past: Bradley Wiggins (1st in 2011), Janez Brajkovic (1st in 2010), Alexandre Vinokourov (1st in 1999, 3rd in 2011), David Millar (3rd in 2003), Andrey Kashechkin (3rd in 2007), Cadel Evans (2nd in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011), Tejay Van Garderen (3rd in 2010).
Twenty riders have won at least one stage at the Critérium du Dauphiné during their career: Bradley Wiggins (Grenoble/ITT., 2007), Edvald Boasson Hagen (Sallanches, 2010), Cadel Evans (Nancy/ITT, 2009), Philippe Gilbert (Saint-Galmier, 2006), George Hincapie (Vienne, 2008), Alexandre Vinokourov (Vienne, 2008), Janez Brajkovic (Sorgues/ITT, 2010), Dmityi Fofonov (Grenoble, 2008), Maxim Iglinskiy (Valloire, 2007), Jürgen Van den Broeck (Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse, 2011), Denis Menchov (Mont Ventoux, 2006), Christophe Kern (Les Gets, 2011), David Moncoutié (Saint-François-de-Longchamp, 2009; Passy Plaine-Joux, 1999), Nicolas Vogondy (Risoul, 2010), Pierrick Fédrigo (Briançon, 2009), Daniel Navarro (Grenoble, 2010), Juan-Jose Haedo (Bourg-Saint-Andéol, 2010), Tony Martin (Grenoble/ITT, 2011), Bert Grabsch (Valence/ITT, 2009), John Degenkolb (Lyon, 2011; Mâcon, 2011).

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A winner of stage 5 to Les Gets at the Dauphiné one year ago, Christophe Kern who finished sixth overall isn’t exactly dreaming of the same kind of the result this time around. “It took me a long time to recover from the tendinitis I got at the beginning of the Tour de France last year”, the Europcar rider said. “The tendinitis bounced back later, so I resumed racing pretty late. Only in a recent past, I’ve been feeling good. I had good form at the Bayern Rundfahrt last week. I’m back to the weight I have on form but I still lack intensity and power. I come to the Dauphiné to get back to the best level prior to the Tour de France. I’m not dreaming of a miracle to happen but if I can something one day, I will. If only I have one good day this week, it’ll be mission accomplished. And it’ll be perfect for my confidence.”

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Team Sky has an impressive team on paper with the defending champion of the Dauphiné Bradley Wiggins, Vuelta runner up Chris Froome, recent Bayern Rundfahrt winner Michael Rogers, up and coming Grand Tour contender Richie Porte as well as double Tour de France stage winner Edvald Boasson Hagen. Directeur sportif Sean Yates made clear to letour.fr that the Englishman who is one of the favorites of the Tour de France this year due to the importance of the trials is also at the Dauphiné for winning again, not for hiding. “He’s in good shape and he’s here for winning”, Yates stated. “We have a very good team on paper and on the road as well. We want to impress but obviously there are some other fantastic riders here who are also valuable candidates for winning the Dauphiné too. It’ll come down to who has the best legs for the time trial and stage 6 to Morzine. This is a test for the Tour de France. Hiding during the Dauphiné is one way of thinking but not ours. Bradley doesn’t want to do that and we should do what he wants to do. We should respect that. He has never won a Grand Tour before but he has improved his form and his ability to deal with any situation. Shall he lose the Dauphiné, there’s still the opportunity to figure out what went wrong and to improve before the Tour de France. The Dauphiné is a serious race. Bradley has won Paris-Nice and the Tour de Romandie this year but there’s no possible comparison. We’re here into serious mountains. To me, this race looks hard terrain wise.”

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Questioned by letour.fr, RadioShack-Nissan’s directeur sportif Alain Gallopin gave an insight into Andy Schleck’s lead up to the Tour de France. For the first time, the Luxembourger is going to ride the Dauphiné. “Andy hasn’t raced since Liège-Bastogne-Liège”, the Frenchman explained. “But he has trained well. He underwent a training camp in Sierra Nevada and went and see some stages of the Tour de France in the Vosges and the Alps. Therefore, he’s fit at the moment. The Dauphiné suits his preparation for the Tour this year because there’ll be a lot of time trialling in July. The 53km Bourg-en-Bresse time trial is quite similar. We’ll see how much he can limit his deficit over his rivals who are all better rouleurs than him. But the Dauphiné can’t be a goal for him. Andy’s strength is endurance. He can express his talent over three weeks. Here, the goal is to work well for a whole week and race with no worries.”

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Cadel Evans is back in Grenoble where he sealed his first Tour de France victory just over ten months ago.

On Sunday, he’ll ride against the clock in the streets of the capital of the Alps again for the 5.7km prologue of the Dauphiné. He came second overall in this race on four occasions previously and stated in 2011 at La Toussuire that he was a happy loser for the first time since the week of racing in the Alps boosted his confidence for the Tour de France more than ever. He was totally right.
The Australian has tried to repeat his successful program but he didn’t win Tirreno-Adriatico and the Tour de Romandie like in 2011. “I had a sinus infection that slowed me and eventually kept me from doing some of the classics”, Evans explained. “But I had a good race at Criterium International, winning the time trial and the race, so that was a good thing. The most important for me now is to keep preparing and working with the team so we are at our best when we take the start of the Tour de France. Although I didn’t quite perform to my expectations this season, I feel we have that same unity now.”
“The Dauphiné will be my last test before the Tour de France”, Evans also said. It’s not only an opportunity to evaluate my form but another chance to race with some of the riders who will be helping me at the Tour. Even though I haven’t raced since the Tour de Romandie, I’ve been able to train well on similar routes as those of the Dauphiné and the Tour de France.”
Evans will team up with Tejay van Garderen who made his first big international impact by coming third of the Dauphiné two years ago.

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The Critérium du Dauphiné starts on Sunday 3rd June with a 5.7-km prologue through the streets of Grenoble. The battle will continue through the Alps until Sunday 10th June and the finish in Châtel.

THE CHALLENGE OF THE GRAND COLOMBIER
The coming week will be rich in challenges for the race favourites, who should under no circumstances underestimate the one awaiting them on Friday 8th June, on the climb leading to the Col du Grand Colombier pass. This formidable ascent of more than 17 kilometres, with an average gradient of 7.2%, has not been covered by the race since its sole passage in 1988 (with Charly Mottet in the lead) and will more importantly be featuring for the first time on the route of the Tour de France, on the Mâcon Bellegarde-sur-Valserine stage on 11th July. In the pack, some riders can look ahead with plenty of confidence, because Rein Taaramäe won a stage here on the Tour de l’Ain in 2009, whilst his team-mate David Moncoutié finished 2nd here before finishing on top of the overall classification last August. Furthermore, this severe slope is also one of the favourite training exercises of Jérôme Coppel.

MAVIC: ASSISTANCE ON THE RACE… AND AT HOME
Whilst the brand is best known amongst cyclists worldwide for the reliability and technical excellence of its wheels and more generally all its accessories, Mavic plays a decisive role in the packs of most professional races, on which it provides neutral assistance. Indeed, it was on the Critérium du Dauphiné, 40 years ago, that the idea of dedicating a car to this task was dreamed up by Bruno Gormand, who had just handed over his vehicle to a team manager who had broken down. The same principle was applied on Paris-Nice the following year. Since then, the system has been generalised, improved and the Mavic “Saint-Bernards” showcase their talents on almost 200 races each year. To celebrate forty years of assistance, the 5th stage will start in Saint-Trivier-sur-Moignans, which has been the base for Mavic’s head office since 1968. 

RAGT-SEMENCES: THE RETURN
The jerseys of the team RAGT-Semences disappeared from the pack at the end of the 2005 season, but the business from Aveyron has not stopped following cycling news with great interest. It has even decided to make its reappearance in the cycling world for the 64th edition of the Critérium du Dauphiné, by sponsoring the stage victory trophy each day.

TV: AUSTRALIA WILL BE WATCHING
The Critérium du Dauphiné is becoming one of the most followed stage races in the calendar of the world elite, with broadcasts planned in 150 countries on 5 different continents. The decisive battles that take place on this race have incited several broadcasters to dedicate special treatment to it this year, in particular in the countries which saw their champions shine on Le Tour 2011. As a result, the Australian channel SBS will be following the Critérium du Dauphiné for the first time to examine how Cadel Evans is shaping up. This will also be the case for Norway’s TV2 Zebra, whose viewers will be rooting for Edvald Boasson Hagen, a stage winner on the Dauphiné (in 2010) and on Le Tour. Luxembourg will also be presenting live images, via RTL, to accompany Andy Schleck on his first turns of the pedals on the Dauphiné.

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2012 could be the year in which everything changes for Vincenzo Nibali, who has built his entire season around the Tour de France. The first stop in the quest of Liquigas' new leader is the Dauphiné.

In the star-struck field of this year's Dauphiné, featuring Tour de France favourites Cadel Evans, Andy Schleck and Samuel Sánchez, defending champion Bradley Wiggins, his predecessor Janez Brajkovič, the winner of the last Vuelta Juan José Cobo and world TT champion Tony Martin, fresh from his Tour of Belgium victory, Vincenzo Nibali's performance should be analysed in the context of the Tour de France, the main goal of the season for the "Shark of the Strait".

The Sicilian's sparkling form this year has propelled him to the win in the queen stage of the Tour of Oman at the summit of Jabal Akhdar as well as Tirreno-Adriatico (where he succeeded Evans, a good omen...), and to second place in Liège-Bastogne-Liège, where he was caught by Maxim Iglinskiy almost within sight of the finish line. Now, Nibali is sticking to his plan to win what would be his second Grand Tour, after the 2010 Vuelta. At the age of 27, he is now a mature rider capable of holding his own against the other favourites racing this year, most of whom will be on the start line of the Dauphiné on June 3 in Grenoble, ready to fight for the yellow jersey with a blue bar.

"The Dauphiné's the best place to prepare for the Tour de France and my sole aim is to build my form for July", explains the Italian, whose only participation in the Alpine race was in 2009, when he finished 7th and went on to take the exact same place in his last Grande Boucle, a month and a half later. Now, it is back to basics, back to what used to be his favourite racing programme before focusing, more by chance than by choice, on the Giro and the Vuelta for two seasons straight.

"After Liège-Bastogne-Liège", he explains, "I took the days off I needed and since then I have only raced in the Tour of California, where I suffered, just as I expected (32nd in GC). But now I have the opportunity to take a step forward. I always start races with the objective to achieve the best possible result, so this is what I'll be aiming for in the Dauphiné."

The "Shark" was seen prowling around the finish of the Giro in Milan, where he heard from Italian national squad manager Paolo Bettini that he will be the strong man of the squadra azzurra for the Olympics and the Worlds. Nibali added: "I'm going to start getting into French mode to prepare for July. I'm dying to race in the Tour de France!". In fact, Nibali took the first big victory of his career by winning the 2006 Grand Prix de Plouay, but he has not set foot on French soil since the 2009 Tour!

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Between 3rd and 10th June, the Critérium du Dauphiné will bring together the main players on the big cycling tours. The riders who are preparing for the Tour de France, such as Bradley Wiggins, Cadel Evans or Andy Schleck, will start their combat on the roads of the Alps.

The battles that take place on the Critérium du Dauphiné, always intense and full of pointers for the races that follow, leave traces and give rise to a thirst for revenge. The main event dedicated to the Alps mountain range also possesses the virtue of bathing the riders who shine on this race in a very favourable light, starting with the one who finishes his week in yellow. For example, it was on completing the 2011 edition that Bradley Wiggins took on the role of one of the favourites for the Tour de France, a status he has confirmed this season with victories on Paris-Nice and the Tour of Romandy. The British rider, who is looking to draw inspiration and energy from as early on as the prologue in Grenoble on Sunday 3rd June, will first have to deal with the riders who were at the forefront of matters last year. However, Cadel Evans, four times runner-up on the event, now arrives as the winner of the Tour de France, whilst Joachim Rodriguez, a double stage winner in 2011, has also moved up a rung in the reckoning with his recent performances on Belgian and Italian roads. Amongst other riders who have put in notable performances on the Dauphiné, Jürgen Van den Broeck, like Wiggins, was forced to withdraw from Le Tour prematurely last year, but is aiming for a return to the top. This is perhaps also the objective for Alexandre Vinokourov, who finished 3rd in 2011.

However, the list of pretenders has expanded even further since the performance of Wiggins last June. In total, six of the nine riders who achieved podium finishes on the three main tours of 2011 will in fact be present in the pack for the Dauphiné. As a result, Andy Schleck, runner-up to Evans on Le Tour, will be making his first appearance on the race; Vincenzo Nibali, who has abandoned taking part in the Giro to concentrate on Le Tour, boasts all the necessary qualities to improve on his 7th position achieved on his sole participation in 2009; and the duel that lit up the Vuelta between Juan Jose Cobo and Christopher Froome could also continue on the Dauphiné. The French riders also have a hope of capitalising on their more or less recent feats. Most eyes will be watching Thomas Voeckler and Pierre Rolland, but Pierrick Fédrigo, Christophe Le Mével, Sylvain Chavanel or Jérôme Coppel are also seeking to play a major role.

The main participants (as of 23rd May)

AG2R La Mondiale: Nocentini (Ita), Péraud (Fra); Astana Pro Team: Brajkovic (Slo), Iglinskiy, Vinokourov (Kaz); BMC Racing Team: Evans (Aus), Gilbert (Bel), Van Garderen (Usa); Cofidis le crédit en ligne: Moncoutié (Fra), Taaramae (Est);Euskaltel-Euskadi : S. Sanchez (Spa), Sicard (Fra); FDJ-BigMat: Fédrigo, Jeannesson (Fra); Garmin-Barracuda: Le Mével (Fra), Millar (GB), Zabriskie (USA); Katusha Team: Menchov (Rus), Rodriguez (Spa); Lampre-Isd: Lloyd (Aus); Liquigas-Cannondale: Nibali (Ita); Lotto-Belisol Team: Van den Broeck, Vanendert (Bel); Movistar Team: Arroyo, Cobo (Spa); Omega Pharma-Quick Step: Chavanel (Fra), Martin (Ger); OricaGreenEdge: Gerrans (Aus); Rabobank Cycling Team: Barredo, LL. Sanchez (Spa); RadioShack-Nissan: A. Schleck (Lux), Popovych (Ukr); Saur-Sojasun: Coppel, Feillu, Simon (Fra); SkyProcycling: Froome, Wiggins (GB), Boasson Hagen (Nor), Porte (Aus); Team Argos-Shimano: Degenkolb (Ger); Team Europcar: Voeckler, Rolland, Kern (Fra): Team Saxo Bank: JJ. Haedo (Arg), Navarro (Spa); Vacansoleil-DCM: Devolder (Bel), Westra (NL)

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Twenty-two teams have been selected to take part of the 64th edition of the Critérium du Dauphiné, which will take place from the third to the tenth of June 2012.

The following eighteen teams have been selected in compliance with International Cycling Union rules :

AG2R La Mondiale  (Fra)
Astana Pro Team (Kaz)
BMC Racing Team  (USA)
Euskaltel – Euskadi (Esp)
FDJ – BigMat (Fra)
Garmin – Barracuda (USA)
GreenEdge Cycling Team (Aus)
Katusha Team (Rus)
Lampre – ISD (Ita)
Liquigas – Cannondale (Ita)
Lotto Belisol Team (Bel)
Movistar Team (Esp)
Omega Pharma – Quick Step (Bel)
Rabobank Cycling Team (Ned)
RadioShack – Nissan (Lux)
Sky Procycling (GBR)
Team Saxo Bank (Den)
Vacansoleil – DCM Pro Cycling Team (Ned)

Four other teams, invited by the organisers, will make up the field for the 2012 edition of the Critérium du Dauphiné :
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne (Fra)
Saur – Sojasun (Fra)
Team Europcar (Fra)
Team Argos-Shimano (Ned)

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Everything starts in Grenoble. Last year, it also set the stage for Cadel Evans' triumphal ride at the Tour de France.

A few weeks later, the Australian rider had seized the chance to get his bearing on the same course during the Critérium du Dauphiné. In 2012, the first pedal strokes will certainly take on a symbolic value in the prologue in the Isère prefecture. Nevertheless, the highlights will come early in this eight-day race the peloton will tackle between June 3 and June 10.

The second stage, held entirely in the Ardèche between Lamastre and Saint-Félicien, will reward the strongest riders willing to light up the race. Then, the traditional time trial will take on an extraordinary dimension with a 53-kilometre course between Villié-Morgon and Bourg-en-Bresse. The following day, it will be the climbers' turn to duke it out on the climb up the Grand Colombier, a mountain which has never featured in the Tour and is back on the menu of the Dauphiné after 24 years. But the hierarchy prevailing at this point of the race may still be turned on its head during the mountainous weekend which will be the grand finale of the race: before reaching the finish line in Morzine, riders will pass the Col de la Colombière and the Col de Joux-Plane, following which the Col du Corbier will be the launching pad (or the last obstacle) before the ascent to the Châtel ski resort.

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Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) became the first rider to win two stages of the Dauphiné in a row since Tyler Hamilton in 2000, thanks to his impressive acceleration from the group containing all the favourites in the last kilometre of the final stage to La Toussuire. Bradley Wiggins (Sky) was never put under threat and won the first big stage race of his career, ahead of Cadel Evans (BMC) who finished second in the Dauphiné for the fourth time and Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana).

 

Relive the 2011 race

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