Early season’s competition, the Critérium International is a demanding race designed for an athletic rider. The three stages (a flat stage, a climbing stage and a time-trial), which will take place over a week-end in the Ardennes departement, will probably distinguish the best rider in the pack. It will no doubt take an all-round talent to succeed Belgian Rik Verbrugghe, winner in 2001. The Critérium’s format should find the departement’s topography ideally suited. On day one, the length of the stage will be the major difficulty: 192 km round Charleville-Mézières. On day two, physically-demanding-matters will start, when competitors climb nine hills in a 98.5-km race. After such a grueling ride, the 8.5-km time-trial in Charleville-Mézières should prove decisive. The Ardennes and Charleville Mézières are no doubt the ideal setting for a new talent to arise or a proven champion to lay further claim to greatness.   The leaders FRANCE (8) • AG2R PREVOYANCE : Agnolutto - Botcharov • BIG.MAT - AUBER 93 : Heulot - Garcia Casas • BONJOUR : Rous - Chavanel - Simon • COFIDIS - LE CREDIT PAR TELEPHONE : Kivilev - Moncoutie • CREDIT AGRICOLE : Brard - Hushovd - Voigt - Moreau • LA FRANCAISE DES JEUX : Casar - Mc Gee • JEAN DELATOUR : Brochard - Halgand • OKTOS - SAINT QUENTIN : Barthe - Nuttli ITALY (3) • ALESSIO : Dufaux - Pellizotti • MERCATONE UNO : Pantani • SAECO MACCHINE PER CAFFE - LONGONI SPORT : Di Luca USA (1) • US POSTAL SERVICE : Armstrong - Heras BELGIUM (2) • DOMO - FARM FRITES : Merckx - Virenque • LOTTO - ADECCO : Verbrugghe - Aerts SPAIN (4) • EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI : Martinez - Sanchez • KELME - COSTA BLANCA : Zaballa - Rodriguez • IBANESTO.COM : Osa • ONCE - EROSKI : Olano - Beloki - Hruska DENMARK (1) • TEAM CSC TISCALI : Jakob Piil GERMANY (2) • TEAM COAST : Zuelle • TEAM TELEKOM : Vinokourov - Kloden SWITZERLAND (1) • PHONAK HEARING SYSTEMS : Schnider - Salmon