The Critérium del Dauphiné 2024 has presented its route with interest focused on three consecutive high finishes and a 34.4 km time trial in the fourth stage that will test the expected figures, including the Dane Jonas Vingegaard, the Slovenian Primoz Roglic and the Belgian Remco Evenepoel.
The race, which will take place from June 2 to 9, will serve, as usual, as a general rehearsal for the Tour de France, which begins in Florence on June 29.
The high-altitude finals will be in Le Collet d'Allevard (11.1 km at 8.1%), Samoëns 1600 (10 km at 9.3%) and Plateau des Glières (9.4 km at 7.1%). The seventh day, of 145.5 km, will be the queen stage: four first-class climbs on the Col des Saisies, the Col des Aravis, the Col de la Colombière and the Cote d'Arâches, which leads to the finish at the station Samoëns ski resort.
Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) will defend his title in the previous race of the Tour de France. He will face the direct rivals of the Tour, Primož Roglič (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep), while another of the illustrious, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), is not scheduled to be at the start.
The first stage will begin and end in Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule, a stage for sprinters without major climbs, but will have three fourth and third category difficulties at the beginning.
The second will start from Gannat to the Col de la Loge, where the climbers will shine. The next day, a powerful third category stage in Les Estables (3.8 km at 5.2%) closes a 181.2 km stage.
The 3.4 km time trial on day four from Saint-Germain-Laval to Neulise is suitable for specialists and strength runners, and will mean changes in the general standings before the final days in the mountains.
At 200.2 km, the route from Amplepuis to Saint-Priest in the fifth stage will be the longest of the race and should be resolved in a sprint. The next stage will reach Le Collet d'Allevard, a 173.2 km stage that includes the second category Col du Granier (8.9 km at 5.4%), 45 km from the finish line.
Stage 7 finishes at Samoëns 1600 and will be key to the overall standings, featuring three top-class high-altitude passes within the first 85km before a further 32km from the finish and then the special category qualified climb to the goal.
The race will close at the top of the Plateau des Glières, which recently featured in the 2018 and 2020 Tour de France, although not as a stage finish.
