CRITÉRIUM DU DAUPHINÉ

4 11 June, 2.WT, France

Want to win the Tour de France? Ride the Dauphiné as a tune-up. Since 2000, only twice has the eventual Tour winner not competed in the Dauphiné beforehand (Armstrong, with the usual caveats applied, in 2001 and Andy Schleck, ditto, in 2010). Indeed, Chris Froome has won the Dauphiné each year he's won the Tour. Headline climbs for the 69th running of the race are the Mont du Chat and Alpe d'Huez. The Chat, averaging 10.3 per cent over 8.7km, is the centrepiece of stage 6. The Alpe comes a day later, with a twist: the race won't tackle the traditional 21 hairpins, but will go via the HC-rated Col de Sarenne, before 11km of descent and lat, and then a inal 4km climb, ranked cat 2, to the ski station. This all follows a very lumpy opening three days - eight climbs on stage 1 alone, and the sprinters might get a look in on stages 2 and 3. There's a rolling 23.5km TT on day four, and another grippy stage before the mountains kick in. The Chat and Alpe will smash the ield up, then there's the inal day's rollercoaster to the HC Plateau de Solaison, over just 115km. Total climb count for the seven road stages: 35.