"The final circuit could turn everything upside down"

June 8 ^th 2025 - 05:00

Sprinters always eye the first leader's jersey of the Critérium du Dauphiné, but will they find their way to victory this year? The course between Domérat and Montluçon, over a distance of 195.8 kilometres, could play to their strength… However, race director Gilles Maignan has designed a final circuit featuring five climbs in the final 60 kilometres. With only 6.7 km to go, the Côte de Buffon is only 600 metres long, but at a severe gradient of 8.6%: "Given that Jonathan Milan is the main candidate in a bunch sprint, we'll have to see whether Lidl-Trek will be able to control the situation. Because if certain teams want to make it hard, the final circuit could turn everything upside down. Mathieu Van der Poel, for example, is the type of rider who can fly away on this climb. Especially as after the descent, the roads leading up to the finish are twisty and suitable for a technically gifted rider like him."