A most special day

June 11 ^th 2025 - 00:05

As modern riders often remind us: there are no preparation races, and no transition days. Indeed, stage 3 of the Critérium du Dauphiné 2025 has much more in store than one could expect at a glance. An uphill start, more than 3,000 metres of elevation, a rolling finish in Charantonnay…

This exciting recipe misses one key ingredient: the stage begins in Romain Bardet’s hometown and, judging by his attack up the Côte de Nonette on Monday, the Frenchman is eager to ignite the childhood roads where he grew as a young kid and and a cyclist before retiring from the professional road peloton at the end of the week.

After the big guns Tadej Pogacar and Jonathan Milan ruled the first two days of racing, can attackers find their opening? The 207.2 km of the day promise a most intense battle. The beginning of the day will be a magnificent opportunity to remember Bardet’s accomplishments over the years, to celebrate the cycling ways he embodied…

And then all hell shall break loose with the first ascents of the day, starting with the cat-3 Côte de Cornille (summit at km 8..9) and the cat-2 Côte de la Barbate (km 18). Agressive riders should fin their beautiful launchpads to get away. And three more climbs await them, with the last one - Côte du Château Jaune (cat.3) - presenting gradients over 10% inside the last 20 kilometres. Another exhilarating day awaits us.