{"id":630331,"date":"2026-06-10T02:07:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T02:07:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/630331\/"},"modified":"2026-06-10T02:07:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T02:07:17","slug":"tour-auvergne-rhone-alpes-2026-preview-criterium-du-dauphine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/630331\/","title":{"rendered":"Tour Auvergne-Rh\u00f4ne-Alpes 2026 Preview (Criterium du Dauphine)"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Giro d\u2019Italia<\/a> is over, and the focus now shifts fully to the Tour de France. The Tour Auvergne-Rh\u00f4ne-Alpes, formerly the Crit\u00e9rium du Dauphin\u00e9, is the traditional preparation race for thhe Tour.,Which is why plenty of stars<\/a> are heading to the Lyon area again this year. What can Wout van Aert<\/a> and Paul Seixas<\/a> and others expect in the \u201cnew Dauphin\u00e9\u201d? IDL Pro Cycling takes a look ahead.Why did the\u00a0Crit\u00e9rium du Dauphin\u00e9 change it’s name?The Tour Auvergne what? Yes, even the Dauphin\u00e9 has had to give in to modernisation in 2026, and so its iconic name has been consigned to history. In its place comes a new name, with the region Auvergne-Rh\u00f4ne-Alpes<\/a>, created in 2016 through the merger of Auvergne and Rh\u00f4ne-Alpes, at the centre of it all.The Tour Auvergne-Rh\u00f4ne-Alpes itself has a long history, with the 78th edition on the road in 2026. Going back further, riders such as Bernard Hinault, Miguel Indurain and Lance Armstrong have won it, while more recently the honours have gone to the likes of Tadej Poga\u010dar, Jonas Vingegaard and Primo\u017e Rogli\u010d. Quite a roll of honour.Recent winners Tour Auvergne-Rh\u00f4ne-Alpes2025 Tadej Pogacar<\/p>\n

2024 Primoz Roglic<\/p>\n

2023 Jonas Vingegaard<\/p>\n

2022 Primoz Roglic<\/p>\n

2021 Richie Porte<\/p>\n

2020 Daniel Felipe Mart\u00ednez<\/p>\n

2019 Jakob Fuglsang<\/p>\n

2018 Geraint Thomas<\/p>\n

2017 Jakob Fuglsang<\/p>\n

2016 Chris Froome<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Route, favorites daily wins and times Tour Auvergne-Rh\u00f4ne-Alpes 2026Stage 1, Sunday, June 7, 2026: Vizille – Saint-Ismier (146.2 km)\"dauphine-etappe-1\"\/<\/p>\n

A tough day, right at the start of the race. With all this elevation gain, there was high hopes for a battle between the favorites, but it failed to materialize. It was early breakaway rider Alex Baudin who stayed ahead of everyone; a second group including Oscar Onley (Netcompany INEOS) and Luke Plapp (Jayco AlUla) gained some time on the main favorites.<\/p>\n

Winner:
Alex Baudin<\/a> (EF Education-Easypost)Stage 2, Monday, June 8, 2026: Saint-Martin-Le-Vinoux – Le Puy-en-Velay (234.3 km)\"dauphine-etappe-2\"\/<\/p>\n

Phew! The riders were presented with the longest stage on Monday, measuring a staggering 243.3 kilometers. The route also featured plenty of ups and downs. As the majority of the peloton was already thinking about the team time trial, a breakaway group of ten riders battled for the stage victory. On the final climb, Anthon Charmig attacked and held on until the finish. Alex Baudin retained the yellow jersey.<\/p>\n

Winner:
Alex Charmig <\/a>(Uno X Mobility)Stage 3, Tuesday, June 9, 2026: Perreux – Perreux (team time trial 28.4 km)\"dauphine-etappe-3\"\/<\/p>\n

Tuesday turned out to be an important day leading up to the Tour de France, as we saw a team time trial in and around Perreux. The time trial wasn’t entirely flat, with two small hills along the way. Up to the second intermediate point, it was also quite winding, but the second part was mostly straight. Visma | Lease a Bike won!<\/p>\n

Winner:
Visma | Lease a Bike<\/a>Stage 4, Wednesday, June 10, 2026: Le Puy en Velay – Montrond-les-Bains (167.4 km)\"dauphine-etappe-4\"\/<\/p>\n

On day four, the organisers have also ensured the climbs come thick and fast. In the middle part of the 167.4-kilometre stage, things really move quickly, with no fewer than five climbs in a little over 40 kilometres. The final 35 kilometres are flat, though, so attackers will have to be very brave…<\/p>\n

Favorites
Dorian Godon (Netcompany INEOS)
Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Beno\u00eet Cosnefroy (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)<\/p>\n

Times
Start: 1:15 p.m CET
Finish: around 5:10 p.m CET<\/p>\n

Stage 5, Thursday, June 11, 2026: Saint-Chamond – Villars-les-Dombes (195.8 km)\"dauphine-etappe-5\"\/Fast men, brace yourselves, because Thursday offers a rare opportunity. From the start in Saint-Chamond, the road rises immediately and the kilometres that follow are not flat either, but from the intermediate sprint, about halfway through, the riders finally get some flat roads. A sprint is expected at the bird park in Villars-les-Dombes.<\/p>\n

Favorites
Bryan Coquard (Cofidis)
Hugo Hofstetter (NSN)
Dorian Godon (Netcompany INEOS)<\/p>\n

Times
Start: 12:45 p.m CET
Finish: around 5:05 p.m CET<\/p>\n

Stage 6, Friday, June 12, 2026: Saint-Vulbas – Crest-Voland (182.3km)\"dauphine-etappe-6\"\/<\/p>\n

The men with GC ambitions have had to wait a while, but on Friday we finally get the first mountain stage. It is part one of a tough final weekend, with the finish in Crest-Voland. Just before that, the C\u00f4te d\u2019H\u00e9rt-sur-Ugine also has to be climbed, while two other climbs feature along the route. Do we see an early selection here?<\/p>\n

Favorites
Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM)
Jo\u00e3o Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)
Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike)<\/p>\n

Times
Start: 12:45 p.m CET
Finish: around 5:05 p.m CET<\/p>\n

Stage 7, Saturday, June 13, 2026: La Bridoire – Grand Colombier (133.6 km)\"dauphine-etappe-7\"\/Part two of the final weekend starts on Saturday in La Bridoire, before the riders finish atop the Grand Colombier after 133.6 kilometres. Along the way there are some tough climbs, with the Lacets du Grand Colombier (7 kilometres at 8.4%) and the Col de Richemond (7.7 kilometres at 6%), before the finish comes on the 8.4-kilometre final climb at 10.2%.<\/p>\n

Favorites
Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek)
Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM)
Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)<\/p>\n

Times
Start: 12:25 p.m CET
Finish: around 4 p.m CET<\/p>\n

Stage 8, Sunday, June 14, 2026: Beaufort – Plateau de Solaison (120.1 km)\"dauphine-etappe-8\"\/<\/p>\n

The final stage on Sunday is not long, but it is certainly tough. There is almost no flat road in the route, with the Col du Pr\u00e9 opening proceedings straight away. After the Mont\u00e9e de Bisanne and the Col des Aravis, the French eight-day race ends on the Plateau de Solaison, a 11.3-kilometre climb at 9.1%. Anyone who wants to force the issue on the final day gets the ideal parcours for it<\/p>\n

Favorites
Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM)
Oscar Onley (Netcompany INEOS)
Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike)<\/p>\n

Times
Start: 1:30 p.m CET
Finish: around 5 p.m CET<\/p>\n

GC Favorites Tour Auvergne-Rh\u00f4ne-Alpes 2026No Poga\u010dar, no Vingegaard, no Rogli\u010d… so who does that leave? Plenty. First of all, Paul Seixas<\/a> (Decathlon CMA CGM) begins his Tour preparation here, and the French super-talent does so after a brilliant spring. With Poga\u010dar and Vingegaard absent, Seixas is already the top favourite, while his team also brings Matthew Riccitello.<\/p>\n

Still, the field in France is extremely strong. Lidl-Trek lines up both Juan Ayuso and Mattias Skjelmose, while UAE Team Emirates-XRG also has two cards to play in Isaac Del Toro and Jo\u00e3o Almeida. With the Portuguese rider, though, there is still a question mark over his form after dealing with vague symptoms all spring.<\/p>\n

Visma | Lease a Bike brings Wout van Aert as its star, but is also using Matteo Jorgenson, who reshuffled his programme, as team leader. For the Killer Bees, it will also be interesting to see how far J\u00f8rgen Nordhagen can go in such a strong field. Uno-X is backing Tobias Halland Johannessen, last year\u2019s Tour de france 6th place.Netcompany INEOS also arrives with a very strong squad. With Oscar Onley, K\u00e9vin Vauquelin and Oscar Rodr\u00edguez, it can play multiple cards. It will also be interesting to see how Ben Healy\u2019s GC ambitions develop at EF Education-EasyPost, while Cian Uijtdebroeks (Movistar) continues his Tour preparation.<\/p>\n

At Soudal Quick-Step, Valentin Paret-Peintre, last year\u2019s winner of the Tour stage to Mont Ventoux, looks set to ride for himself again, although The Wolfpack also has Junior Lecerf in the team. Also worth watching in France: Ion Izagirre (Cofidis), Santiago Buitrago, Pello Bilbao (both Bahrain Victorious), Luke Plapp (Jayco AlUla) and Harold Tejada (XDS Astana).<\/p>\n

2026 Tour Auvergne-Rh\u00f4ne-Alpes start listIDL Pro Cycling top picks 2026 Tour Auvergne-Rh\u00f4ne-Alpes?<\/p>\n

Top favorite: Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM)
Outsiders: Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek)
Long shots: Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek), Jo\u00e3o Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X), Oscar Onley, K\u00e9vin Vauquelin (Netcompany INEOS), Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) and Cian Uijtdebroeks (Movistar)<\/p>\n

How to watch Tour Auvergne-Rh\u00f4ne-Alpes 2026 on TV?<\/p>\n

Below you can find where to watch the racing on television in English:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Giro d\u2019Italia is over, and the focus now shifts fully to the Tour de France. The Tour…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":630332,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[4985,112065,838,101,209408,56,54,55,8783],"class_list":["post-630331","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-cycling","tag-paul-seixas","tag-previews","tag-sports","tag-tour-auvergne-rhone-alpes","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-wout-van-aert"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/630331","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=630331"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/630331\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/630332"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=630331"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=630331"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=630331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}