2011 Criterium du Dauphine It’s often said that that the road to the Tour de France starts at the Criterium du Dauphine and in 2011, with a time trial identical to the Tour’s and four summit finishes deep in the Alps who could possibly doubt it? The secret of the Dauphine is simple: with sprints kept to a minimum, no other week-long race manages to cram so much mountain action into so little time. And the favourites are forced to fight, and fight again, from the word go.
Few week-long races have such prestigious past winners, either, including Greg LeMond, Lance Armstrong, Miguel Indurain and Bernard Hinault - who took 20 Tours de France between them - in the last three decades alone.
A worthy successor is guaranteed in 2011. From the short sharp prologue at St. Jean De Maurienne to the final back-to-back Alpine ascents of Le Collet D’Alland and La Toussuire the following weekend, each stage is designed both to heighten tension, and then to create expectation for the following day.
And there’s more: last year Tejay Van Garderen’s strong overall showing in the Criterium du Dauphine was the first indication that the young American could one day challenge for the Tour de France. One thing is certain: if a rider has real stage race potential, the Dauphine is the place where you’ll see it first.