Critérium du Dauphiné 2026
07.06-14.06
The 2026 edition of the Critérium du Dauphiné, renamed the Tour Auvergne Rhône Alpes, took place from 7 to 14 June and once again attracted a strong WorldTour field ahead of the Tour de France. The 1,205.6 km race started in Vizille and finished on the Plateau de Solaison after eight stages featuring hilly terrain, a team time trial and three demanding mountain finishes. Isaac del Toro won the race on his debut, finishing 54 seconds ahead of the surprising Luke Tuckwell, with Juan Ayuso completing the podium.
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Route
The 2026 Critérium du Dauphiné offers a demanding eight-stage route that balances early unpredictability, a crucial team time trial and a brutal mountain finale. The race opens with a testing semi-mountainous circuit from Vizille to Saint-Ismier, where five classified climbs could immediately create splits. Stage 2 then stretches over 234.3km to Le Puy-en-Velay, making it the longest day of the race and a major endurance test before the time trial.
Stage 3 is a 28.4km team time trial around Perreux, likely to be decisive for the general classification and a valuable rehearsal ahead of the Tour de France. The following two stages offer contrasting opportunities. Stage 4 features a rugged middle section packed with climbs before a flat run-in to Montrond-les-Bains, while Stage 5 gives the sprinters their clearest chance, with flatter roads leading to Parc des Oiseaux-Villars-les-Dombes.
The race then turns sharply towards the high mountains. Stage 6 finishes at Crest-Voland after two category 1 climbs, before Stage 7 delivers a steep summit finish on the Grand Colombier. The final stage is the queen stage, with the Col du Pré, Montée de Bisanne, Col des Aravis and Plateau de Solaison set to decide the winner.
Explore the full 2026 Dauphiné route in our stage-by-stage guide.
Favourites
The 2026 Critérium du Dauphiné brings together a fascinating group of GC contenders, led by Paul Seixas, who returns to the race after finishing eighth on debut twelve months ago. The French teenager has since taken a major step forward, with standout performances across the spring, and arrives as one of the riders to beat ahead of his historic Tour de France debut.
UAE Team Emirates-XRG bring two major cards in Isaac del Toro and João Almeida. Del Toro has already won the UAE Tour and Tirreno-Adriatico this season, but the Dauphiné will be his first race back since crashing out of Itzulia Basque Country. Almeida, meanwhile, returns after missing the Giro through illness, with his form and possible Tour selection still important subplots. Juan Ayuso also enters with questions to answer after setbacks in Paris-Nice and the Basque Country, but remains a serious GC threat for Lidl-Trek.
Behind them, riders such as Mattias Skjelmose, Oscar Onley, Tobias Halland Johannessen, Ion Izagirre, Cian Uijtdebroeks, Luke Plapp and Daniel Felipe Martínez add depth to the battle for the top ten. Read our full preview and check out the complete start list to see all the contenders set to line up.
