Critérium du Dauphiné facts for kids

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Critérium du Dauphiné
Race details
2024 Critérium du Dauphiné

Date	Early June
Region	Rhône-Alpes, France
Local name(s)	Critérium du Dauphiné
Nickname(s)	The Dauphiné
Discipline	Road
Competition	UCI World Tour
Type	Stage race
Organiser	Amaury Sport Organisation
Race director	Bernard Thévenet
History
First edition	1947 (1947)
Editions	76 (as of 2024)
First winner	Edward Klabiński (POL)
Most wins	Nello Lauredi (FRA) Luis Ocaña (ESP) Charly Mottet (FRA) Bernard Hinault (FRA) Chris Froome (GBR) (3 wins each)
Most recent	Primož Roglič (SVN)

The Critérium du Dauphiné is a super exciting bike race that happens every year in the beautiful Dauphiné region of southeast France. Before 2010, it was known as the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré.

This race lasts for eight days in early June. It's a big part of the UCI World Tour calendar, which is like the top league for professional cycling. Many cyclists see it as a really important warm-up for the famous Tour de France that happens in July.

The race started way back in 1947, created by a local newspaper called Dauphiné Libéré. They were the main sponsors until 2009. Since 2010, a company called ASO has organized the race. ASO also organizes other huge French bike races, including the Tour de France!

Because the Dauphiné region is in the Rhône-Alpes region, which is part of the French Alps, this race is full of tough mountain climbs. Many famous climbs from the Tour de France, like Mont Ventoux or Col du Galibier, are often part of the Dauphiné route. Five amazing riders have won the race three times each: Nello Lauredi, Luis Ocaña, Charly Mottet, Bernard Hinault, and Chris Froome.

History of the Critérium du Dauphiné
- How the Race Started
- The Critérium Joins the World Tour
The Race Route
Special Jerseys
Past Winners
- Riders with Multiple Wins
- Wins by Country
See also

History of the Critérium du Dauphiné

How the Race Started

The Critérium du Dauphiné began in 1947. A newspaper called Le Dauphiné libéré created it to help more people read their paper. After World War II, bike racing was starting up again. The newspaper, based in Grenoble, decided to create a stage race that would cover the whole Dauphiné region. They named the race after their newspaper and set it for June, just before the Tour de France. A Polish rider named Edward Klabiński won the very first race.

Because the race has lots of mountains and happens before the Tour de France, it became a perfect training ground for French cyclists. Famous riders like Jean Robic and Louison Bobet used the Dauphiné Libéré to get ready for the Tour de France.

The race took a break for two years in 1967 and 1968. When it came back in 1969, it joined with another race called the Circuit des Six-Provinces-Dauphiné. For many years, the newspaper and ASO worked together to organize the race. But in 2010, the newspaper gave all the organizing duties to ASO, and the race name became shorter: Critérium du Dauphiné.

The Critérium Joins the World Tour

Bradley Wiggins (in the yellow jersey) and Jean-Christophe Péraud during the 2011 Critérium du Dauphiné.

In the 1990s, the Critérium du Dauphiné was already considered one of the most important stage races, second only to the really big ones like the Grand Tours. In 2005, it became part of the first UCI Pro Tour, and in 2011, it joined the even bigger UCI World Tour. This means it's one of the top races in the world!

It's pretty cool that all four riders who won the Tour de France five times each also won the Critérium du Dauphiné. These legends are Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Induráin. Even more amazing, eleven riders have won both the Critérium du Dauphiné and the Tour de France in the same year! This shows how important the Dauphiné is for getting ready for the Tour. Some of these riders include Louison Bobet, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Miguel Induráin, Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome, Geraint Thomas, and Jonas Vingegaard.

The Race Route

Route of the 2011 race

The Dauphiné race lasts for 8 days and takes place in the Rhône-Alpes region of France. This area is famous for its beautiful French Alps. The race often starts on a Sunday with a short, fast race against the clock called a prologue. The stages on Monday and Tuesday are usually in the lower, hilly parts of the region. Then, in the second half of the race, the cyclists face the really big mountains! Sometimes, there's also a longer race against the clock, either for individual riders or for teams.

Because of where it is and when it happens, the race organizers often include a mountain stage that is almost exactly like a stage that will be in the Tour de France a month later. This helps riders practice and get a feel for what's coming.

Grenoble, the main city of the Dauphiné region, has hosted the start or finish of a stage more than any other city. Other cities that often host stages include Avignon, Saint-Étienne, Annecy, Chambéry, Gap, Lyon, Aix-les-Bains, Valence, Briançon, and Vals-les-Bains.

Special Jerseys

Jersey wearers at the 2011 event

In the Critérium du Dauphiné, the leader of the overall race wears a special yellow jersey with a blue band. This helps everyone easily spot who is in first place!

Besides the overall leader, there are other special jerseys:

In 1948, a mountains classification was added. The best climber wears a polka-dot jersey.
In 1955, a points classification was added. The rider who earns the most points (usually by finishing well in sprints) wears a green jersey.

Past Winners

		Rider
1947		Klabinski, EdwardEdward Klabiński	Mercier–Hutchinson
1948		Fachleitner, EdouardÉdouard Fachleitner	La Perle–Hutchinson
1949		Lazaridès, LucienLucien Lazaridès	France Sport–Dunlop
1950		Lauredi, NelloNello Lauredi	Helyett–Hutchinson
1951		Lauredi, NelloNello Lauredi	Helyett–Hutchinson
1952		Dotto, JeanJean Dotto	France Sport
1953		Teisseire, LucienLucien Teisseire	Terrot–Hutchinson
1954		Lauredi, NelloNello Lauredi	Terrot–Hutchinson
1955		Bobet, LouisonLouison Bobet	Mercier–BP–Hutchinson
1956		Close, AlexAlex Close	Elvé–Peugeot
1957		Rohrbach, MarcelMarcel Rohrbach	Peugeot–BP–Dunlop
1958		Rostollan, LouisLouis Rostollan	Essor–Leroux
1959		Anglade, HenryHenry Anglade	Liberia–Hutchinson
1960		Dotto, JeanJean Dotto	Liberia–Grammont
1961		Robinson, BrianBrian Robinson	Rapha–Gitane–Dunlop
1962		Mastrotto, RaymondRaymond Mastrotto	Gitane–Leroux–Dunlop–R. Geminiani
1963		Anquetil, JacquesJacques Anquetil	Saint-Raphaël–Gitane–R. Geminiani
1964		Uriona, ValentinValentín Uriona	Kas–Kaskol
1965		Anquetil, JacquesJacques Anquetil	Ford France–Gitane
1966		Poulidor, RaymondRaymond Poulidor	Mercier–BP–Hutchinson
1969		Poulidor, RaymondRaymond Poulidor	Mercier–BP–Hutchinson
1970		Ocana, LuisLuis Ocaña	Bic
1971		Merckx, EddyEddy Merckx	Molteni
1972		Ocana, LuisLuis Ocaña	Bic
1973		Ocana, LuisLuis Ocaña	Bic
1974		Santy, AlainAlain Santy	Gan–Mercier–Hutchinson
1975		Thevenet, BernardBernard Thévenet	Peugeot–BP–Michelin
1976		Thevenet, BernardBernard Thévenet	Peugeot–Esso–Michelin
1977		Hinault, BernardBernard Hinault	Gitane–Campagnolo
1978		Pollentier, MichelMichel Pollentier	Old Lord's–Splendor–K.S.B.
1979		Hinault, BernardBernard Hinault	Renault–Gitane
1980		van der Velde, JohanJohan van der Velde	TI–Raleigh–Creda
1981		Hinault, BernardBernard Hinault	Renault–Elf–Gitane
1982		Laurent, MichelMichel Laurent	Peugeot–Shell–Michelin
1983		Lemond, GregGreg LeMond	Renault–Elf
1984		Ramirez, MartinMartín Ramírez	Système U
1985		Anderson, PhilPhil Anderson	Panasonic–Raleigh
1986		Zimmermann, UrsUrs Zimmermann	Carrera Jeans–Vagabond
1987		Mottet, CharlyCharly Mottet	Système U
1988		Herrera, LuisLuis Herrera	Café de Colombia
1989		Mottet, CharlyCharly Mottet	RMO
1990		Millar, RobertRobert Millar	Z–Tomasso
1991		Herrera, LuisLuis Herrera	Postobón–Manzana–Ryalcao
1992		Mottet, CharlyCharly Mottet	RMO
1993		Dufaux, LaurentLaurent Dufaux	ONCE
1994		Dufaux, LaurentLaurent Dufaux	ONCE
1995		Induráin, MiguelMiguel Induráin	Banesto
1996		Induráin, MiguelMiguel Induráin	Banesto
1997		Bolts, UdoUdo Bölts	Team Telekom
1998		de Las Cuevas, ArmandArmand de Las Cuevas	Banesto
1999		Vinokourov, AlexanderAlexander Vinokourov	Casino–Ag2r Prévoyance
2000		Hamilton, TylerTyler Hamilton	U.S. Postal Service
2001		Moreau, ChristopheChristophe Moreau	Festina
2002	Result void
2003	Result void
2004		Mayo, IbanIban Mayo	Euskaltel–Euskadi
2005		Landaluze, InigoIñigo Landaluze	Euskaltel–Euskadi
2006	Result void
2007		Moreau, ChristopheChristophe Moreau	AG2R Prévoyance
2008		Valverde, AlejandroAlejandro Valverde	Caisse d'Epargne
2009		Valverde, AlejandroAlejandro Valverde	Caisse d'Epargne
2010		Brajkovic, JanezJanez Brajkovič	Team RadioShack
2011		Wiggins, BradleyBradley Wiggins	Team Sky
2012		Wiggins, BradleyBradley Wiggins	Team Sky
2013		Froome, ChrisChris Froome	Team Sky
2014		Talansky, AndrewAndrew Talansky	Garmin–Sharp
2015		Froome, ChrisChris Froome	Team Sky
2016		Froome, ChrisChris Froome	Team Sky
2017		Fuglsang, JakobJakob Fuglsang	Astana
2018		Thomas, GeraintGeraint Thomas	Team Sky
2019		Fuglsang, JakobJakob Fuglsang	Astana
2020		Martinez, DanielDaniel Martínez	EF Pro Cycling
2021		Porte, RichieRichie Porte	Ineos Grenadiers
2022		Roglič, PrimožPrimož Roglič	Team Jumbo–Visma
2023		Vingegaard, JonasJonas Vingegaard	Team Jumbo–Visma
2024		Roglič, PrimožPrimož Roglič	Bora–Hansgrohe

Riders with Multiple Wins

Riders whose names are in italic are still racing today!

Wins	Rider	Editions
3	Nello Lauredi (FRA)	1950, 1951, 1954
	Luis Ocaña (ESP)	1970, 1972, 1973
	Bernard Hinault (FRA)	1977, 1979, 1981
	Charly Mottet (FRA)	1987, 1989, 1992
	Chris Froome (GBR)	2013, 2015, 2016
2	Jean Dotto (FRA)	1952 + 1960
	Jacques Anquetil (FRA)	1963 + 1965
	Raymond Poulidor (FRA)	1966 + 1969
	Bernard Thévenet (FRA)	1975 + 1976
	Luis Herrera (COL)	1988 + 1991
	Laurent Dufaux (SUI)	1993 + 1994
	Miguel Induráin (ESP)	1995 + 1996
	Christophe Moreau (FRA)	2001 + 2007
	Alejandro Valverde (ESP)	2008 + 2009
	Bradley Wiggins (GBR)	2011 + 2012
	Jakob Fuglsang (DEN)	2017 + 2019
	Primož Roglič (SLO)	2022 + 2024

Wins by Country

The Critérium du Dauphiné has been held 76 times since 1947. For three of those years (2002, 2003, and 2006), the original winners' results were later removed. The organizers, ASO, have decided to keep these results empty.