Key points:
Ø The Ardèche department will host the start of the 74th edition of the Critérium du Dauphiné in 2022.
Ø First stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné 2022 will be entirely set in Ardèche, between La Voulte-sur-Rhône and Beauchastel, on Sunday 5 June.
The stars of the international peloton are called to Ardèche. On Sunday 5 June, just under four weeks before the Grand Départ of the Tour de France, the Critérium du Dauphiné 2022 will start from La Voulte-sur-Rhône. The peloton will embark on two separate loops, with a first pass across the finish line after 130km. Among other challenges, the riders will climb the Côte de Chambon de Bavas twice (4.8km at 5.2%), which could inspire attackers, like Brent Van Moer, first to wear the yellow and blue jersey in 2021. But the final, with wide straight roads on the banks of the Rhône, can allow the peloton to organize themselves for a group finish. This first stage will end in the neighboring town of Beauchastel, after 192 km of racing exclusively on the roads of Ardèche.
The department is once again welcoming a stage finish of the eight-day race, six years after Fabio Aru’s victory in Tournon-sur-Rhône. In 2020, during the Tour de France, it was Wout van Aert who won in Privas, which will be crossed twice on the occasion of this 1st stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné 2022. A spectacular terrain before setting off to the high summits throughout the week!
