Critérium du Dauphiné hits the Alps

The GC battle is only just starting, with three tough Alpine stages, that feature legendary climbs of the Tour de France

Stage 6 - the Mont Du Chat

The sixth stage, tomorow Friday June 8th of the 2017 Critérium du Dauphiné will be the first of the three tough Alpine stages. In fact you could say the first five stages were just a warm up,  the Individual Time Trial giving us an indication of the GC contenders current form.

On Friday, the riders will face the dreaded Haute Category Mont du Chat (8.7 km) with gradients at 15% and its average slope at more than 10% the whole way up. The climb starts around 30 kms from the end of the stage.

Whoever crests the top of the climb first has a technical descent all the way to the finish and surely marks the point in the race where the contrenders will start their showdown.

The Contenders

Thomas De Gendt will be aiming to keep the leader's jersey but  it's going to be tough, It's highly likely that he could finish in the top ten overall.

Richie Porte and BMC Racing will be on the defensive and have another card to play in the shape of USA's Brent Bookwalter who is beasting it at the moment and is in stellar form. Porte will likely follow wheels and attacks on tomorrow's stage.

The battle will come from his rivals Alberto Contador (Trek-Segafredo), Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) and Diego Ulissi (UAE Team Emirates).

Fabio Aru joins Roman Bardet, Warren Barguil, Esteban Chaves and Simon Yates whose time trials didn't put them in the top ten, so expect attacks.

Movistar also have another card to play in the shape of Jesus Lopez who could go on an early attack to set up Valverde and vice-versa.

Chris Froome doesn't seem to be going as well as he hoped and without any real racing and/or wins this year, doesn't look likely to be the first to attack.

Contador, Valverde, Lopez and Bardet all look likely to let off both barrells of the shotgun, when the opportunity arises.

The Mont Du Chat

The Mont du Chat is a seriously tough climb, in fact today the Dauphine organizers released this video of the climb. It's never ending steep with the top of the climb no where in site?

Cycling fans will be drooling wanting to climb it sometime soon after watching the Pro's battle it out tomorrow!

Découvrez l'ascension du Mont du Chat, juge de paix de la 6e étape ! / Discover the Mont du Chat, final climb of stage 6! ????#Dauphine pic.twitter.com/1XxBwivLVa

— Critérium Dauphiné (@dauphine) May 30, 2017

Stage 7 - Finish at L'Alpe d'Huez

The next day on Saturday June 9th, Alpe d’Huez looms at the finish, but without its iconic ascent. The Critérium du Dauphiné is offering a new passage up the mythical climb of the legendary climb of Alpe d'Huez.

Instead of the traditional climb from Bourg d’Oisans, Stage 7 will tackle the Col de Sarenne which joins up to the higher slopes of Alpe d’Huez. The Sarenne is 15.3 kilometres at 6.9% before a rolling section joins up to the final 3.7 kilometres, 7.2% climb up to the very top of Alpe d’Huez, missing out all 21 hairpin bends on it's lower slopes. 

Stage 8 - the Fabulous Final Four

The final stage from Albertville to Plateau de Solaison is short (115 kilometres) but very tough with more than 4,000 vertical metres, it will make for a brutal day's riding.

The route takes in three intermediate climbs before the final climb up to Plateau de Solaison – 11.3 kilometres at 9.2%.

These climbs are tough the Col des Saises, followed straight after the Col des Aravis and straight after that the Col de la Colombiere with no respite this is going to be a really brutal, brutal day in the saddle for the peloton!

Who ever pulls on the yellow jersey will have surely earnt it on the slopes of some of France's iconic climbs.

So don't miss this coverage starts daily at 09:00 EST, 14:00 GMT, 15:00 CET on our Critérium du Dauphiné LIVESTREAM