Velominati Super Prestige: Critérium du Dauphiné

I'll have mine medium rare with extra clenbuterol, please. Photo via Cycling Weekly

The Tour de France looms on the horizon, and those riders planning to race are putting the final touches on their form – or going into last-minute panic mode, final exam cram-style. The Critérium Dauphiné has long been a favorite preparation race serving both purposes rather well.

It’s a favorite of the Tour’s GC contenders as it usually features stages that, if not identical to key stages from the Tour, will at least feature many of the same climbs; habitual Tour winners like Indurain, Armstrong, and Clentador have traditionally used this race as their preferred method of final preparation; riders seeking additional form will take the beating taken from a week of suffering and have just enough time to recover prior to the Tour. And, of course, riders who have aspirations in July may also find they are a few kilos heavy yet and may indulge in some ultra-lean Spanish beef in order to get to fighting weight.

It’s also a dangerous gamble: ride too hard at the Critérium and you could fire off the Guns of Navarone and enter the Tour in a state of fatigue, as Pharmy did in 2003. A delicate balance, this.

The challenge in predicting the results of a preparation race such as this is that the favorites for the Tour are (hopefully) peaking in one month, not during this event. But they’ll be good – maybe good enough to win. But probably not. Combine that with that the notion that a rider with little hope in July may be looking for glory and will be in peak form, leading to an unexpected result – a review of last year’s race with Jani Brajkovic is a great example of this case.

With that we kick off into the first minor-stage VSP for the Critérium Dauphiné. Being a week-long stage race, the points on offer are 7 for first, 5 for second, 4 for third, 3 for fourth, 2 for fifth, with the usual allotment of bonus points for getting the rider right but the place wrong. Also, there are no rest days, so no rest day swaps, but we will have our usual approach for riders who drop out. Piti Principle applies as always. Also review the guide, being careful to note that the rules have changes a bit this year, and we may not have completely updated the guide yet, so if there’s a question, ask.

Best of luck to all.

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

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View Comments

Roadslave525 says:

Jun 5 2011 at 2:35 pm

well, that was disappointing.
Karolinka says:

Jun 5 2011 at 2:54 pm

Blah :

I'm sure he'd be happy to get it right if Wiggam would get his genitalia right. If it looked like mooseknuckle, heath would call it mooseknuckle. Looks like he's packing camel toe, though.

That's what I'm seeing. The entertainment this guy provides is endless. Keep it up, Wiggy! Uh, up metaphorically, anyway.
Buck Rogers says:

Jun 5 2011 at 3:23 pm

@roadslave
:) Yeah, you only get little icons by your name when it is all over. Bummer ,eh? Great job on the 200k ride, though! I have not yet ridden 200k in one day. I've come close a few times but that magic mark is still in my future.
Oli says:

Jun 5 2011 at 3:36 pm

The so-called cycling "fans" who smear all the riders with the same doping brush are killing the sport as much as the dopers. No matter who is doping they've never all been doping, no matter how much you'd like your pessimistic and cynical worldview to prevail. How about a bit of respect for the clean riders?
Karolinka says:

Jun 5 2011 at 3:36 pm

frank :

As if I'm not already bemoaning the fact that the jerseys Pros are racing in are closer to skinsuits than jerseys,

Uhhhhhh, don't we try to look like pros? If we are picking and chosing what we try to emulate, than who is doing the picking and chosing and based on what? It's not a tiny teensy weensy possibility that they are ON TO SOMETHING RE. skinsuits?

Jerseys used to be made of wool. They weren't particularly "race fit," if you look at old photos, which of course you do. Why aren't you advocating wearing wool jerseys, since that's what used to be done? I'll TELL you why you aren't. Because we've got something BETTER now.

We've learned and moved on.

Whaddya think, frank? Give it a shot. Thinking out of your current box. Not all or any skinsuits are appropriate/look good, just like not all or any jerseys/bibs/shorts are appropriate/look good.

>>> I as if it's not already bad enough that Garmvelo is racing a onesy with pockets, as if it's not bad enough that the sleeves on most kits now run down to mid-upper arm...we are apparently now being treated to jerseys sufficiently thin that we will be staring at men's nipples all summer long.
Lovely.

I am totally with you on all of the above. UGH. The long short sleeves? WTF, over? As bad as or worse than Tall Socks...

...the peek-a-boo see through jersey is an appalling and offensive travesty.

Have a cookie.
Karolinka says:

Jun 5 2011 at 3:51 pm

@Buck Rogers, @Steampunk, @pakrat,

frank :

and it's possible some of the one-day racers are truly clean, but the Grand Tour riders? It's not that they have to dope, but they do if they're going to average 40+kph for 2500kms. Which they don't need to.
Who's clean? Evans has a cleaner reputation than most, but that doesn't mean he isn't doping. Balls to dope? It's all managed by the team. Easy peasie, lemon squeazie. Those are just vitamins, you see.

That's what I said. Exactly. But with a lotta extra words. Posts 95 and 97.

I'm going to change my name to @frank. Jeez.
Karolinka says:

Jun 5 2011 at 3:54 pm

@Marcus

I know nothing.
Buck Rogers says:

Jun 5 2011 at 4:38 pm

Oli :
The so-called cycling "fans" who smear all the riders with the same doping brush are killing the sport as much as the dopers. No matter who is doping they've never all been doping, no matter how much you'd like your pessimistic and cynical worldview to prevail. How about a bit of respect for the clean riders?

I LOVE cycling and have followed it faithfully since I started racing in the late '80's. I have stayed with it through all the "fun" and still love it. There are definitely clean riders but this last stuff, esp the reports of Big George admitting, has shaken my trust level. I'll still follow cycling closely and continue loving it, but I will not blindly trust anyone in the sport. Cynical yes, but I still love the sport and continue to hope that it gets cleaner.
Buck Rogers says:

Jun 5 2011 at 4:39 pm

@Buck Rogers
Also, any idea why is my last post is all italicised?
il ciclista medio says:

Jun 5 2011 at 5:03 pm

Oli :
The so-called cycling "fans" who smear all the riders with the same doping brush are killing the sport as much as the dopers. No matter who is doping they've never all been doping, no matter how much you'd like your pessimistic and cynical worldview to prevail. How about a bit of respect for the clean riders?

Seconded