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Stage 2 of the Criterium du Dauphine will provide the riders with the first uphill road finish of the race, climaxing at the peak of Chalmazel – Jeansagnière 167.5km after setting off. Join The Roar from 11pm (AEST) for all the live highlights and racing action.
Starting the day’s ride at the small French town of Crêches-sur-Saône, boasting a population of just over 2000, the riders will be met with what could best be described as a rolling stage.
Four category climbs make up the bulk of the stage, with an undulating middle sector comprising of short, sharp rises and steep, concise descents to keep the riders busy.
Nacer Bouhanni took out the stage victory last night for team Cofidis in a physical sprint to finish, but it’s the Spaniard Alberto Contador that holds the lead, albeit a teetering six second lead.
Australian Richie Porte sits waiting in second in the General Classification Standings, after his battle with Contador in the Prologue left him with the aforementioned six second gap.
With just two days of riding in the bag, there’s still plenty of fresh legs to tackle the litany of climbs in Stage 2.
There’s plenty of room for attacks in the first half of the trek, but it’s the base of the third major climb, a category 2, that should lend it’s hand to a possible winning breakaway.
The penultimate climb that begins with 22km to go is the longest of the four categorised, and is immediately stacked on top of by the final ascent to the finish, a category 3 rise into Crêches-sur-Saône.
Teams Sky, who are nurturing Chris Froome in third place, and Tinkoff will have to be careful on a stage like this not to lose control of the peloton.
With so much opportunity for early breakaways, the two big teams in the Dauphine will have to keep an eye on the pack to keep their riders in ideal position.
Prediction
There’s such a tight battle at the top already, and after just a couple of stages it’s tough to pick who can break and who can hold.
Might be a little Aussie bias here but Richie Porte is looking strong for this one. If he latches onto a breakaway or keeps his head at the front of the pack, he has enough punch on the final sprints to have a real shot at taking the lead today.
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