The sprinters will want to stay home for this year's Critérium du Dauphiné, which appears to be tailored to the pure climbers. With mountain summit finishes on five of the eight stages and a time trial, the organisers ASO have created a brutal route designed to test the world's best.
Unfortunately, almost all of the big-name contenders who had the Dauphiné circled in red on their calendars crashed during the Itzulia Basque Country in April, and defending champion Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) will not be on the start line.
The Dane is back to training after recovering from breaking several ribs, his collarbone and a collapsed lung that kept him in the hospital for 12 days after that crash, but is not quite ready to tackle a parcours as severe as what the ASO have cooked up for the Dauphiné.
Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quickstep) and Primož Roglič (Bora-Hansgrohe) also went down in the crash, with the Belgian breaking his collarbone and scapula. Roglič dropped out of the race with a knee injury.
Both riders have made a quick enough comeback to be fit for the Dauphiné and top Cyclingnews' list of prime contenders.
Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quickstep)
Since being one of three of the expected contenders of the Critérium du Dauphiné and Tour de France to crash during stage 4 of the Itzulia Basque Country, Remco Evenepoel has made a quick recovery, having surgery to fix his broken collarbone and getting back to training on the road three weeks after the wreck.
While Tadej Pogačar was dominating the Giro d'Italia, Evenepoel was in the Sierra Nevada capping off hours of mountain training with a massive ride including 5,200 metres of climbing.
As the current World Time Trial Champion, Evenepoel will be the major favourite for the 34.4-kilometre stage 4 individual time trial.
The final three stages, with finishes atop Le Collet d'Allevard (11.2km at 8.1%), Samoëns 1600 (10km at 9.3%) and Plateau des Glières (9.4km at 7.1% but with long stretches of 10% or more) will be a true test of the Belgian's climbing abilities.
Primož Roglič (Bora-Hansgrohe)
Roglič's transition from eight years with Visma to Bora-Hansgrohe hasn't exactly gone to plan. His debut with the team at Paris-Nice ended with a 10th place.
However, Roglič's victory in the time trial at Itzulia Basque Country showed an upward trajectory. Unfortunately, his race came to an end with that crash on day four of his race lead.
Bora's sport director Ralph Aldag said earlier this month that Roglič has not had any problems after the crash. "His training is producing really good numbers. So it’s not just what he says about how he feels," he said.
A fit Roglič will certainly be a major contender at the Dauphiné. With much more climbing than the edition he won in 2022, this year's race tips the balance even more in his favour.
Carlos Rodríguez (Ineos Grenadiers)
Carlos Rodríguez represents the new wave of Grand Tour contenders in the British team. The 23-year-old finished seventh in his Vuelta a España debut in 2022 and fifth in the Tour de France last year, and he has only been getting stronger.
Rodríguez finished second to Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) in the Itzulia Basque Country and won the Tour de Romandie in April.
Last year, Rodríguez finished ninth in the Dauphiné but heads into the race this season with considerable momentum.
Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a Bike)
With Vingegaard still getting back into form after his injuries, Sepp Kuss will head into the Dauphiné likely as Visma's undisputed leader.
While teammate Matteo Jorgenson stamped his name into the list of Grand Tour contenders with his Paris-Nice win in February, the course for the Dauphiné is most suited to a pure climber like the 2023 Vuelta a España winner Kuss.
The relentless steep gradients in the finales of the last three stages will be a perfect place for Kuss to put his skills on display and also a way for him to put the sour intra-team rivalries of the Vuelta behind him for good.
Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates)
The winner of the 2024 Itzulia Basque Country, Juan Ayuso is supremely talented and poised to step up another rung on the ladder of Grand Tour contenders in the Dauphiné.
Ayuso, like teammate Tadej Pogačar, landed on the podium in his Grand Tour debut, at the age of 19 in 2022.
Since then, he's landed on the podium of the Tour de Suisse, Tirreno-Adriatico, and Itzulia Basque Country. With the full backing of his team, the Dauphiné could be his next major podium before he supports Pogačar in the Tour de France.
Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious)
While the five riders above are the most likely contenders, with the extended break between the early season racing and the Dauphiné, there is a lot of room for improvement.
Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious), tenth in the Vuelta last season and runner-up in Valenciana this spring was on track for a solid finish in Paris-Nice, lying second overall after his win on Mont Brouilly. However, he then crashed in two separate stages and dropped out on the final day.
David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ)
David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ), ninth in last year's Tour de France, has had an unlucky early season, too. After suffering a crash in Paris-Nice, Gaudu abandoned on the last stage with illness. He then crashed again in the Itzulia Basque Country and suffered a deep gash in his hand that forced him to abandon. His luck turned around with a win in the Tour du Jura.
After spending the Tour de Romandie in service of teammate Lenny Martinez, the Frenchman will want to show he's still his team's main contender in the Dauphiné.
