Critérium du Dauphiné 2017 Route stage 6: Villars les Dombes

Critérium du Dauphiné 2017 Route stage 6: Villars les Dombes – La Motte-Servolex

Friday, 9 June 2017 - Stage 6 in the Critérium du Dauphiné is a mountain stage with something extra. The last 60 kilometres are in stage 9 of next July's showdown - the Tour de France. At 145.5 kilometres, the Dauphiné travels from Parc des Oiseaux, the zoo of Villars-les-Dombes, to Motte-Servolex.

Stage 14 of last year’s Tour de France finished where today’s Dauphiné stage starts. In Parc des Oiseaux near Villars-les-Dombes Mark Cavendish sprinted to victory.

Zero chance a sprinter will turn out on top in the 6th stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné as the horse catégorie climb up Mont du Chat is crested with 15.5 kilometres remaining.

Côte de Corlier and Côte de Jongieux are the other KOM-climbs in the course. Certainly not insurmountable – 3rd and 4th category -, yet the route gets interesting from Jongieux onwards – or really after the passage in the village Culoz. The ensuing route travels on the same roads as stage 9 in the upcoming Tour de France.

Culoz lies 19 kilometres before the top of Côte de Jongieux, which is crested with 37 kilometres left. Following the descent the route starts to climb. This is not yet part of the official Mont du Chat ascent. After some 6 kilometres the riders arrive on a small plateau and only then the Mont du Chat is in full swing. It is a steep challenge of 8.7 kilometres. The climb runs from an elevation of 606 metres to 1,504 metres, thus averaging 10.3%.

Atop 17.5 kilometres remain to the finish in La Motte-Servolex. Mostly in descent but the last 2 kilometres are flat. By the way, next July the route of La Grande Boucle continues for a few more kilometres to a finish line in Chambéry.

The first three riders on the line in Motte-Servolex take time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds.