Critérium du Dauphiné

The Critérium du Dauphiné, before 2010 known as the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré, is an annual cycling road race in the Dauphiné region in the southeast of France. The race is run over eight days during the first half of June. It is part of the UCI World Tour calendar and counts as one of the foremost races in the lead-up to the Tour de France in July, along with the Tour de Suisse in the latter half of June.

The race was inaugurated in 1947 by local newspaper, the Dauphiné Libéré, which served as the event's title sponsor until 2009. Since 2010 the race is organized by ASO, which also organizes most other eminent French cycling races, notably the Tour de France, Paris–Nice and Paris–Roubaix.

Because the Dauphiné is set in the Rhône-Alpes region, covering portions of the French Alps, the race's protagonists are often climbing specialists. Many well-known climbs from the Tour de France – like the Mont Ventoux, the Col du Galibier or Col de la Chartreuse – are regularly addressed in the Dauphiné. Four riders, Nello Lauredi, Luis Ocaña, Charly Mottet and Bernard Hinault, share the record of most wins, with three each.

Dauphiné

The Dauphiné (/ˌdoʊfiːˈneɪ/ or /ˈdoʊfɪneɪ/; French pronunciation: [dofine]) or Dauphiné Viennois, formerly Dauphiny in English, is a former province in southeastern France, whose area roughly corresponded to that of the present departments of Isère, Drôme, and Hautes-Alpes. The Dauphiné was originally the County of Albon.

In the 12th century, the local ruler Count Guigues IV of Albon (c.1095–1142) bore a dolphin on his coat of arms and was nicknamed "le Dauphin" (French for dolphin). His descendants changed their title from Count of Albon to Dauphin of Viennois. The state took the name of Dauphiné. It became a state of the Holy Roman Empire in the 11th century.

The Dauphiné is best known for its transfer from the last non-royal Dauphin (who had great debts and no direct heir) to the King of France in 1349. The terms of the transfer stipulated that the heir apparent of France would henceforth be called the "le Dauphin" and included significant autonomy and tax exemption for the Dauphiné region, most of which it retained only until 1457, though it remained an imperial state until the French Revolution.

Romain Bardet

Romain Bardet (born 9 November 1990) is a professional French racing cyclist, currently riding for AG2R La Mondiale.

Professional career

Bardet turned professional in 2012. He distinguished himself in the 2012 Tour of Turkey especially in the 3rd stage, which was a mountain affair, where he attacked relentlessly to finally take fifth place. He also finished fifth overall in this stage race.

In 2014, Bardet finished sixth overall in the Tour de France. He also wore the White jersey for several days, ultimately placing second to Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) in the Young rider classification.

In 2015, he took a mountain stage victory on the Critérium du Dauphiné, after attacking the leading group at the end of the penultimate climb of the day. He gained a minute on the technical descent, then went back up to Pra Loup to take the solo win.

On 23 July 2015, after a solo breakaway, Bardet won stage 18 of the Tour de France. It was his first ever Tour de France stage victory. The next day, he claimed the polka dot jersey for the first time, after finishing fifth on Stage 19. However, he lost the polka dot jersey to Chris Froome on Stage 20. Bardet finished in ninth place overall, and was awarded the Super- Combativity award.

Tour de France

The Tour de France (French pronunciation: ​[tuʁ də fʁɑ̃s]) is an annual multiple stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. The race was first organized in 1903 to increase paper sales for the magazine L'Auto; it is currently run by the Amaury Sport Organisation. The race has been held annually since its first edition in 1903 except when it was stopped for the two World Wars. As the Tour gained prominence and popularity the race was lengthened and its reach began to extend around the globe. Participation expanded from a primarily French field, as riders from all over the world began to participate in the race each year. The Tour is a UCI World Tour event, which means that the teams that compete in the race are mostly UCI WorldTeams, with the exception of the teams that the organizers invite.

The Tour de France, the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España make up cycling's prestigious, three-week-long Grand Tours; the Tour is the oldest and generally considered the most prestigious of the three. Traditionally, the race is held primarily in the month of July. While the route changes each year, the format of the race stays the same with the appearance of time trials, the passage through the mountain chains of the Pyrenees and the Alps, and the finish on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. The modern editions of the Tour de France consist of 21 day-long segments (stages) over a 23-day period and cover around 3,500 kilometres (2,200 mi). The race alternates between clockwise and counterclockwise circuits of France.

Alberto Contador

Alberto Contador Velasco (Spanish pronunciation: [alˈβerto kontaˈðor βeˈlasko]; born 6 December 1982) is a Spanish professional cyclist, one of six riders to have won all three Grand Tours of road cycling. He was the winner of the 2007 Tour de France with the Discovery Channel team. With the Astana team he has won the 2008 Giro d'Italia, the 2008 Vuelta a España and the 2009 Tour de France. He initially also won the 2010 Tour de France with this team, and the 2011 Giro d'Italia with team Saxo Bank-SunGard, only to be stripped of these titles later having been found guilty of a doping offence. Following his return from a suspension, he won the 2012 Vuelta a España, the 2014 Vuelta a España and the 2015 Giro d'Italia. Notable summit stage finishes on which he has victories include the Alto de El Angliru in the Vuelta, the Plateau de Beille in the Tour and Mount Etna in the Giro. After being widely expected to lose his tenuous lead in the 2007 Tour de France in that race's final individual time trial, Contador has become a more accomplished time trialist, with several victories in the discipline. He has earned a reputation as an all-rounder, a cyclist who excels in all aspects of stage racing which are needed for high places in the general classification.