LIVE stage 3 Critérium du Dauphiné 2025 | Starting in his hometown and opportunities for the breakaway: This is Bardet's big chance

We're continuing with more elevation gain as if the opening stages weren't hilly enough. In the third stage, from Brioude to Charantonnay, riders will have to tackle 3,000 meters. Most of the obstacles are in the first 150 kilometers. From the start, we head east, and after 17 kilometers, we already have two climbs behind us: the Côte de Cornille (4.1 km at 4.8%) and the Côte de la Barbate (5.8 km at 6.8%). Not bad, so early in the race!

Ten kilometers after the second summit, there is also an intermediate sprint, so the breakaway riders may have to wait a while after the GC contenders have battled for the bonus seconds. The next (real) climb follows 78 kilometers from the start, with the Côte de Malataverne (5.4 km at 3.8%) over undulating terrain. The Col du Tracol follows: a slight climb (2.9 km at 3.9%) 80 kilometers from the finish. From there, it is mostly downhill towards the valley in Chavanay.

There are 40 kilometers of predominantly flat roads, interrupted by the Côte du Château Jaune. 1.2 kilometers and no less than 9.5%, with sections up to 13%: with its location 19 kilometers from the finish, this climb could prove crucial. Shortly after the descent, there is another small climb, after which the route continues on a gentle slope towards Charantonnay.

Climbs
Côte de Cornille (4.1km km at 4.7%)
Côte de la Barbate (5.8km at 6.8%)
Côte de malataverne (5.4km at 3.8%)
Col du Tracol (2.9km at 3.9%)
Côte du Château Jaune (1.2km at 9.5%)

Times
Start: 12:15 PM local time (06:15 AM EDT)
Finish: approximately 5:10 PM local time (11:10 AM EDt)

The riders are lucky in the early weeks of June. The weather in France is lovely, and Tuesday will be no exception: the riders will start in Brioude with temperatures around 25 degrees and a gentle north wind. So it will be warm, and at the finish in Charantonnay, the temperature will even reach 30 degrees.

Up, down, up, down, up, and down again. That's how we'll look for real attackers for the stage win on Tuesday. Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) certainly fits into that category. The Irishman already completed a solo breakaway of more than fifty kilometers in this year's Tour of the Basque Country, proving that he has good legs. With Toms Skujins, Lidl-Trek has an attacker (albeit a slightly less skilled climber) who could also make a big impression.

The list of pure attackers also includes Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious), who attacked on day one, Simone Velasco (XDS Astana), Markus Hoelgaard (Uno-X), and Louis Barré (Intermarché-Wanty). The latter already stood out this year with a sixth place in the Amstel Gold Race, where he too could be a contender from the breakaway.

Then there are the fast riders in the Dauphiné who are good on hills. For example, Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) is good on short hills, although he got into trouble early on day two when the pace picked up on the climb. Furthermore, Emilien Jeannière (TotalEnergies), Matteo Trentin (Tudor), Laurance Pithie (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Søren Wærenskjold and Magnus Cort (both Uno-X) are the attackers with a pretty fast finish in their legs. This stage should certainly suit the strong Cort well.

It will be a special day for Romain Bardet. The Frenchman from Picnic PostNL is retiring from professional cycling after the Dauphiné and will start one of his last races in Brioude, his hometown. If the stage win goes to the early breakaway, the experienced Bardet cannot be ruled out.

Top favorites: Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious) and Toms Skujins (Lidl-Trek)
Outsiders: Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), Magnus Cort (Uno-X), Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X) and Matteo Trentin (Tudor)
Long shots: Simone Velasco (XDS Astana), Romain Bardet (Picnic PostNL), Laurance Pithie (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Markus Hoelgaard (Uno-X), Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek), Louis Barré (Intermarché-Wanty) and Emilien Jeannière (TotalEnergies)