LIVE stage 5 Critérium du Dauphiné 2025 | Last real chance for Mathieu van der Poel and co!

It never stops in France. After three tough opening days and the subsequent time trial, there is no time for rest in the fifth stage. On paper, it is the easiest stage of the race: from Saint-Priest, a suburb of Lyon, the riders must cover 183 kilometers to Mâcon, with 'only' 1700 meters of climbing. But the first 80 kilometers are pretty flat. The first climb is not until kilometer 91, but it gets tough.

The Côte de Saint-Amour is not very difficult, but what follows is more serious. The Col de Fontmartin (6.7 kilometers at 4.4%) and the Col de Boubon (4.7 kilometers at 5.2%) are the two most difficult climbs of the day. The top of the last mountain is just over 60 kilometers from the finish, after which it's downhill to the intermediate sprint on the Col du Bois Clair, which is also a tricky little climb: the road climbs here for 3.8 kilometers at 3.1%.

In the final, there is one more categorized climb. The Col des Quatre Vents is, again, not very difficult, but the series of slopes will take its toll. Officially, this climb is 5.4 kilometers at 4.6%, but the last 2 kilometers climb at around 6%. Then it's downhill to the finish in Mâcon, but the wind could pick up here.

View the climb to the Col des Quatre Vents here.

Climbs
91.0 km: Cote de Saint Amour (1.2 km a 5.6%)
109.0 km: Col de Fontmartin (6.7 km a 4.4%)
120.5 km: Col de Boubon (4.7 km a 5.2%)
155.8 km: Col des Quatre Vents (5.3 km a 4.6%)

Times
Start: 12:35 PM local time (06:35 AM EDT)
Finish: 5:10 PM local time (11:10 AM EDT)

It's nice and warm in France, as it has been all week. Expect around 30 degrees all day long. However, more wind is expected than in previous days. A southerly wind will generally give the riders a tailwind, but once over the top of the final climb, the riders will feel it on their right side and then directly in their faces.

With four categorized climbs in the second half of the stage, it will be another grueling task for the few sprinters to compete for victory in Mâcon. In addition, the presence of Jonathan Milan with his Lidl-Trek train could also have an intimidating effect: if they manage to get things running smoothly, there seems to be little chance for the other fast riders.

That is why we saw Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious), who finished second and third behind Milan on day two, already attacking. Knowing this is the last chance for such riders, we expect to see them again. The same goes for Louis Barré (Intermarché-Wanty) and the INEOS riders Axel Laurance and Sam Watson.

The last two are riders who can handle a hill and are fast at the finish, as we have seen more of in this stage race. Jake Stewart (Israel-Premier Tech), Laurence Pithie (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Hugo Page (Intermarché-Wanty), Bastien Tronchon (Decathlon AG2R), Emilien Jeanniere (TotalEnergies), Paul Penhoët (Groupama-FDJ) and Matteo Trentin (Tudor), for example.

We also expect the more classic baroudeurs. French riders such as Benjamin Thomas (Cofidis), Bruno Armirail (Decathlon AG2R), and Rémi Cavagna (Groupama-FDJ), but also the more punchy types such as Toms Skujins, Jasper Stuyven (Lidl-Trek), Simone Velasco (XDS-Astana) and Red Bull-BORA Belgian Maxim Van Gils. Compared to Tuesday, the difference is that the run-up phase is flat, and it will be ‘easier’ for them to stay in the peloton.

Who knows, we might even see something crazy from Tadej Pogacar (UAE) and his teammates, but with three tough days ahead, we think the GC contenders and teams will save their energy.

Top favorites: Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious)
Outsiders: Jonathan Milan, Jasper Stuyven (Lidl-Trek), Simone Velasco (XDS-Astana) and Jake Stewart (Israel-Premier Tech)
Long shots: Laurence Pithie, Maxim Van Gils (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Hugo Page (Intermarché-Wanty), Axel Laurance, Samuel Watson (INEOS Grenadiers), Bastien Tronchon (Decathlon AG2R), Emilien Jeanniere (TotalEnergies), Louis Barre (Intermarché-Wanty) and Matteo Trentin (Tudor)