Favorites stage 8 Critérium du Dauphiné 2024 | European Championship hasn't started yet, but Roglic can already score hat-trick!

For the vast majority of the peloton in the Critérium du Dauphiné, the ordeal is almost over. Just one more ride to empty those legs, but who still has the appetite to make something happen? After a week full of crashes and bad weather, there are four categorized climbs remaining on which riders can attempt to make a difference. IDLProCycling.com gives you a preview.

Course stage 8 Critérium du Dauphiné 2024

The final stage will typically be centered around the last climb of the day. The attackers in the peloton will have all day to empty their tanks, for mountain points and perhaps even for the stage win. For the general classification riders, Le Salève will normally be too far from the finish to attempt anything. The Plateau des Glières, with its 9.4 kilometers at an average of 7.1 percent, is challenging enough to warrant waiting.

Climbs
14.2 km: Col de la Forclaz de Montmin (7.1 km at 7.3%)
32.1 km: Col des Esserieux (4.2 km at 5.4%)
103.1 km: Le Salève (12.1 km at 6.8%)
152.5 km: Plateau des Glières (9.4 km at 7.1%)

Times
Start: 10:30 AM
Finish: around 3 PM

Weather stage 8 Critérium du Dauphiné 2024

The peloton starts early again on Sunday, as the men's Roland Garros finals are a highlight for sports fans. After heavy rain at night, the sun will shine in the starting town of Thônes on Sunday morning with temperatures heading towards 20 degrees. Along the way, there will be cloud cover, which might also bring a few showers. In short, unpredictable weather, where the wind won’t play much of a role, but the weather gods seem likely to decide last-minute if the finale will be wet or dry.

Favorites stage 8 Critérium du Dauphiné 2024

Who else but Primoz Roglic could be the top favorite to win the last stage of the Dauphiné? The Slovenian of BORA-hansgrohe already won the tough mountain stages on Friday and Saturday. And how: he was the strongest each time – and it wasn't even close. A third consecutive stage win would certainly be the icing on the cake. The main threat to Roglic seems to come from Visma | Lease a Bike. Matteo Jorgenson continues to surprise and seems to be improving throughout the race. Winning might be difficult, but it's certainly possible!

Giulio Ciccone of Lidl-Trek must also be mentioned. The Italian had a very tough start to the year but seems to be back in this French race. He has been very close to a victory several times, although it was always just not enough for Cicco. Will Sunday be his day? With his strong finish, he definitely has an extra weapon at his disposal.

Looking at the surprises of the Dauphiné, we must mention Derek Gee (Israel-Premier Tech) and Oier Lazkano (Movistar). It wasn't necessarily expected that either would mix with the biggest names (certainly not in the high mountains), but it turns out that is exactly what happened. They can no longer surprise, but winning is possibly within reach!

For Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step), things are not going very smoothly in the high mountains, as the "Aerobullet of Schepdaal" – a nickname he definitely did honor in the time trial stage – lost a lot of time in the mountain stages. We also do not suspect that he will suddenly recover on Sunday, although you never know with the Belgian. Additionally, it's worth watching men like Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious), Carlos Rodriguez, Laurens De Plus (both INEOS Grenadiers), shadow leader Mikel Landa (Soudal Quick-Step) and back-up leader Aleksandr Vlasov (BORA-hansgrohe).

Escapees, of course, have a chance as well. In this context, we think of riders like Guillaume Martin (Cofidis), Clement Bérthet (Decathlon AG2R) and Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ). Given their position in the standings, they can benefit from some open space. Sepp Kuss (Visam | Lease a Bike) could also potentially have a resurgence, although we don’t rate the chances of that happening very high.

Who are the favorites for stage 8 Critérium du Dauphiné 2024, according to IDLProCycling.com?

Top favorite: Primoz Roglic (BORA-hansgrohe)
Outsiders: Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike), Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) and Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious)
Long shots: Derek Gee (Israel-Premier Tech), Oier Lazkano (Movistar), Mikel Landa, Remco Evenepoel (both Soudal Quick-Step), Carlos Rodriguez (INEOS Grenadiers), Aleksandr Vlasov (BORA-hansgrohe) and Guillaume Martin (Cofidis)