LIVE stage 8 Critérium du Dauphiné 2025 | Can anyone stop Pogacar from claiming his 100th victory?

After the horror of the seventh stage over the Col de la Madeleine and Col de la Croix de Fer, the riders will have a few kilometers to stretch their legs. The road is relatively flat from Val d'Arc, apart from two small climbs in the first 15 kilometers. The breakaway riders can use these as launch pads. Only after about 55 kilometers does the road really start to climb.

The Col de Beaune (6.7 km at 6.7%) is not a killer and climbs very gradually, but after the descent and the subsequent intermediate sprint in Saint Michel de Maurienne, there are few descents. First, there is a false flat climb towards the Côte de Saint-André, followed quickly by the Côte d'Aussois (6.3 km at 6.2%).

From the top of that climb, which is already the fifth of the day, there are still 33 kilometers to finish. From the ski village of Lanslebourg, the climb to the Col du Mont-Cenis begins. At 9.7 kilometers at 7%, this is not the most challenging climb of the Dauphiné, but after roughly 2,800 meters of elevation gain, it will still take its toll.

Mont-Cenis is a climb with a rich history. It is said that the Carthaginian general Hannibal crossed the Alps here with his army and elephants, after which he inflicted terrible losses on the Romans. In 1805, Napoleon conquered the pass as we know it today.

The summit of this pass, which at 2080 meters is the highest point of the tour, is 5.5 kilometers from the finish line. Then, it is relatively flat to the finish, where the last meters of the Dauphiné will be covered.

View the Col du Mont-Cenis here.

Climbs
4.7 km: Côte d'Aiton (1.2 km at 8.8%)
15.3 km: Côtes de Saint-Georges d'Hurtières (4.7 km at 5.7%)
66.7 km: Col de Beaune (6.6 km at 6.8%)
88 km: Côte de Saint-André (2.5 km at 7.6%)
101.1 km: Côte d'Aussois (6.5 km at 6.2%)
128.3 km: Col du Mont-Cenis (9.6 km at 6.9%)

Times
Start: 1:30 PM local time (07:30 AM EDT)
Finish: approximately 5 PM local time (11:00 AM EDT)

After a week of sunshine and warm temperatures, temperatures will remain high, but there is a much greater chance of rain in the afternoon. It may still be dry at the start, but it could become quite wet as the day progresses. There is even a chance of thunderstorms. The good news is that conditions will be a bit better at the finish. There may still be a shower on top of the Mont-Cenis, but there won't be bad weather there.

There are some tough days ahead. What does that mean for the final stage? It is a bit less difficult than Saturday's stage, but Tadej Pogacar will still be the big favorite for the stage win, regardless of the situation. After his three stage wins, the main question is: does he still have the motivation?

Behind him, Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) is eager to show even more progress after his excellent ride on Saturday. Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) could also be in contention, provided he is given the space. This time, we expect a little less from Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) after his mediocre seventh stage. He was dropped by a very strong Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility).

But if Pogacar doesn't want to win, it could be a day for the breakaway riders. And then we'll be the first to write down Romain Bardet (Picnic PostNL). The Frenchman, who is retiring, would love to end his career with a bang, and he showed all his attacking legs on the climb to Valmeinier 1800.

We saw most of his rivals on Saturday: names such as Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious), Ben Healy (EF Education - EasyPost), and Sergio Higuita (XDS-Astana)... All names that could be in contention tomorrow. We can perhaps expect the same from guys like Eddie Dunbar (Jayco-AlUla) and Louis Barré (Intermarché-Wanty), who both lost a lot of time in the queen stage. Other contenders: Juan Guillermo Martinez (Picnic PostNL), Louis Meintjes (Intermarché-Wanty) and Guillaume Martin (Groupama-FDJ).

Top favorites: Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Outsiders: Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike), Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Romain Bardet (Picnic PostNL), Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious) and Ben Healy (EF Education - EasyPost)
Longshots: Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step), Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility), Sergio Higuita (XDS-Astana), Louis Barré (Intermarché-Wanty), Eddie Dunbar (Jayco-AlUla), Louis Meintjes (Intermarché-Wanty) and Giullaume Martin (Groupama-FDJ)