Stage 7 | Saturday, 10 June | Porte-de-Savoie - Col de le Croix de Fer (Saint-Sorlin) | 147.9 kilometres
Stage 7 gives the riders 50 kilometres to tackle the biggest challenges of this year's Tour of the Dauphine. The route leads north-east through the Isere valley, initially completely flat until it reaches the venue of the 1992 Winter Olympics, Albertville. From there, the route continues southwards, still following the course of the river. As far as Feissons-sur-Isere. From there, the route leads to La Chambre - over the Col de la Madeleine (HC). The route climbs for 25 kilometres at six per cent.
The route continues to Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne. The next illustrious name with a cycling tradition is the starting point for the next HC climb to the Col du Mollard, which is somewhat shorter and less steep at 18.5 kilometres and an average gradient of 5.8 percent. Nevertheless, the first twelve kilometres of the mountain are particularly tough.
After a short descent, the route continues to the day's finish in Saint-Sorlin on the Col de la Croix de Fer - another 1st category climb. The mountain arrival at 2067 metres is not only the highest point of the 2023 edition, but also the highest stage finish in the history of the Dauphine.
Sporting assessment of the 7th stage
With 4065 metres of climbing over just 148 kilometres, this is the queen stage of the tour. Nevertheless, a preliminary decision will be made here at most, as the final stage of the tour is also a tough one and is hardly inferior to stage 7.
Nevertheless, the top favourites will have to pull their aces out of their sleeves to do justice to their role. The stage over two legendary Tour de France passes brings plenty of prestige for the winner, which Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) would like to credit his account. Richard Carapaz (EF Education EasyPost) will be putting out feelers for this stage, and perhaps Daniel Martinez (Ineos Grenadiers) fight for the day's victory.
The French will try to do the same again. But for David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) and Guillaume Martin (Cofidis), who are riding for their teams for the overall classification, the day should ultimately be too difficult. This also applies to breakaways, who would have to attack before the Madeleine to have a chance. But then the finale is too difficult for anyone to finish ahead of the favourites.
Schedule, TV coverage & live stream of stage 7 of the Criterium du Dauphine 2023
The 7th stage of the Criterium du Dauphine starts at 10:20. The finish is expected to be between 14:37 and 15:08.
Eurosport will be broadcasting live on television from 13:10 - albeit on pay-TV on Eurosport 2. The broadcaster will also be providing a live stream on the internet, as will the paid providers GCN+ and Discovery+. The streams will also be online from 13:10.
Criterium du Dauphine - Stage 7: The most important information at a glance
- High mountain stage with mountain finish over 148 kilometres
- Start of the stage: 12:10 pm
- Estimated arrival time: between 14:37 and 15:08
- TV broadcast: From 13:10 on Eurosport 2
- Live stream: GCN+, Discovery+ and Eurosport from 13:10
