Critérium du Dauphiné 2026 Startlist Preview: Pogacar Headlines the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Field
The 2026 edition of the Critérium du Dauphiné — officially rebranded this year as the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes — has confirmed one of its strongest startlists in years for the eight-day WorldTour race that runs from Sunday 7 to Sunday 14 June. The race begins in Vizille and concludes with a summit finish at the Plateau de Solaison, covering roughly 1,204 kilometres across the traditional Tour de France warm-up event.
Defending champion Tadej Pogacar heads the start sheet for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, fresh from his Andorra altitude block and looking to add a fourth Dauphiné title to the palmares. After his low-key 2026 spring, the Slovenian has used the past three weeks at altitude in Pas de la Casa and Davos to lay the foundation for what UAE describe as a "checklist" race programme leading into the Tour de France.
The opposition is unusually deep. Remco Evenepoel is confirmed for Soudal Quick-Step, with the Belgian using the race as his final tune-up after a season disrupted by his late-season crash. Florian Lipowitz, who finished third overall at the 2025 Dauphiné, leads Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, and Isaac del Toro arrives as UAE's secondary GC card with a Giro podium on his recent CV.
The route will not lack for opportunity. An individual time trial in the opening week should give Evenepoel an immediate platform, while the Dauphiné concludes on Sunday 14 June with the summit finish to Plateau de Solaison. There are at least three uphill finishes before the final showdown, and a hilly stage through the Beaujolais that could split the field if the wind picks up.
Notably absent is Jonas Vingegaard, who will be wrapping up his Giro campaign in Rome on 31 May and skipping the Dauphiné in favour of a high-altitude block in Tignes. The Visma-Lease a Bike leader's preference for the Tour de Suisse as his final pre-Tour race remains unchanged, denying race organisers the marquee Pogacar–Vingegaard duel a week before the Grande Boucle.
Among the non-GC headlines, Tom Pidcock is confirmed for the renamed Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team after a strong Tour de Romandie campaign, and Arnaud De Lie headlines the sprint contingent for Lotto on the back of his confirmed three-year move to Tudor Pro Cycling for 2027. Look for him to target stages 1, 2 and 7 as warm-up opportunities before the Tour de France.
For the climbers' watchers, the start of the Dauphiné is significant for another reason. With Primož Roglič confirmed for Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe in his final spring campaign before retirement, this could be the last competitive Dauphiné start of the Slovenian's career — a sentimental subplot to a race that already has more than enough top-line storylines to sell tickets along the roadside.