First of all, let's get used to its new name: Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. The Critérium du Dauphiné denomination is now in the archives, chosen by the organizers to pay homage to the entire region hosting the race and to broaden its boundaries with the aim of creating an increasingly competitive event increasingly focused on fine-tuning preparation for the Tour de France.

The 2026 edition will start from Vizille on Sunday, June 7th and conclude a week later at the Plateau de Solaison. The variety of terrains and profiles promises an exciting race across eight stages, with a spirited start from Isère and a grand finale on the peaks of Ain and Savoie.

Between Vizille, linked to the memory of Thierry Claveyrolat, and Saint-Ismier, birthplace of Bernard Thévenet, the first stage will pay tribute to two icons of French cycling. The slopes of the Côte de Saint-Jean-le-Vieux (5.6 km at 8.7%) will be the final launching pad for the first yellow-blue jersey, before tackling a marathon stage towards Le Puy-en-Velay (237.3 km). Once again, two climbs at the end will shake up the group and decide the race's fate.

Sprinters will then try to control the race to battle it out at Montrond-les-Bains (4th stage) and at the Parc des Oiseaux in Villars-les-Dombes (5th stage), ten years after Mark Cavendish's victory in the same place for his 30th Tour de France win. The Grande Boucle will be particularly present in the third stage of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes: in Perreux, a 28.4 km team time trial will serve as a dress rehearsal before the Grand Départ in Barcelona, with the format already tested in Paris-Nice (the race is run by teams, but times are individual).

The battle for the general classification will then open up, with three mountain finishes in the last three days of the race. Riders will first face a series of climbs at Saint-Héry d'Ugine (11.3 km at 5.1%) and Crest-Voland (5.9 km at 7.7%, an unprecedented climb). After paying homage to the Classique des Alpes Juniors with a start from La Bridoire, riders will challenge each other on the Grand Colombier climb, through the demanding Virieu-le-Petit climb (8.4 km at 10.2%).

Finally, the last Sunday promises a grand finale in the form of a roller coaster with the Col du Pré (6.9 km at 10.1%), the Montée de Bisanne (11.4 km at 7.7%), the Col des Aravis (7 km at 6.8%) and the finish at the Plateau de Solaison (11.3 km at 9.1%). It is on these same steep climbs that, just over a month later, the 15th stage of the Tour de France will conclude, at the end of a high-intensity weekend.

In addition to the stages, which you can read below, the teams at the start have also been confirmed: the wildcards have been assigned to Cofidis and Tudor admitted by right, then to TotalEnergies and Caja Rural RGA Seguros.