With just over one week until the 68th edition of the Criterium du Dauphine, race organisers ASO have released the preliminary list of starters with defending champion Chris Froome (Team Sky) headlining the announcement. The stacked field includes the majority of riders who are expected to challenge for overall Tour de France victory with Nairo Quintana the noticeable exception.
Two-time Tour winner Alberto Contador (Tinkoff), 2015 Vuelta a Espana winner Fabio Aru (Astana) and the French duo of Romain Bardet (AG2R-La Mondiale) and Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) have also been named for the WorldTour race which starts June 5 with a 3.9km time trial in Les Gets.
Contador has finished third (Volta ao Algarve em Bicicleta), 2nd (Paris-Nice), 2nd (Volta Ciclista a Catalunya) and 1st (Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco) in his first four races of 2016 and will start the Dauphine as one of the favourites for victory. The Criterium du Dauphine is of the rare races to have eluded the Spaniard's palmares thus far.
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Froome on the other hand started his season in Australia, winning the Jayco Herald Sun Tour before heading back to Europe via a South African training camp and placing eight overall at the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya. The 2013 and 2015 Tour champion then rode a snowy edition of Liège-Bastogne-Liège, won by teammate Wout Poels. A flat tyre took him out of contention at the Tour de Romandie before bouncing back and taking a stage win.
BMC Racing will have one of its Tour GC riders in Richie Porte for the race with the Australian looking to add to his podium finishes at Tour Down Under and Paris Nice. While Tejay van Garderen was not named in ASO's preliminary rider list, Rohan Dennis and Greg Van Avermaet are down to race.
Current Giro d'Italia race leader Steven Kruijswijk is set to race the Dauphine and will add to the depth of contenders but first must navigate a tough final weekend of the Italian grand tour if he is to become the first Dutch winner.
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