Criterium du Dauphine Betting
The Criterium du Dauphine is a week-long French stage race held in June, raced through the Alps and surrounding mountains. It is the main Tour de France dress rehearsal: the leading Tour GC contenders use it to test their form weeks out, which makes it one of the most closely watched form indicators of the season. Here is how to read it and bet it in rand at CasinOnline.
Criterium du Dauphine guides
- The RouteHow the Criterium du Dauphine route shapes the betting: eight June stages across the Alps, serious mountains plus a time trial, with a few sprint days.
- Overall WinnerBetting the Criterium du Dauphine overall winner: the all-rounder profile, the Tour de France dress-rehearsal angle, reading the price and each-way value.
- Stage WinnersBetting Criterium du Dauphine stage winners: daily markets by stage type, mountain, time trial and sprint, plus breakaway angles, priced fresh each day.
- PredictionsA read on the Criterium du Dauphine: the form-indicator angle and its limits, the swing mountain and TT stages, head-to-heads, and in-play.
- Past WinnersCriterium du Dauphine past winners by era: a June stage race and key Tour de France warm-up whose champions overlap with Tour contenders.
The race
The Dauphine runs over roughly eight stages in June across the mountainous southeast of France. The route mixes serious mountain stages with an individual time trial, which together usually decide the general classification, plus a few stages that give the sprinters a chance. The GC is settled on cumulative time, so the overall comes down to climbing legs and time-trial speed.
What sets the Dauphine apart is its timing. Held weeks before the Tour de France, it is where the main Tour favourites line up to check their condition, so the results are treated as a meaningful read on who is climbing well heading into July. That form-indicator angle is part of what makes it interesting to bet, but it cuts both ways: some riders ride into form and ease off, while others target the Dauphine itself.
How to bet the Criterium du Dauphine
The core market is the GC outright (general classification) winner, decided on total time and usually shaped by the mountain stages and the time trial. You can also back individual stage winners day by day, podium (top three) and each-way bets that pay on a place, and head-to-heads pitting one named rider against another over the GC or a stage. The strong betting angle here is form: because the race reads onto the Tour, head-to-heads between Tour favourites are popular.
For the basics, see how to bet on cycling and the cycling bet types guide. Our cycling predictions weigh up form, and in-play betting lets you trade the mountain stages live. More sits on the main cycling betting page.
Before you bet
Form, start lists and odds move quickly in June, so check current prices and confirmed riders at the sportsbook before staking. All bets are fixed-odds, priced in rand, and settle once the result is official. Bet only with a licensed operator and within your limits.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the Criterium du Dauphine seen as a Tour de France warm-up?
It is held in June, weeks before the Tour, in similar Alpine terrain, and the main Tour GC contenders ride it to test their form. Results are widely treated as an indicator of who is climbing well heading into the Tour.
What decides the GC at the Dauphine?
The general classification is decided on cumulative time, mainly by the mountain stages and the individual time trial. A handful of sprint stages exist but rarely change the overall.
Do Dauphine results predict the Tour?
They are a useful read on form but not a guarantee. Some riders peak for the Dauphine, while others use it as training and improve into July, so treat it as one input rather than a certainty.