The past two winners of the Tour de France will come face to face at the Critérium du Dauphiné next month after it was confirmed Chris Froome and Vincenzo Nibali will be on the start line in Ugine on 7 June.
The race organisers have said seven of last year’s Tour top 10 will take part in the race, including Spain’s Alejandro Valverde, who is currently the top-ranked rider in the UCI WorldTour standings.
Froome led last year’s race – which is seen as the official warmup for July’s Tour – until the sixth stage before a heavy crash handed the advantage to Alberto Contador, who was then overtaken by the American Andrew Talansky in a thrilling final stage to take the overall honours.
Nibali, who won the Tour by almost eight minutes last year after the defending champion Froome withdrew having injured his left wrist during a crash on the fifth stage, will be aiming to become the first Italian to win the race.
Of particular interest will be stage five – a 161km route from Dignes-les-Bains to the summit finish at Pra Loup – as it will be replicated in stage 17 of the Tour.
