Tadej Pogačar won the final edition of the Critérium du Dauphiné with the race set to be rebranded as the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes from 2026, the Amaury Sports Organisation (ASO) announced on Monday afternoon.
First run in 1947, the Critérium du Dauphiné has become a key build-up race to the Tour de France, typically taking place just weeks before the Grand Départ each year. It was previously known as the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré until 2009, named after a newspaper that previously sponsored the race in the local area.
In a release to the media announcing the new name, race organiser ASO said the change was part of a “long standing collaboration” between the host region of France and the organiser, and was the “logical next step” in the relationship.
"The Critérium du Dauphiné was created in 1947 by a regional newspaper in love with cycling and has since grown in sync with the roads and slopes that have shaped its history. Buoyed by the steadfast backing of the Region, it will now become the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, taking on a new name that leaves no doubt about the regional roots of the race.
"As we saw in this edition, the region boasts a vibrant palette of landscapes and attracts the best riders in the world with a challenge that takes their breath away in every sense," Christian Prudhomme, ASO’s Director of Cycling and Tour de France race director, is reported to have said.
As well as Pogačar, previous winners of the Dauphiné include multiple Tour de France winners including Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Chris Froome, Sir Bradley Wiggins, Geraint Thomas and Jonas Vingegaard. The late Brian Robinson also won the race in 1961.
"This is a great source of pride for us," Fabrice Pannekoucke, president of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region said. "As one of the most anticipated events on the international calendar, this race is above all a gathering of top champions and the elite of the global peloton, just weeks before the Tour de France.
"The Region is proud to be the main partner of such a competition, a true flagship of our commitment to supporting cycling."
