The Critérium du Dauphiné is the ultimate test for the star riders heading to the Tour de France, but the race is also known to reveal surprising underdogs for the summer of racing in France.

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The Dauphiné begins May 30 and runs eight days, including a time trial and three summit finishes in the Alps to close the race. FloBikes will be on the ground with live reports and interviews for all our subscribers.

David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ)

Frenchman David Gaudu is on the cusp of a major result. There have been high hopes for the Frenchman since he won the Tour de l'Avenir in 2016, one of the biggest stage races for under 23 riders which has been also been won by the likes of Egan Bernal and Tadej Pogacar. 

While his rise in the WorldTour has not been as meteoric as the likes of Bernal and Pogacar, Gaudu has been steadily tracking upward. In 2020, he broke through with two stage wins in the Vuelta a España. 

His progression has continued in 2021. He rode clear with Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) in the final País Vasco stage, winning the day while Roglic secured the overall victory. 

With Thibaut Pinot not expected to race the Tour de France, Gaudu will have the full support of his Groupama-FDJ team. Expect to see that team support at 100% already in the Critérium du Dauphiné and something special from Gaudu.

Guillaume Martin (Cofidis)

Guillaume Martin would not be a surprise winner in the Critérium du Dauphiné, but his name rarely rolls off the tongue of foreign cycling fans. 

The Frenchman is worth noting, however, for an impressive ride to 3rd overall last year, 11th overall in the Tour de France and later that summer, the mountains jersey in the Vuelta a España. 

The 27-year-old rode to sixth overall in Paris-Nice at the beginning of 2021 and placed 15th recently in Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Now, he is primed for at least a stage win in the Dauphiné and maybe even more as he builds towards the Tour de France.

Ion Izaguirre (Astana-Premier Tech)

Astana-Premier Tech is ramping up the pressure, which was evident recently in the Tour of the Basque Country with Ion Izaguirre and Jakob Fuglsang taking turns hitting their rivals on the head with a hammer. 

The constant pressure applied by Astana netted Izaguirre a win on stage four and 10th overall. Izaguirre then went on to finish seventh overall behind Geraint Thomas (INEOS Grenadiers) in the Tour de Romandie. 

Add those recent results to past performances like the overall victory in Basque Country, the Tour of Poland and a Tour de France stage victory. Don't be surprised if Izaguirre runs away with the Dauphiné overall this June.