The route of the Tour Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes has been unveiled and its actually a much better Dauphin route than weve had in recent years with a real start in the heart of the ancient Dauphin province. So the name change will need a while to sink in.Heres a stage-by-stage look followed by some notes on the wildcard invites, TV schedules and possible contenders.Stage 1 Sunday 7 JuneA start in Vizille and the race tours the outskirts of the city of Grenoble taking in climbs on the Vercors, the Chartreuse and the Belledone mountains. The penultimate climb of the Col de Vence has featured in the Dauphin and Tour before, the Cte de Quaix en Chartreuse is better known as most of the Col de Palaquit to locals. The final climb is new to the race and steep at 8.7% and followed by a matching descent.Stage 2 Monday 8 JuneA stage that stars in the Rhone valley and then climbs into the Ardche, rugged terrain, via the Col Robert Marchand, named after the cyclist who, at the age of 102 set an hour record of 24.251km and did a lot more too, especially to promote cycling in this area. More climbs and lumpy roads await before a finish in Le Puy. With this race here and Paris-Nice dipping a toe in the Ardche and the womens Tourhaving a full stage its setting things up for the mens Tour to visit soon too.Stage 3 Tuesday 9 JuneA team time trial and itll be run under Paris-Nice rules on roads just to the east of Roanne as the team wins the stage but times are taken on the first rider from each squad to cross the line and they all get the time they cross the line with for the overall. Its a dress rehearsal for the Tour de Frances opening stage in Barcelona with a rolling course where teams will have to manage their riders over the first half of the course to better keep their rouleurs for the final 10km back to Perreux. Its all on relatively small back roads too.Stage 4 Wednesday 10 JuneA stage for the sprinters? Possibly in the modern era for riders who can get over a succession of mountain passes and then deploy their teams to ride down any breakaways in the last 50km.Stage 5 Thursday 11 JuneTrue story: hulk sprinter Alexander Kristoff started the Dauphin a few years ago and didnt realise there wasnt a single sprint stage to suit until he was in his hotel on the eve of the race and flicking through the race roadbook. This stage ought to be for the sprinters on condition enough are on the startline for their teams to set this one up for them. The start is tricky before the route flattens out and finishes in the wetland area of Les Dombes.Stage 6 Friday 12 JuneSome dj vu as the race goes back to the Col du Granier via Les Echelles, the geo-located scene of Bernard Hinaults urination featured in this race two years ago, and in the womens Tour last summer. Then its a dash up the valley to Albertville and to new roads. The Tour was supposed to go to Ugine, Hry and Crest-Voland last summer on Stage 19 but a bovine disease outbreak and farmers protest saw the route diverted. As the Tours preview should have said then the climb to Hry is much steeper and more irregular than the profile says. After a brief descent the climb to Crest-Voland is half of the Col des Saisies and back to dj vu as its where Georg Zimmerman won a stage of the Dauphin in 2023.Stage 7 Saturday 13 JuneA tough stage with plenty packed into 133km. The opening roads feature some small passes on the old roads of Mandrin, who was either a brigand and smuggler in the 18th century, or Frances version of Robin Hood according the accounts you pick. Or both. Then its around the Grand Colombier and its sister climb the Col de Richemond, both part of the Jura mountains and more importantly both very hard. Especially the Grand Colombier from Virieu. 8.4km at 10.2% is hard enough and there are two routes up this side but matching the video from the route presentation with the roads and yes this is the sadistic version with aa long section at 15% and apparently reaches 22%. This peak gradient is hard to find and if exists brief but the point is few can tell amid the shaded woodland when the road is already reaching 18%. This is one of the most savage climbs in France and rhymes with Zoncolan.Stage 8 Sunday 14 JuneThe only negative about this stage is the distance, 120km belongs in a junior race. But otherwise its great with the scenic and steep Col du Pr to start and then a more regular descent back to Beaufort. Next comes the tricky Bisanne climb which is parallel to the Col des Saisies and then the picture-postcard Col des Aravis via its steeper side. Then comes a long descent, some of it gentle and the finish to the Plateau de Solaison. This is another Tour de France nod given Stage 15 also finishes on the Solaison, the climb featured in the 2022 Dauphin, Primo Rogli won the GC arm-in-arm with Jonas Vingegaard who was half a wheel ahead to win the stage and extrapolating the body language the Dane went onto win the Tour; before that Jacob Fuglsang won in 2017 too so well see if a non-Danish rider can triumph for a change.SummaryA more compact route, this years edition doesnt have a solo time trial but instead the team time trial offers another pre-Tour test and the Tour looms large in other ways, notably the Solaison finish. Its also a scenic route throughout, if you wanted to take the week off for a bike packing trip this would do nicely but pack light for the Grand Colombier. Theres never an easy version of this race but this is a tough one from the start with the opening day functioning as a tricky mountain stage and only one true sprint stage.NotesThe race has been rebranded because the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region sponsors the race but itll take time to lose the Dauphin labelThe long time Dauphin organiser and cycling journalist Thierry Cazeneuve died this month and was commemorated at the route presentation today, hopefully he gets a fitting tribute during the race this June tooThe Dauphin has usually clashed with the tennis in Rolland Garros and the result is FranceTV as the broadcaster has dedicated resources to the tennis and as a result cycling fans have had to settle for the last 90 minutes a day. But this year the tournament will be done. Well see if coverage can show the earlier action but dont bet on itTudor and Cofidis have taken up their invitations to start, Q36.5 have declined, presumably in order to focus on their home race of the Tour de SuisseWildcards go to Total Energies and intriguingly Caja Rural. No invite to Dutch French team Unibet Rose Rockets despite their flag, promise and local riders Victor Lafay and Colin Savioz. Indeed the usually well-sourced Le Parisien is reporting the French team wont get an invite to the Tour in July either when wildcards are announced tomorrowThe Tour de Suisse has been the June rival but the Swiss event has been amputated to five days making it a more compact event and so less of a pre-Tour testBut both races dont overlap so its possible to finish the Dauphin AuRA Tour and start SuisseRemco Evenepoel, Juan Ayuso, Isaac Del Toro and Cian Uijtdebroeks are the headline names for now. For Evenepoel its a crucial climbing test ahead of the Tour, for Ayuso a chance to grab a big win and for Del Toro to quietly ensure hes more than a protected rider at UAE come JulyThe post Tour Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes Route first appeared on The Inner Ring.