Cycling News: Route & Dates for Criterium du Dauphine 2015

Spring is in the air and that means one thing in France - le vélo! The country that is obsessed with cycling kicks off the season with this historic Alpine race that has been an annual fixture since 1947.

Due to the natural highs and lows of the terrain, the Critérium du Dauphiné attracts some of the world's best climbers and often includes some of the steeper stages of the Tour de France in its itinerary.

This year's route has just been unveiled and of the nine regions that it crosses, the Savoie features heavily with no less than 4 gruelling mountain-top finishes. It looks set to be a challenging race that will bring the more aggressive riders to the forefront, demanding endurance as well as speed.

The race takes place from the 7th to the 14th June, so expect disruption to travel plans if you are intending on driving through any of the following places:

• Sunday 7 June, stage 1: Ugine > Albertville, 132 km
• Monday 8 June, stage 2: Le Bourget-du-Lac > Parc des Oiseaux Villars-les-Dombes, 173 km
• Tuesday 9 June, stage 3: Roanne > Montagny, 24,5 km (Team Time Trial)
• Wednesday 10 June, stage 4: Anneyron - Porte de DrômArdèche > Sisteron, 228 km
• Thursday 11 June, stage 5: Digne-les-Bains > Pra-Loup, 161 km
• Friday 12 June, stage 6: Saint-Bonnet-en-Champsaur > Villard-de-Lans - Vercors, 183 km
• Saturday 13 June, stage 7: Montmélian > Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc, 155 km
• Sunday 14 June, stage 8: Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc > Modane Valfréjus, 156,5 km

The races are free to watch and there's always a fantastic atmosphere at these events, so come along and join in the fun - you might even end up on French telly!

You can find more information on the official Critérium du Dauphiné website