70 years after the birth of the Critérium du Dauphiné, the start of the 2017 edition will take place in Saint-Etienne on June 4, 2017 with a 170km stage on the programme. This will be a race the contenders to succeed Chris Froome will circle on their calendar...

The build-up of rider form for the Tour de France generally takes on a more important dimension at the start of the Critérium du Dauphiné. In 2017 this critical moment in the season will take place at Saint-Etienne, where the world's elite riders will start the 69th edition. While the Dauphiné is most often decided on the climbs in the Alps, the stops in the Loire Department have been the most frequent in the history of the race, with 24 in all. The start of the race was held in the city of Roger Rivière, Gilles Delion and Cyril Dessel in 1957 and then again in 1970.
  
Next June 4, the riders will contend for the first yellow and blue jersey of the week on a rather atypical opening stage. The 170km stage will pass through the department traversing a third of the 45 towns forming the Saint-Etienne Metropolis. Tactics will have to be adapted to the many attacks that could happen on the three laps of the 14.8 kilometre circuit before the finish on the Cours Fauriel… where skirmishes have happened at the Dauphiné, but also at the Tour de France and Paris-Nice. The following day, the race continues with the start at Saint-Chamond towards a finish that is still a secret…

Long known as a cycling capital in the industrial domain (Cycles Mercier, Manufrance…), Saint-Etienne is also one of the most regular host cities for the major stage races on the French cycling calendar:
. 25 times stage city of the Tour de France
. 24 times stage city of the Critérium du Dauphiné
. 59 times stage city of Paris-Nice

Among all the bouquets awarded on the Cours Fauriel podium or at the Geoffroy Guichard stadium, only one rider has won stages on the three races: Eddy Merckx.