As usual, Chris Froome (Sky) will finalize his preparations for the Tour de France in the Criterium du Dauphiné and he will be backed by a strong team in his attempt to take a second win in the race.

Last year Froome was on track for a second win in a row when he crashed in stage 6 and suffered in the final two stages to drop from first place to 12th after he had won the first two stages.

This year he hopes for more luck and he will be backed by a team that should be very similar to the one that will join him at the Tour de France. The inclusion of a team time trial makes the French WorldTour race a perfect test event for La Grande Boucle for the entire squad, giving the teams extra incentive to bring most of their Tour team to the Alps next week.

In the mountains, Froome can rely on Wout Poels, Nicolas Roche, Philip Deignan, Peter Kennaugh and Ian Boswell while Luke Rowe and Ian Stannard will provide protection in the flat stages.

Among the riders likely to be on the Tour de France roster, Geraint Thomas and Sergio Henao will be riding the Tour de Suisse. It is still uncertain where Richie Porte will make his return to competition after he was forced to abandon the Giro d'Italia.