The world's cycling elite will descend on the south-west of France for the Criterium du Dauphine on Sunday as preparations ramp up for the Tour de France.

The eight-day race is traditionally seen as the precursor to the Grand Tour and always attracts a star-studded cast of Tour contenders looking to fine-tune themselves on French roads.

Team Sky have won the race four times, in 2011, '12, '13 and '15, with three of those victories preceding their trio of Tour de France titles. Chris Froome will be hoping to repeat the double in 2016.

The team is sending a strong lineup to France as they seek a fifth Dauphine success. Chris Froome leads the team in an attempt to seal a hat-trick of Dauphine victories and earn his first stage-race victory on European soil this season. He'll be supported by Mikel Landa, who is back in action for the first time since being forced to abandon the Giro d'Italia due to illness. Michal Kwiatkowski, Sergio Henao and Wout Poels last raced in the Ardennes Classics - where Poels sealed the team's first Monument with victory at Liege-Bastogne-Liege - while Brits Ian Stannard and Luke Rowe will provide their usual mix of power and nous. Salvatore Puccio rounds out the exciting group.

Chris Froome powered to his second Dauphine title in 2015, claiming the team's fourth win in five years. Following Bradley Wiggins' back-to-back victories in 2011 and 2012, Froome sealed the team's hat-trick in 2013. He then led most of the race in 2014 and looked as though he would claim his own double, but a heavy crash on stage five put paid to his chances, and he finished 12th overall.

The two-time Tour de France champion bounced back last year when he stormed to a scintillating win on the final stage of the race to reclaim his title by 10 seconds from Tejay van Garderen (BMC). Earlier in the race Peter Kennaugh had worn the yellow jersey having won the first stage in fine fashion, bursting clear of the pack two kilometres from home to steal a dramatic win from the sprinters. Edvald Boasson Hagen won three Dauphine stages in Team Sky colours, in 2010, 2012 and 2013.