Israel Start-Up Nation brings a strong and versatile team to the important French stage race Critérium du Dauphiné, starting this weekend.
Often used as the last warm-up race for the Tour de France, Critérium du Dauphiné, offers opportunities for all kinds of riders during its eight challenging stages. Climbers, sprinters, breakaway artists, and time trial specialists will all have a chance to shine in this race.
Selected to represent the ISN colors in the race are Alexis Renard, Reto Hollenstein, Ben Hermans, Chris Froome, Alex Cataford, Mads Würtz Schmidt, and Israeli champion Omer Goldstein.
Sports Manager, Rik Verbrugghe: “We take on Critérium du Dauphiné aiming to race aggressively, trying to win a stage, and to do well in the GC with Ben Hermans. He will be our designated leader, but the rest of the guys will also get their chance. We are not the favorites here, but we will take it day by day and if we can come away with a stage win and good result overalls, it will be perfect.”
Having previously won Critérium du Dauphiné overall on three occasions, Chris Froome is eager to test his legs after a recent altitude training camp. The four-time Tour de France winner is still on his way back after his serious crash during the Critérium du Dauphiné in 2019, eyeing next month’s start of the Tour de France.
Chris Froome: “This will be a good opportunity for me to test my legs on a challenging course and see how I have progressed over the last month. The team has been doing great recently, and we hope to continue on that path here.”
This year’s Critérium du Dauphiné starts on Sunday, May 30 with a semi-undulating stage around Issoire, and finishes a week later, on June 6, in Les Gets after a total of 1200 km of hard racing in France.
