Tadej Pogačar will go down in history as the last winner of the Critérium du Dauphiné after race organiser ASO changed the event’s name to Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes for 2026 to reflect the region the race now visits and the support from the French region.
ASO also revealed a new logo for the race alongside the new name, which will be held between June 7-14 in 2026 and will still be a vital pre-Tour de France race.
The Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region is one of 18 administrative regions of France and was created via the merger of the Auvergne and Rhône-Alpes in 2016. It spans from the Massif Central in the centre of the country to the high Alps in the east, with a population of eight million people and Lyon as the regional capital.
The Critérium du Dauphiné race was created in 1947 by the regional Dauphiné Libéré newspaper and then taken over by ASO in 2010.
The race has started in the west of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in recent years before the decisive mountain stages in the Alps. The 2025 race started in Montluçon, where Julian Alaphilippe first raced, and then visited Romain Bardet’s hometown of Brioude before heading east and then into the Alps.
ASO recognised that support from the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region will help secure the future of the race, while claiming that the ability to explore the Massif Central helps create a more interesting race.
“Born in 1947 from a regional newspaper’s passion for cycling, the Critérium du Dauphiné has grown in step with the roads and terrain that have shaped it. With the loyal support of the region, it has now become the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, a new name that fully reflects the race’s territorial roots,” ASO Cycling Director Christian Prudhomme suggested at a press conference on Monday.
“Like this edition, the region offers a varied field of expression and attracts the best riders in the world to take on the challenge of a race that is as demanding in terms of sport as it is remarkable for the beauty of its landscapes.”
