Our stage-by-stage preview of the 78th edition of the Critérium International which takes place between March 27-28.
Stage-by-stage preview of the 78th edition
A two-day race that offers something for every rider, the Critérium International used to be considered the French national championship and foreign riders have only been allowed to compete in it since 1979.
Corsica has been chosen to host the event for the first time in its 78-year history and all three stages will start from Porto-Vecchio, the third largest town on the island. This picturesque setting will serve up the riders some tough climbs on Saturday before plenty of flat-out racing by the sea on Sunday.
The opening stage is a 175.5km ride that sets out from Porto-Vecchio and finishes 963m up on the Col de l'Opsedale, a 14.2km climb that is the toughest of the five throughout the day.
By that time the competitors have already had to take on the Col de Mela (730m at 115km) and Col de Bacinu (809m at 134.5km), meaning there are plenty of points on offer in the battle to take the polka dot jersey.
Things do get easier after that though, with Sunday's action kicking off with a 75km dash that starts and finishes in Porto-Vecchio, mostly stretching along the beautiful coastline in an area that is well known for water sports throughout the summer months.
There is just one climb during the journey - a 111m ascent up Pagliaggiolo that comes just 24km after the roll out. With the rest of the course looking relatively flat, a bunch finish should be expected with the sprinters likely to be battling it out at the line.
There's no time to rest, though, as the riders are back out again in the afternoon for a 7.7km time-trial around Porto-Vecchio. The course sets out along Rue John Antoine Nau and travels around the outskirts before coming in for the finish along the Avenue Georges Pompidou.
