Geraint Thomas and Richie Porte head up Ineos Grenadiers team for Critérium du Dauphiné

MARTIGNY SWITZERLAND APRIL 28 Geraint Thomas of The United Kingdom and Team INEOS Grenadiers Green Points Jersey during the 74th Tour De Romandie 2021 Stage 1 a 1681km stage from Aigle to Martigny TDR2021 TDRnonstop UCIworldtour on April 28 2021 in Martigny Switzerland Photo by Luc ClaessenGetty Images

Geraint Thomas and Rohan Dennis (Ineos Grenadiers) at the Tour de Romandie (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)

Ineos Grenadiers head to the Critérium du Dauphiné with a strong squad that includes 2018 Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas, 2020 Giro d'Italia winner Tao Geoghegan Hart, and Richie Porte.

The eight-day race which takes place between May 30 and June 6 is typically used as a stepping stone towards the Tour de France by several Grand Tour contenders, and, although last year's Tour winner and runner up Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) and Primož Roglič (Jumbo Visma) will not race the Dauphiné, the event still has a stellar line-up.

Thomas is likely to lead Ineos into the Dauphiné having won the Tour de Romandie in April. He will also lead the team at the Tour de France at the end of June, and won the Dauphine back in 2018 before going on to win the Tour a few weeks later.

The 35-year-old will be supported by Porte who has finished second in both the Tour de Romandie and the Volta a Catalunya after rejoining the team at the start of the year. Geoghegan Hart, who has been slower to find his form this season, will make his Tour de France debut next summer and will be looking for a morale-boosting performance in the Dauphiné.

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Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.