Formerly known as the Critérium du Dauphiné, the French WorldTour stage race runs June 7-14, and EF Education-EasyPost will have a strong team on show with the Tour de France less than a month away. 

Now fit and healthy after the injury that kept him out of the Ardennes Classics, Ben is excited to pin on a number for the first time in almost two months, with plenty of stages that suit his style of racing at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.

Ben has recently spent time at altitude with several of his teammates, and following a short break at home in Andorra, he’s ready to go. 

“My training resumed pretty quickly after what would have been the Ardennes, and since then it’s been smooth sailing. Missing those races was a disappointment, but if there’s a silver lining, it’s that April was probably a better time to have my reset before building towards the Tour. I’ve not missed any prep, and I’m good to go for the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and then, of course, the Tour de France,” Ben told us before making his way to France. 

Having not raced since April, Ben isn’t putting too much pressure on his shoulders. There are stages within the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes that will see him test his form and level, but there’s also a really talented and hungry squad racing alongside him, with Alex Baudin, Georg Steinhauser, Michael Leonard, Alastair MacKellar, Sean Quinn, and Max Walker on the start list. 

“Always, for me it’s hard coming into a race after a block without racing, but I’ll be taking it day-by-day and seeing how I come through by the end. There are no crazy ambitions for the week ahead, so it’s also about putting me in the best possible shape for the Tour,” Ben added.

“We got a really nice team with a few of the guys already enjoying top-tens in WorldTour stage races this season. We’ve got a strong squad for the team time trial as well, and I’m really looking forward to it".

For Head Sports Director Charly Wegelius, the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes is a chance for the team to turn the page after some bad luck and to focus on an important new chapter in the season. Michael Valgren’s recent stage win at the Giro d’Italia has given the team a huge boost and resonated through the entire organization.  

“We’re looking to see how the riders are shaping up before the Tour. We know we won’t have complete answers yet, but we’re aiming for progress and signs that the work that the riders put in during their altitude camp is on track. We want to be competitive in stages at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, and there’s the TTT that’s a good rehearsal for everyone involved, given that the Tour de France starts with that discipline,” Charly said.

In terms of Ben’s chances for the race, Charly agrees that his crash and injury in April provided an opportunity to take a break from racing before the major goals that are fast approaching. 

“There’s also a chance that he’s a little further along than initially planned compared to this time last year, and that’s certainly a good thing. We know that Ben is feeling good, and I wouldn’t exclude an off-day somewhere in the race, but he’ll also have more good days than he had last year. We’ll see where everyone is at after the first stage, which is unusually hard for an opening stage, but I think that the race has the potential to open up and for our riders to be successful in targeting stages. With Ben, there are several stages that look great for him; there’s plenty for him to be going for,” Charly added.