# 2008 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré

The 2008 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré was the 60th edition of the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré cycle race and was held from 8 June to 15 June 2005. The race started in Le Pontet and finished in Grenoble. The race was won by Spanish rider Alejandro Valverde of the Caisse d'Epargne team.

## Teams

Eighteen UCI ProTour teams, each containing a maximum of eight riders, participated in the 2008 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré:
| Belgium Quick-Step (QST) Silence–Lotto (SIL) Denmark Team CSC (CSC) France Ag2r–La Mondiale (ALM) Bouygues Télécom (BTL) Cofidis (COF) Crédit Agricole (C.A) Française des Jeux (FDJ) | Germany Gerolsteiner (GST) Team Milram (MRM) Italy Lampre (LAM) Liquigas (LIQ) Luxembourg Astana (AST) Netherlands Rabobank (RAB) | Spain Caisse d'Epargne (GCE) Euskaltel–Euskadi (EUS) Saunier Duval–Scott (SDV) United States Team High Road (THR) |

## Route

Stage characteristics and winners :
| Stage | Date | Course | Distance | Type | Winner |
| P | 8 June | Le Pontet to Avignon | 5.6 km (3.5 mi) | Individual time trial | Levi Leipheimer (USA) |
| 1 | 9 June | Avignon to Privas | 194 km (121 mi) | | Alejandro Valverde (ESP) |
| 2 | 10 June | Bourg-Saint-Andéol to Vienne | 184 km (114 mi) | | George Hincapie (USA) |
| 3 | 11 June | Saint-Paul-en-Jarez | 31 km (19 mi) | Individual time trial | Alejandro Valverde (ESP) |
| 4 | 12 June | Vienne to Annemasse | 193 km (120 mi) | | Cyril Dessel (FRA) |
| 5 | 13 June | Ville-la-Grand to Morzine | 125 km (78 mi) | | Yuri Trofimov (RUS) |
| 6 | 14 June | Morzine to La Toussuire | 233 km (145 mi) | | Chris Anker Sørensen (DEN) |
| 7 | 15 June | Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne to Grenoble | 128 km (80 mi) | | Dmitry Fofonov (KAZ) |

## Stages
### Prologue

8 June 2008 – Le Pontet to Avignon, 5.6 km (3.5 mi) (ITT)
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Levi Leipheimer (USA) | Astana | 6' 10" |
| 2 | Thor Hushovd (NOR) | Crédit Agricole | + 1" |
| 3 | Alejandro Valverde (ESP) | Caisse d'Epargne | + 6" |
| 4 | Maxime Monfort (BEL) | Cofidis | + 12" |
| 5 | Vladimir Efimkin (RUS) | Ag2r–La Mondiale | + 12" |
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Levi Leipheimer (USA) | Astana | 6' 10" |
| 2 | Thor Hushovd (NOR) | Crédit Agricole | + 1" |
| 3 | Alejandro Valverde (ESP) | Caisse d'Epargne | + 6" |
| 4 | Maxime Monfort (BEL) | Cofidis | + 12" |
| 5 | Vladimir Efimkin (RUS) | Ag2r–La Mondiale | + 12" |

### Stage 1

9 June 2008 – Avignon to Privas, 194 km (121 mi)
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Alejandro Valverde (ESP) | Caisse d'Epargne | 4h 46' 36" |
| 2 | Thor Hushovd (NOR) | Crédit Agricole | s.t. |
| 3 | Björn Schröder (GER) | Team Milram | s.t. |
| 4 | Fabian Wegmann (GER) | Gerolsteiner | s.t. |
| 5 | Cadel Evans (AUS) | Silence–Lotto | s.t. |
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Thor Hushovd (NOR) | Crédit Agricole | 4h 52' 41" |
| 2 | Alejandro Valverde (ESP) | Caisse d'Epargne | + 1" |
| 3 | Levi Leipheimer (USA) | Astana | + 5" |
| 4 | Maxime Monfort (BEL) | Cofidis | + 17" |
| 5 | Vladimir Efimkin (RUS) | Ag2r–La Mondiale | + 17" |

### Stage 2

10 June 2008 – Bourg-Saint-Andéol to Vienne, 184 km (114 mi)}
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | George Hincapie (USA) | Team High Road | 4h 32' 38" |
| 2 | Sebastien Chavanel (FRA) | Française des Jeux | s.t. |
| 3 | Sebastian Lang (GER) | Gerolsteiner | s.t. |
| 4 | Heinrich Haussler (GER) | Gerolsteiner | s.t. |
| 5 | Thor Hushovd (NOR) | Crédit Agricole | s.t. |
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Thor Hushovd (NOR) | Crédit Agricole | 9h 25' 19" |
| 2 | Alejandro Valverde (ESP) | Caisse d'Epargne | + 1" |
| 3 | Levi Leipheimer (USA) | Astana | + 5" |
| 4 | George Hincapie (USA) | Team High Road | + 13" |
| 5 | Maxime Monfort (BEL) | Cofidis | + 17" |

### Stage 3

11 June 2008 – Saint-Paul-en-Jarez to Saint-Paul-en-Jarez, 31 km (19 mi) (ITT)
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Alejandro Valverde (ESP) | Caisse d'Epargne | 44' 59" |
| 2 | Levi Leipheimer (USA) | Astana | + 19" |
| 3 | Cadel Evans (AUS) | Silence–Lotto | + 20" |
| 4 | Mikel Astarloza (ESP) | Euskaltel–Euskadi | + 1' 00" |
| 5 | Maxime Monfort (BEL) | Cofidis | + 1' 01" |
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Alejandro Valverde (ESP) | Caisse d'Epargne | 10h 10' 19" |
| 2 | Levi Leipheimer (USA) | Astana | + 23" |
| 3 | Cadel Evans (AUS) | Silence–Lotto | + 37" |
| 4 | Maxime Monfort (BEL) | Cofidis | + 1' 17" |
| 5 | Mikel Astarloza (ESP) | Euskaltel–Euskadi | + 1' 20" |

### Stage 4

12 June 2008 – Vienne to Annemasse, 193 km (120 mi)
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Cyril Dessel (FRA) | Ag2r–La Mondiale | 4h 37' 16" |
| 2 | Pierre Rolland (FRA) | Crédit Agricole | + 18" |
| 3 | Amaël Moinard (FRA) | Cofidis | + 1' 21" |
| 4 | Óscar Pereiro (ESP) | Caisse d'Epargne | + 1' 21" |
| 5 | Lars Bak (DEN) | Team CSC | + 2' 07" |
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Alejandro Valverde (ESP) | Caisse d'Epargne | 14h 49' 46" |
| 2 | Levi Leipheimer (USA) | Astana | + 23" |
| 3 | Cadel Evans (AUS) | Silence–Lotto | + 37" |
| 4 | Cyril Dessel (FRA) | Ag2r–La Mondiale | + 1' 08" |
| 5 | Maxime Monfort (BEL) | Cofidis | + 1' 17" |

### Stage 5

13 June 2008 – Ville-la-Grand to Morzine, 125 km (78 mi)
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Iouri Trofimov (RUS) | Bouygues Télécom | 3h 07' 46" |
| 2 | Cadel Evans (AUS) | Silence–Lotto | + 18" |
| 3 | Alejandro Valverde (ESP) | Caisse d'Epargne | + 18" |
| 4 | Haimar Zubeldia (ESP) | Euskaltel–Euskadi | + 23" |
| 5 | Sylwester Szmyd (POL) | Lampre | + 26" |
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Alejandro Valverde (ESP) | Caisse d'Epargne | 17h 57' 50" |
| 2 | Cadel Evans (AUS) | Silence–Lotto | + 37" |
| 3 | Levi Leipheimer (USA) | Astana | + 1' 29" |
| 4 | Iouri Trofimov (RUS) | Bouygues Télécom | + 2' 16" |
| 5 | Robert Gesink (NED) | Rabobank | + 2' 36" |

### Stage 6

14 June 2008 – Morzine to La Toussuire, 233 km (145 mi)
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Chris Anker Sørensen (DEN) | Team CSC | 6h 15' 53" |
| 2 | Pierrick Fédrigo (FRA) | Bouygues Télécom | + 1' 02" |
| 3 | Levi Leipheimer (USA) | Astana | + 1' 10" |
| 4 | Sylwester Szmyd (POL) | Lampre | + 1' 15" |
| 5 | Alejandro Valverde (ESP) | Caisse d'Epargne | + 1' 15" |
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Alejandro Valverde (ESP) | Caisse d'Epargne | 24h 14' 58" |
| 2 | Cadel Evans (AUS) | Silence–Lotto | + 39" |
| 3 | Levi Leipheimer (USA) | Astana | + 1' 24" |
| 4 | Robert Gesink (NED) | Rabobank | + 2' 47" |
| 5 | Haimar Zubeldia (ESP) | Euskaltel–Euskadi | + 3' 19" |

### Stage 7

15 June 2008 – Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne to Grenoble, 128 km (80 mi)
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Dmitry Fofonov (KAZ) | Crédit Agricole | 3h 17' 20" |
| 2 | Jurgen Van de Walle (BEL) | Quick-Step | s.t. |
| 3 | Iouri Trofimov (RUS) | Bouygues Télécom | s.t. |
| 4 | Christophe Riblon (FRA) | Ag2r–La Mondiale | + 11" |
| 5 | Matteo Carrara (ITA) | Quick-Step | + 11" |

## General Classification

| | Cyclist | Team | Time |
| 1 | Alejandro Valverde (ESP) | Caisse d'Epargne | 27h 34' 39" |
| 2 | Cadel Evans (AUS) | Silence–Lotto | + 39" |
| 3 | Levi Leipheimer (USA) | Astana | + 1' 24" |
| 4 | Robert Gesink (NED) | Rabobank | + 2' 47" |
| 5 | Haimar Zubeldia (ESP) | Euskaltel–Euskadi | + 3' 19" |
| 6 | Cyril Dessel (FRA) | Ag2r–La Mondiale | + 4' 01" |
| 7 | Mikel Astarloza (ESP) | Euskaltel–Euskadi | + 4' 25" |
| 8 | Sylvester Szmyd (POL) | Lampre | + 4' 29" |
| 9 | Maxime Monfort (BEL) | Cofidis | + 4' 46" |
| 10 | Matteo Carrara (ITA) | Quick-Step | + 5' 13" |

## Jersey progress

| Stage | Winner | General classification | Mountains classification | Points classification | Team Classification |
| P | Levi Leipheimer | Levi Leipheimer | no award | Levi Leipheimer | Astana |
| 1 | Alejandro Valverde | Thor Hushovd | Christian Kux | Alejandro Valverde | Astana |
| 2 | George Hincapie | Thor Hushovd | David de la Fuente | Thor Hushovd | Astana |
| 3 | Alejandro Valverde | Alejandro Valverde | Alejandro Valverde | Alejandro Valverde | Caisse d'Epargne |
| 4 | Cyril Dessel | Alejandro Valverde | David de la Fuente | Alejandro Valverde | Caisse d'Epargne |
| 5 | Iouri Trofimov | Alejandro Valverde | Juan José Cobo | Alejandro Valverde | Silence–Lotto |
| 6 | Chris Anker Sørensen | Alejandro Valverde | Pierre Rolland | Alejandro Valverde | Euskaltel–Euskadi |
| 7 | Dmitry Fofonov | Alejandro Valverde | Pierre Rolland | Alejandro Valverde | Euskaltel–Euskadi |
| Final | Final | Alejandro Valverde | Pierre Rolland | Alejandro Valverde | Euskaltel–Euskadi |

### Jersey wearers when one rider is leading two or more competitions

* In stage 1, Thor Hushovd wore the green jersey
* In stage 3, Alejandro Valverde wore the green jersey
* In stages 4–7, Levi Leipheimer wore the green jersey

## ProTour standings

As of 15 June 2008, after the 2008 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré.
| Rank | Name | Team | Points |
| 1 | Cadel Evans (AUS) | Silence–Lotto | 85 |
| 2 | Alejandro Valverde (ESP) | Caisse d'Epargne | 83 |
| 3 | Damiano Cunego (ITA) | Lampre | 73 |
| 4 | André Greipel (GER) | Team High Road | 62 |
| 5 | Mikel Astarloza (ESP) | Euskaltel–Euskadi | 60 |
| 6 | Alberto Contador (ESP) | Astana | 58 |
| 7 | Thomas Dekker (NED) | Rabobank | 54 |
| 8 | Andreas Klöden (GER) | Astana | 53 |
| 9 | Stijn Devolder (BEL) | Quick-Step | 50 |
| 10 | José Joaquín Rojas (ESP) | Caisse d'Epargne | 45 |
| 11 | Haimar Zubeldia (ESP) | Euskaltel–Euskadi | 45 |
| 12 | Levi Leipheimer (USA) | Astana | 41 |
* 91 riders have scored at least one point on the 2008 UCI ProTour.