The fourth stage of the Tour de France takes the riders 181.9 km from Carcassonne to Foix, through the foothills of the Pyrenees, with around 2,700 metres of climbing.
The climbs
| Climb | Category | Length | Average gradient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Col des Bedos | 4 | 3.4 km | 4.4% |
| Col de Paradis | 3 | 5.6 km | 4.3% |
| Col de Coudons | 2 | 10.9 km | 5.5% |
| Col de Montségur | 2 | 6.9 km | 6.1% |
The Col de Coudons comes around halfway. After cresting the Montségur, the riders face around 38 km of descent and rolling roads before the finish in Foix.
How the stage could unfold
With four categorised climbs, this is a day made for a breakaway. Teams with ambitious riders will try to get men into a move on the early climbs and hope to stay clear on the run-in. But the Montségur, the steepest climb of the day, could also be used by the overall contenders to attack, or to thin the bunch before the finish.
The long descent to Foix means that riders who are confident going downhill could make up time, and anyone dropped on the Montségur may find it hard to get back on.
Pogačar in yellow
Tadej Pogačar of UAE Team Emirates starts the stage in the yellow jersey after winning stage 3, a 195.9 km mountain stage from Granollers to Les Angles with 3,850 metres of climbing. It was his 22nd Tour de France stage win, and once again showed both his form and the strength of his team.
What it means for his rivals
With Pogačar already in yellow, his rivals for the overall classification face a choice: attack him on the climbs at the risk of wasting energy, or wait for the high mountains later in the race. Either way, every second matters, and a stage like this one leaves little room for mistakes.
