After a long, flat, and sprinter-friendly Stage 3 of the 2024 Tour de France, Stage 4 will be a shorter, mountainous route.
The stage will cover 139.6 km, running from Pinerolo, a town of 36,000 in Italy southwest of Torino, to the small ski resort town of Valloire in the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.
It features several significant climbs:
- the ascent to Sestriere, a 7 km climb at an average gradient of 7.2%
- Col de Montgenèvre an 8.3 km ascent at an average gradient of 5.9%
- Col du Galibier a grueling 23 km-long climb at 5.1% average gradient, with the last kilometer being an average of 9% in gradient
This stage marks the Tour's transition from Italy into France, crossing the border at the Col de Montgenèvre. After cresting the Col du Galibier, riders will face a 19 km descent to the finish line in Valloire. The long, steep descent to the finish will test the bike handling skills of the riders on the day.
Time bonuses will be awarded at the finish (10, 6, and 4 seconds for the first three riders) and at the top of the Galibier (8, 6, and 4 seconds). This will be only the second time Valloire has hosted a Tour de France stage finish. The previous occasion was in 2019, when Nairo Quintana won a stage that also descended the Galibier.
Expect a breakaway group to form early and hold on for a good amount of time, with a good likelihood that the stage winner will emerge from the break instead of the peloton.
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