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The whole Cyclingnews report on in the present day’s stage, courtesy of Barry Ryan and full with further evaluation, images and outcomes, is right here:
Tour de France: Tadej Pogačar snares yellow with stage 4 victory in high mountains
Some first phrases from new race chief Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Group Emirates, after taking the twelfthTour de France stage victory of his profession:
“I am super-happy, this was kind of the plan and we executed it rather well. It was like a dream stage and I completed it off solo. It is unbelievable.”
“I wish to hit onerous in the present day, I have been coaching right here a number of weeks already and it felt like a house stage passing via Sestrieres and Montgenevre. Bonus seconds on the highest, too. I felt assured and I needed to attempt.”
As for his assault and downhill acceleration away from Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) and the remainder of the sector, he argued, “I did not wish to go too early due to the wind and that i needed to do all of the distinction in the previous couple of hundred metres. I do know the downhill however I used to be slightly bit shocked to see moist street within the first few corners. So it was a bit scary. However this descent is tremendous quick and if you understand the street additionally it helps.”
Relating to his benefit on Vingegaard, he mentioned, “It is excellent news. I will be proud of this. I am superhappy with how I really feel on the bike. So let’s proceed in the present day with this angle I’ve now.”
And here’s a first picture of Pogačar crossing the road and reclaiming the race lead he held for in the future on stage 2.
Tadej Pogačar has now opened a forty five second lead general on Remco Evenepoel, with Jonas Vingegaard at 50 seconds. After 4 days of racing and with nearly all of the mountains to return, that is fairly an announcement.
Guided dwelling by teammate Ben Healy, former maillot jaune Richard Carapaz finishes greater than 5 minutes down.
Vingegaard drifted off the tempo slightly coming into the end and can maybe lose a number of extra seconds. Pogačar, in the meantime, has additionally gained an 18-second time bonus.
The clock is ticking and Evenepoel comes throughout the road, about 34 seconds again. Ayuso takes third.
Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Group Emirates wins stage 4 of the Tour de France and takes the race lead.
Pogačar is into the barrier-ed space in search of his first Tour de France stage win for the reason that Vosges final yr.
Two kilometres to go and Pogačar is on the outskirts of Valloire. At a mere 90kmh on this a part of the descent.
Three kilometres to go
Evenepoel can be coming throughout to the 4 forward. So now 5 riders behind Pogacar: Remco, Roglic, Vingegaard, Rodriguez and Ayuso.
The trio of chasers catch Vingegaard. Will they work collectively?
5 kilometres to go
The hole between the defending Tour champion and Pogačar rises slightly additional, to 29 seconds. After taking 10 seconds on Vingegaard on the Galibier, up to now Pogačar has greater than doubled his benefit on the descent.
Pogačar is opening up a niche on Vingegaard, to round 18 seconds now.
10 kilometres to go
Evenepoel continues to be at 30 seconds and on the purpose of being joined by Primoz Roglic.
Pogačar is touching speeds of 80 kmh on this descent. Fortunately the roads are dry right here.
Race chief Carapaz is at greater than 4 minutes on Pogačar on the summit of the Galibier.
The hole between Pogačar and Vingegaard is hovering at round 8 seconds as Pogačar strikes onto broader, a lot drier roads.
Evenepoel is 14 seconds down as Pogačar thunders down the primary a part of the descent.
Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Group Emirates has a seven second hole on Vingegaard on the summit of the Galibier.
20 metres between Pogacar and Vingegaard
Pogacar opens up a small hole on Vingegaard with 300 metres to the summit.
Pogacar and Vingegaard are opening a niche.
Pogacar assaults 800 metres from the summit. Vingegaard follows.
20 kilometres to go
Only one,500 metres to the highest and the ‘Large 4’ for the GC within the 2024 Tour are nonetheless forward and collectively.
Ayuso takes over from Almeida, with three UAE riders within the entrance group of eight. A notable effort from the younger Spanish racer in his Tour de France debut.
Ayuso, Vingegaard, Pogacar, Almeida, Rodriguez, Evenepoel, Landa and Roglic within the entrance group.
Three kilometres to the summit and Roglic appears to be struggling, however not but dropped.
Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) additionally dropped and one other large burst of climbing energy from Almeida.
UAE nonetheless have 4 riders within the entrance group of round 10.
Former chief Romain Bardet (DSM Firmenich-PostNL) and Enric Mas (Movistar) are each dropped as is Jorgenson. Vingegaard by himself.
Each Primoz Roglic and Remco Evenepoel are nonetheless within the group as Adam Yates, a podium finisher within the Tour de France final yr and teammate for Pogacar, involves the entrance.
5 kilometres from the summit and Carapaz has misplaced 30 seconds, SImon Yates at two minutes. There will be a brand new race chief tonight, however who will it’s?
Vingegaard is wanting very snug in third place within the string for now, proper behind teammate Mattia Jorgenson
within the house of a kilometre because the street steepens notably, the bunch has shrunk to simply 25 items at most.
After Sivakov’s transient however intense effort, Joao Almeida is the following to return to the fore for UAE, simply when Tour de France chief Richard Carapaz (EF Schooling-EasyPost) is dropped.
Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) additionally in difficulties.
26 kilometres to go
Gaudu caught, and Lazkano has 15 seconds on the bunch. Pavel Sivakov takes over from Marc Soler for UAE.
A fast reminder of the highest ten on GC:
1 Richard Carapaz (Eu) EF Schooling-EasyPost 15:20:18
3 Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Soudal-QuickStep
Eight kilometres of clmbing left and nonetheless round 50 riders within the entrance group of favourites.
No signal of Carapaz weakening, by the way in which, with US Nationwide Champ and teammate Sean Quinn simply in entrance of him. Soudal-QuickStep nonetheless have 5 riders alongside Remco Evenepoel and Jonas Vingegaard is wanting nearly equally effectively surrounded, albeit minus Van Aert and Laporte, each of whom have been dropped.
Lazkano makes his third lone last-ditch effort because the race powers via a snow tunnel. However the hole is simply 41 seconds again to the peloton
A shot of UAE main a fast-shrinking peloton on the decrease slopes of the Galibier…
Wellens swings off and Marc Soler involves the fore now for Pogacar.
Lazkano makes a pronounced dig, Gaudu following him. However there’s treasured little collaboration between the 2 and the top of the break seems to be nigh.
Van der Poel caught by the UAE-led peloton. Wellens nonetheless powering away for staff chief Tadej Pogacar.
Gaudu and Lazkano have been joined by Chris Juul-Jensen (Jayco-AIUIa) and Tobias Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility), however the hole is shrinking quick.
TV photographs on Eurosport exhibiting that there are some moist segments on the highest of the Galibier the place minature snow avalanches have fallen onto the street. However the street itself has been cleared.
Lazkano has been joined by Gaudu and the 2 have a small hole on the remnants of the crumbling break.
Christophe Laporte (Visma-Lease a Bike) dropped from the peloton and Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) sits up within the break.
Gaudu’s transfer brings a response from former Spanish Nationwide Champion Oier Lazkano (Movistar), who follows his teammate Nairo Quintana’s ghostly wheeltracks up the Galibier.
34 kilometres to go
We have nonetheless acquired simply over 15 kilometres of climbing to the summit of the Galibier, by the way in which, however UAE are clearly making their intentions recognized from a really great distance out.
Tim Wellens takes over from UAE teammate Nils Politt on the entrance of the peloton. And the hole shrinks all the way down to 1:34.
If – and it stays very a lot an ‘if’ for now – Tadej Pogačar does launch a considerably profitable assault on yellow in the present day, there can be no lack of recollections that it was on this climb that Marco Pantani, the final rider to do the Giro-Tour in 1998, made a serious transfer to say the maillot jaune on the Galibier, dropping earlier yr’s winner Jan Ullrich. That was arising the opposite aspect, thoughts, and in a lot wetter climate than in the present day.
The climate is overcast, however dry for now, fortunately, which means the twisting descent off the Galibier can be rather less dangerous than if tackled within the moist.
Nils Politt continues to grind out a robust tempo for UAE Group Emirates, with the hole, that had briefly ballooned to a few minutes, now shrinking to simply over two.
40 kilometres to go
Marc Madiot, Groupama-FDJ normal supervisor, is on the roadside in soigneur mode, handing out bidons to his three riders within the entrance group, together with staff chief David Gaudu.
3%, 4%, 3% – the 17 riders are protecting a sustained tempo on the lengthy, lengthy drag as much as the official foot of the Galibier, passing the race signal saying the climb ‘correct’ has begun and with 22 kilometres to go to the summit. They’ve already been going uphill for fairly some time now, so a message like that may’t be something however daunting.
Quintana isn’t on the Tour this yr, by the way in which, however there are rumours he can be signing an extension with Movistar for 2025. Watch this house.
A flashback to 2019, when the race final took this street over the Galibier after which dropped all the way down to Valloire, the stage end and Nairo Quintana (Movistar) took a lone victory.
47 kilometres to go
17-rider break: Odd Christian Eiking and Tobias Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility), Warren Barguil (DSM-Firmenich-PostNL) Bruno Armirail (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale), Julien Bernard (Lidl-Trek), Valentin Madouas, David Gaudu and Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ), Cristian Rodríguez and Raul Garcíá Pierna (Arkea-B&B Accommodations), Kobe Goossen (Intermarché-Wanty), Alexey Lutsenko (Astana Qazaqstan), Stephen Williams (Israel-Premier Tech), Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Oier Lazkano (Movistar), Mathieu Burgaudeau (TotalEnergies), and Chris Juul-Jensen (Jayco-AIUIa)
Bunch: At 2:13
Inexperienced jersey group: at 12:35
The race strikes out of Briancon and the street begins to rise gently. We’re onto the decrease slopes of the Galibier.
Speaking of which, here’s a image of UAE earlier on in the present day on the entrance, wanting – effectively – ominous.
As we come into Briancon, the UAE Group Emirates begin to mass on the entrance. Ominous.
Nonetheless powering downhill, the race reaches Briancon, scene of many a Tour de France and Criterium du Dauphine end.
The peloton briefly splits on the descent of the Montgenevre. UAE are within the entrance group, with Carapaz in a second group behind. Gaps are minimal for now and it ought to come again collectively, however as an announcement of intentions, the break up may very well be an omen for the way onerous the battle can be on the slopes of the Galibier…
The primary section, typically labeled individually is the far gentler Col du Lauteret, basically a protracted, simple, A-road drag up from Briancon via the valley to the crossroads the place left takes you all the way down to the foot of Alpe d’Huez, and proper, as much as the highest of the Galibier.
We’re quick approaching the foot of the Galibier, here is a profile of what they’re about to face.
Nonetheless to return:
Km 120.6: Climb: Col du Galibier (HC, 23km at 5.1%)
It is a quick, well-surfaced descent off the Montgenevre, however there are a number of hairpins as effectively.
2:25 on the bunch on the summit, by the way, which means the break’s probabilities of staying away to the end exist, however they’re nonetheless restricted.
Barguil goes for it once more on the summit of the Montgenevre, however Williams as soon as once more outsprints him. Extra factors for the Briton.
One kilometre to the highest and riders are grabbing bottles in a feed zone earlier than the lengthy descent to Briancon and the crunch climb of the day, the Galibier.
The Tour de France passes the French border and again to dwelling soil.
4 kilometres to the highest of the Montgenevre and the Tour’s return to France. Paris-Roubaix runner-up Nils Politt finds himself in slightly totally different terrain, hauling the UAE-led peloton over the second final climb of the day. Hotter climate, too, than normally what’s on provide in Roubaix – for now.
74 kilometres to go
Break: Odd Christian Eiking and Tobias Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility), Warren Barguil (DSM-Firmenich-PostNL) Bruno Armirail (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale), Julien Bernard (Lidl-Trek), Valentin Madouas, David Gaudu and Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ), Cristian Rodríguez and Raul Garcíá Pierna (Arkea-B&B Accommodations), Kobe Goossen (Intermarché-Wanty), Alexey Lutsenko (Astana Qazaqstan), Stephen Williams (Israel-Premier Tech), Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Oier Lazkano (Movistar), Mathieu Burgaudeau (TotalEnergies), and Chris Juul-Jensen (Jayco-AIUIa)
Bunch: at 2:59
The 17 riders are on the Col de Montgenevre, Cat 2, 8.3km at 5.9%.
The break of the day
The Barguil-inspired transfer was shortlived and on the sweeping, quick descent off Sestrieres, the lead group reforms. 2:14 the hole.
Nonetheless to return:
Km 71.1: Climb: Col de Montgenevre (Cat 2, 8.3km at 5.9%)
The peloton crosses the summit of the Sestrieres with a 2:00 drawback, so Eiking’s spell within the Tour lead has been and gone.
Acutely aware that the hole is quick dropping on the peloton, Barguil opts to push on with Williams and Madouas excessive of the Sestrieres ascent. Their benefit is minimal although.
Former Tour de France KoM winner Barguil blasts away for the factors, however he is outpaced by Williams on the summit of Sestrieres forward of Madouas.
Lower than a kilometre to the highest of the Sestrieres, a climb well-known to the Tour and scene of a well-known breakaway victory for Claudio Chiappucci approach again within the 1992 race.
Jonas Vingegaard was interviewed on Eurosport firstly of the stage about how he views his technique about what might effectively be one of many largest days on this yr’s Tour.
“Most of all [I want to] simply to attempt to defend myself. It’s nonetheless within the first week, this is perhaps the place the place I’m essentially the most weak. I feel we simply need to defend right here within the first week after which possibly in a while we may have a special mindset.
“After all, with the crash I’ve had, I feel it’s regular essentially the most strain is on [Pogačar]. I’m nonetheless an unknown issue, so to talk. You by no means know the way I can be over these three weeks. The preparation I had was removed from very best, so I feel it’s regular that he’s the large favorite.”
UAE add a rider to the entrance of the peloton to maintain issues beneath management and the hole stabilizes at round on the three minute mark.
The lead stretches as much as 2:59 and Eiking has a provisional general result in the Tour de France so as to add to the actual Vuelta a Espana lead he held for a lot of week 2 of the race again in 2021.
Amongst the 17-man transfer, the 2 largest threats to Carapaz general, by the way, are Odd Christian Eiking (Uno-X) and Warren Barguil (Group dsm-firmenich PostNL), each at 2:31 and thirty fourth and thirty seventh general.
95 kilometres to go
Lower than 8 kilometres to the highest on the ascent of Sestrieres and the hole is now standing at 2:00 for the 17-strong lead group
EF Schooling-EasyPost lead the pack behind, observe by a big delegation of UAE riders.
100 kilometres to go
Lastly a 17-rider group goes clear and it appears like now we have a break of the day: Odd Christan Eiking and Tobias Johannessen (Uno-X Mobilty), Warren Barguil (DSM-Firmenich-PostNL) Bruno Armirail (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale), Julien Bernard (Lidl-Trek), Valentin Madouas, David Gaudu and Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ), Cristian Rodríguez and Raul Garcíá Pierna (Arkea-B&B Accommodations), Kobe Goossen (Intermarché-Wanty), Alexey Lutsenko (Astana Qazaqstan), Stephen Williams (Israel-Premier Tech), Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Oier Lazkano (Movistar), Mathieu Burgaudeau (TotalEnergies), and Chris Juul-Jensen (Jayco-AIUIa).
Race chief Carapaz, by the way, is sitting comfortably on fifth wheel of the pack, watching to make certain none of his most critical rivals steal an early march on him.
12 riders off the entrance within the umpteenth reconfiguration of the top of the race, together with Mathieu van der Poel, however the UAE-led peloton is only a stone’s throw behind.
The gradients are very mild right here and a number of riders try to bridge throughout, together with Marc Soler (UAE Group Emirates). Rui Costa, racing for race chief Richard Carapaz (EF Schooling-EasyPost) chases down Soler and the bunch is near reforming…
A four-rider group picks its approach clear 25 kilometres from the summit: Alexey Lutsenko (Astana Qazaqstan), Oier Lazkano (Movistar), Christopher Juul-Jensen (Jayco-AIUIa) and Tobias Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility).
114 kilometres to go
An enormous group of fastmen now dropped, roughly 20 riders together with Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan), inexperienced jersey Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility), Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) and different sprinters…
One of many surprises is that gifted younger French climber Lenny Martínez (Groupama-FDJ) is already out the again.
Sprinters already in difficulties in the back of the bunch, together with Movistar’s Fernando Gaviria (Movistar), second on Monday in Turin.
Pedersen will get the dash forward of Girmay, the Tour’s web site studies, adopted by Bryan Coquard (Cofidis), Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and factors classification chief Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility).
Pedersen leads out the uphill dash however stage 3 winner Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) is on his path.
Lidl-Trek transfer to the entrance of the reformed bunch and we’re only a kilometre away from the one and solely intermediate dash of the day…
One DNS in the present day, by the way, Soudal-QuickStep’s Casper Pedersen, who was unfortunate sufficient to interrupt his collarbone late on stage 3. He completed the stage, however could not proceed any additional within the 2024 Tour de France.
123 kilometres to go
World Champion Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) is attempting to bridge throughout to the break…
Alpecin-Deceuninck chasing behind with their similar domestique for the primary a part of stage 3, Silvan Dillier.
We’re already on the beginning of the interminable Sestrieres climb.
No cube for these three, on what’s proving to be a way more fraught begin to the stage than on Monday…lastly, although, Pedersen is joined by Wout Poels (Bahrain Victorious), Kevin Geniets (Groupama-FDJ), Harold Tejada (Astana Qazaqstan),
Frank van den Broek (DSM-firmenich PostNL) and Magnus Cort (Uno-X Mobility). They’ve roughly 20 seconds on the bunch.
The 5 are shortly reeled in, however then there’s one other counter-attack forming with
Raul Garcia Pierna (Arkea-B&B Accommodations), Soren Kragh Andersen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Lenny Martinez (Groupama-FDJ).
Pedersen has 11 seconds, whereas one other 5 riders try to get throughout.
Former World Champion Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), probably after the factors on provide within the fast-approaching intermediate dash, makes a lone transfer.
But extra assaults, however nothing is sticking but. Heat, dry climate by the way in which.
Lower than 10 kilometres to the foot of the primary climb, the Sestrieres (Cat 2, 39.9km at 3.7%). After which it is up or down all day.
The peloton is immediately strung out, courtesy of Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Victor Campenaerts (Lotto-Dstny)
139 kilometres to go
The riders have began their 4 kilometres of neutralised racing out of Pinerolo and in direction of the Départ Reel.
A shot of defending Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) throughout this morning’s staff displays at Pinerolo. It is a crunch day for all of the GC favourites, and Vingegaard has come via the opening phases of the Tour higher than anticipated, contemplating his lengthy spell away from racing due to damage. However in the present day’s climbing check can be larger than something the 2024 Tour de France has tackled up to now.
Whereas we’re ready, some switch gossip. In keeping with Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws, Soren Kragh Andersen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Lennard Kamna (Pink Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), each former Tour de France stage winners amongst different achievements, are each as a consequence of transfer throughout to Lidl-Trek subsequent yr. Additionally rumours that Australian sprinter Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck) is shifting on, too, both to Astana Qazaqstan or Bahrain Victorious.
Lower than 10 minutes earlier than the stage will get underway, the final this yr to start out on Italian soil after the three-and-a-bit days the Tour de France has spent within the neighbouring nation. As soon as we hit the summit of the Cat2 Col de Montgenevre, the race can be again on dwelling soil.
One sprinter who was unable to participate within the mass sprint for the road in Turin was Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), who was caught up in an enormous crash some two kilometres from the road. The Belgian sprinter, already a a number of stage winner within the Tour, will be capable to proceed racing on stage 4. James Moultrie has the complete story right here:
Jasper Philipsen continues Tour de France after frustrating high-speed crash on first sprint stage
Whereas Richard Carapaz grew to become the primary Ecuadorian ever to steer the Tour de France on Monday, a serious achievement in anybody’s ebook, an excellent larger story of the day was the bunch dash victory for Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty), the primary ever Black African to win a stage within the Tour.
Reporting on the impression of his win by Dani Ostanek right here:
Another first – Biniam Girmay makes history once again with Tour de France stage win in Turin
Basic classification after stage 3
2 Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Group Emirates
3 Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Soudal-QuickStep
4 Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Visma-Lease a Bike
5 Romain Bardet (Fra) DSM-Firmenich-PostNL 0:00:06
6 Pello Bilbao (Spa) Bahrain Victorious 0:00:21
7 Guillaume Martin (Fra) Cofidis
8 Egan Bernal (Col) Ineos Grenadiers
9 Jai Hindley (Aus) Pink Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe
10 Aleksandr Vlasov (-) Pink Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe
There’s additionally an terrible lot of going uphill packed into 139 kilometres: 3,900 metres of vertical climbing, essentially the most that the peloton will see within the first week and all over to stage 11 within the Massif Centrale.
Even the primary dash of the day, after 18.9 kilometres at Castel del Bosco, really occurs through the first categorized climb of the stage. That is the 39.9 kilometre (!) cat.2 ascent to Sestrieres, which peaks out at km 50.4.
Hopefully it will be a mite hotter by then, too. Present studies are that the temperature on the prime of the Galibier for this afternoon are set to be 3 levels Celsius.
Key to all of it is the Galibier, which at 2,642 metres above sea degree is the second highest climb of the 2024 Tour de France. The very best being the Col de la Bonette-Restefond, which peaks out at 2,802 metres above sea degree, however which the Tour peloton will not see till the again finish of week 3.
In different phrases, that is the primary main mountain check of the 2024 Tour de France. Unprecedently early and troublesome – even in 2023, when ASO opted to shake issues up by heading nearly straight into the Pyrenees, the primary large mountain stage wasn’t till day 5, and that wasn’t as onerous as this one.
On in the present day’s menu:
As we speak’s stage will get beneath approach in simply over an hour’s time. The peloton heads out of Pinerolo and the neutralised begin at 13.05 CET, with the race as a consequence of move via kilometre zero at 13.15. After which, there’s fairly a day in retailer…
Whats up and welcome to Cyclingnews‘ dwell protection of stage 4 of the 2024 Tour de France.
