Following yesterday’s stage 3 in which Intermarche-Wanty’s Biniam Girmay surprisingly fought his way to a stage victory over major sprint aces in the Tour de France peloton, Tuesday’s stage 4 of Tour de France 2024 was designed by race organizer ASO as an epic battle in the Italian and French Alps. The short 139.6-kilometer stage would take the riders from Pinerolo to Valloire.

The mountainous route of stage 4 included the legendary Col du Galibier climb and general classifications such as Jonas Vingegaard, Tadej Pogacar, Primoz Roglic, Carlos Rodriguez, and race leader Richard Carapaz were all expected to shine as the race bid farewell to Italy and returned Le Tour to French soil. Carapaz showed off in his yellow jersey when he arrived at the start of today’s stage 4 in one of Team EF Education-EasyPost’s pink Cadillacs.

Racing got off to a very fast start as several teams were eager to send riders into breakaways – either to use them as front posts for later attacks by general classification favorites or with the hopes of winning the stage from a long breakaway.

An early breakaway group featured Wout Poels (Bahrain Victorious), Kevin Geniets (Groupama-FDJ), Frank van den Broek (DSM-Firmenich-PostNL), Harold Tejada (Astana), and Magnus Cort (Uno-X Mobility). Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) went along to fight for points for the points competition in the intermediate sprint that would be contested early in the stage. The breakaway optimists were, however, caught by the chasing peloton a few kilometers before the sprint. Pedersen, however, managed to bank the maximum points in the sprint as he won it ahead of yesterday’s stage winner Biniam Girmay.

Riders were still fighting to establish a viable breakaway group when the race had entered the long and legendary Sestrieres climb (Category 2; 39.2 km; 3.7%). 

A seventeen-man group eventually fought their way to a lead and established a viable breakaway group. The group featured riders from several teams and included significant climbing experts who were riding in their favorite terrain in today’s stage. The main peloton, which featured the general classification favorites, was 02:35 minutes behind with ninety kilometers of the stage remaining.

The breakaway group stayed in front all the way to the top of the Sestrieres climb and avoided crashes while descending from the mountain. The group had an advantage of 02:30 minutes when the riders reached the Col de Montgenevre (Category 2; 8.3 km; 6%), which was the penultimate climb of the day. 75 kilometers remained before the riders would reach the finish in Valloire. 

Things remained status quo on the Col de Montgenevre and beyond. The seventeen-man front group had an advantage of 02:45 minutes with forty kilometers remaining. 

The riders were now approaching the climbing climax of the day: the legendary Col du Galibier (Beyond Category; 22.9 km; 5.1%). The main peloton, in which the general classification favorites were located, was headed by the EF Education-EasyPost team that was hoping to keep its race leader Richard Carapaz in the yellow leader jersey after today’s stage.

The main peloton set a very fast pace as the riders entered the Col du Galibier. Riders from UAE Team Emirates and Decathlon-AG2R were spearheading the quest to reel in the breakaway optimists, which were now approximately one minute ahead of the pack.

Christopher Juul-Jensen (Jayco-Alula), David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ), Oier Lazkano (Movistar), and Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) attacked from the breakaway group on the Galibier while the other group members were suffering. They gained a small advantage.

In the general favorites group cycling stars such as Tadej Pogacar, Primoz Roglic, Remco Evenepoel, and Richard Carapaz were brought to the front. Attacks from favorites were apparently eminent. UAE Team Emirates riders were setting a grueling pace. 

Only four men from the original 17-rider breakaway remained ahead of the main peloton. Lazkano launched a solo attack, hoping to extend his time at the front of the action.

Carapaz was dropped from the favorites group. A very disappointing performance from the EF Education-EasyPost rider who has delivered memorable and admirable results in previous Grand Tours.

Lazkano was caught and no rider had time to enjoy the marvelous and scenic view while climbing Col du Galibier.

Only eleven men remained in the front group, which was now the general classification favorites group. The group featured Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma-Lease a Bike), Matteo Jorgenson (Team Visma-Lease a Bike), Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates), Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates), Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates), Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos-Grenadiers), Egan Bernal (Ineos-Grenadiers), Felix Gall, Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain-Victorious), Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep), Mikel Landa (Soudal-QuickStep), and Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe). Four kilometers remained to the top of the Galibier climb and the speed was intense.

Vingegaard was isolated when Visma – Lease a Bike teammate Matteo Jorgenson was dropped. Roglic was suffering at the back of the group.

Pogacar attacked solo eight hundred meters from the top of the Galibier. Vingegaard responded and joined the Slovenian rider. Vingegaard got dropped with four hundred meters left of the climbing climax of the stage. Only a fast descent to the finish line remained after the riders reached the top of the climb. Evenepoel was chasing further back. Vingegaard crossed the top eight seconds behind Pogacar who gained valuable bonus seconds by being the first rider to reach the top.

Pogacar pushed himself to his very limits on the fast and dangerous descent to the finish line. Every second counted, but the roads were tricky. Vingegaard was now 12 seconds behind Giro d'Italia Champion Pogacar. 

Vingegaard was nineteen seconds behind Pogacar with nine kilometers of the stage remaining. Ayuso, Carlos Rodriguez, and Roglic were chasing thirty seconds behind the Slovenian favorite. Evenepoel had a 38 second deficit.

Tadej Pogacar crossed the finish line in solo fashion as proud winner of stage 4 of Tour de France. Thirtyfive seconds later, Remco Evenepoel was the next rider to reach the finish line as Jonas Vingegaard had been caught on the fast descent. Juan Ayuso completed the stage podium. Primoz Roglic finished fourth in the same time as Evenepoel and Roglic, while Vingegaard and Carlos Rodriguez finished the stage two seconds further back.

Tadej Pogacar took over the lead in this year’s Tour de France and will wear the yellow jersey in tomorrow’s stage 5 of Tour de France 2024.

Stay tuned to Roadcycling.com for complete coverage from Tour de France 2024.

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