Cycling in Yorkshire & Beyond
Cycling in Yorkshire & Beyond
Stage 4 of the Tour de France 2024 is a 139.6km mountain stage from Pinerolo to Valloire.
It sees the race head via an intermediate sprint at Castel de Bosco to Sestriere, before going over the Col de Montgenèvre to leave Italy behind and continue into France.
Once the race is back in its home country, the riders climb the Col du Lautaret which leads on to the hors catégorie Col du Galibier. The stage ends with a descent to Valloire.
The total climbing on Stage 4 is 3,600m.
Stage 4 is an early day in the Alps, and is a result of the fact that the race needs to return to France from a Grand Départ in Italy. If any of the GC contenders are starting the 2024 Tour under-cooked, today could catch them out.
These are video highlights of Stage 4 Tour de France 2024.
This is the Stage 4 blog/race report.
Race Details | Poll | Map & Profile | Timings | Videos | Food & Drink | Route Notes | Favourites
| Date | Tuesday 2nd July 2024 |
|---|---|
| Stage classification | Mountain |
| Distance | 139.6km |
| Intermediate sprint | Castel del Bosco |
| Climbs | Sestriere (Cat. 2) Col de Montgenèvre (Cat. 2) Col du Galibier (HC) |
| Climbing | 3,600m |
Vote for one of the main contenders to win Stage 4.
This is a map of the route of Stage 4, Tour de France 2024.
This is a zoom-able map of the route of Stage 4 of the 2024 Tour de France.
Note: this routemap was produced a long time in advance of the race, and could be subject to changes.
This is the profile of Stage 4 Tour de France 2024.
| Caravan | Fast Schedule | Slow Schedule | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start Time (départ fictif) | 1105 |
1305 |
1305 |
| Start Time (départ réel) | 1115 |
1315 |
1315 |
| Intermediate Sprint Castel del Bosco | 1150 |
1341 |
1344 |
| Sestriere Climb | 1249 |
1434 |
1443 |
| Col du Galibier Climb | 1501 |
1647 |
1718 |
| Finish Line (139.6km) | 1537 |
1705 |
1737 |
This is a video of the route of Stage 4 Tour de France 2024.
The Col du Galibier features in Stage 4 of the Tour de France 2024. It was on the Galibier on Stage 11 of the 2022 Tour, but climbing the col in the opposite direction, that Jonas Vingegaard and Primoz Roglic teamed up to crack Tadej Pogacar.
Stage 4 is an Alpine stage to Valloire, in Savoie, and therefore this race should be accompanied by Savoyarde specialities. These include fondue, raclette and pierrade.
Vin de Savoie is usually drunk with a traditional Savoyarde meal.
Savoie wines are generally quite light with relatively high acidity. The reds are often made from Gamay grapes, and the whites from Chasselas, Altesse, Chardonnay, Roussanne or other varieties.
Apremont is one of the areas that makes vin de Savoie, generally white wine. The soil is chalky, the result of a landslide from Mont Granier in the 1200s. The slopes enable the vines to catch the morning sun. The main grape variety for Apremont is Jacquère, and the resulting wines are light and dry with floral, mineral character.
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The stage starts in Pinerolo (départ fictif).
Pinerolo is a town 10km south west of Turin, on the river Chisone.
The discovery of a Roman necropolis (Dama Rossa) shows that the Romans had a presence here. The name Pinerolo is first mentioned in 981, when it belonged to the Bishops of Turin.
The Dukes of Savoy ruled here from 1243. They had a fortress at Pinerolo, and the military tradition here continues until today, with a cavalry school.
You can visit the Cavalry School Museum - Museo Storico dell'Arma di Cavalleria.
A couple of famous historical figures were imprisoned in Pinerolo in the 1600s by Louis XIV.
One was Nicolas Fouquet, who had Vaux-le-Vicomte built and thus inspired Louis XIV to create the Palace of Versailles. Fouquet was in prison in Pinerolo from 1665 to 1680.
The other was the Man in the Iron Mask, known as Dauger, imprisoned from 1669 to 1681. He may have been King Louis XIV's twin brother.
It is said that Fouquet and Dauger knew each other, and that when Fouquet's valet was ill, Dauger stepped in and replaced him.
There's some manufacturing in Pinerolo, including a ball bearing company (relevant to bicycles), a chipboard producer (less so), and a company making machines for the pulp and paper industry (relevant to the newspaper journalists covering the race).
Pinerolo has a historic centre, a Cathedral, and a Gothic church dedicated to San Maurizio.
The Tour de France suggests panettone piemontese as a speciality worth trying in Pinerolo.
Panettone is a fluffy bread containing dried fruit; it was first made in Milan in the 1500s. The Piemontese version has a hazelnut frosting and almond decoration on top.
Italian emigrants to South America took an enthusiasm for panettone with them, and Peru now consumes more per head than any other country in the world. I always thought they mainly ate marmalade sandwiches in Peru.
Stage 17 of the 2011 Tour de France finished in Pinerolo, and Edvald Boasson Hagen won that day.
The riders head west out of Pinerolo through Abbadia Alpina, site of a historic abbey.
The abbey was established in 1064 under Abbot Immenso, and lasted until 1805 when it was suppressed by Napoléon Bonaparte.
The départ réel is beyond Abbadia Alpina, where the peloton reaches the Torrente Chisone.
Now the race heads up the Chisone valley.
This is a long but very gradual climb - 39.9km at an average gradient of 3.7%. I guess a breakaway will go on this ascent, and it could include contenders for the green jersey who want to score points in the intermediate sprint at Castel del Bosco.
The first significant settlement is Villar Perosa.
The Agnelli family, of Fiat fame, have their country house and estate at Villar Perosa.
It boasts a football pitch which is used by Juventus for a pre-season friendly. It used to be Juventus A vs Juventus B, but now it is the first team against the Under 23s.
The whole of the first half is played, but then soon after the second half starts there is a 'peaceful and affectionate pitch invasion' which brings the match to an end.
This video gives a good impression of the Villar Perosa friendly match.
Villar Perosa is also the name given to a submachine gun manufactured here in World War I.
It was nicknamed the Pernacchia - the raspberry, in the sense of an unvoiced lingo-labial trill rather than a fruit.
The gun was designed by Piedmontese officer Revelli, and intended to be used by infantry and cyclist battalions. It was light and easy to transport.
Manufacture was by a Fiat subsidiary called the Officine di Villar Perosa (OVP).
The riders continue to Perosa Argentina. 'Argentina' refers to the fact that silver was once found here.
Perosa Argentina was the birthplace of Fernandel, who left for France as a young child and went on to become a famous actor.
A few kilometres after Perosa Argentina is Castel del Bosco. Here, the intermediate sprint takes place after 18.9km raced.
On this year's mountainous stages, it seems that the race organisers are not afraid to bung the intermediate sprint in very early. That's a good idea.
Next along the route is Fenestrelle, famous for its fort, which is the symbol of Turin.
It was built by the Dukes of Savoy between 1728 and 1850, to guard access to Turin via the Chisone valley against invasion from France. The architect at the outset was Ignazio Bertola.
It stretches for 3km along Monte Orsiera, and has three forts, three redoubts and two batteries. It was nicknamed the Great Wall of the Alps.
The riders continue up the Chisone valley to Pragelato (frozen field).
Pragelato's ski jump was used in the 2006 Winter Olympics. There was also cross-country skiing here.
As noted above, the climb to Sestriere is 39.9km at an average 3.7%; it is rated Category 2. The top of the climb is at 2,035m, after 50.4km raced.
Sestriere is a ski resort on the pass between Val Chisone and Val Susa. It was built in the 1930s by Fiat's Giovanni Agnelli, but the idea for it was Benito Mussolini's.
Construction started with the two ugly hotel towers, where FIAT workers from Turin stayed on holiday.
Sestriere is part of a bigger cross-border linked ski area, called the Via Lattea (Milky Way). Other resorts that are part of the Milky Way include Sauze d'Oulx and Serre Chevalier.
Sestriere was the main venue for the 2006 Winter Olympics. Antoine Dénériaz won the men's downhill here, and Michaela Dorfmeister the women's downhill.
Benjamin Raich won the men's slalom and giant slalom golds. Here he is in the slalom.
Skiing Made Easy is a practical guide to learning to ski based on many happy seasons of ski teaching.
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The book suggests relevant exercises to develop and improve your skills. Common faults are identified, along with the best ways to correct them.
'By the way' sections contain information about many of the little things that people assume you just know, but you may not.
'This is the book I wish I'd had when I started skiing' - reviewer on Amazon.
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There is golf in Sestriere in Summertime.
From Sestriere, the race goes downhill to Cesana Torinese, which hosted biathlon, some skiing events, bobsleigh, luge and skeleton at the 2006 Winter Olympics.
Then Stage 4 starts to climb again.
The next climb is via Clavière to the Col de Montgenèvre. It is 8.3km at an average 5.9%, to a height of 1,860m after 71.1km raced.
Clavière is a small ski resort on the Italian side of the border. Straight after World War II, the border split the village in two, but in 1974 it was moved so that the whole settlement is now in Italy.
On exiting Clavière, the riders cross into France.
They continue climbing to the Col de Montgenèvre and the village/ski resort of Montgenèvre.
The Col de Montgenèvre is important because it is the lowest of the main Alpine cols between Italy and France.
It may have been here that Hannibal crossed the Alps with his elephants to attack Rome in 218BC. The col was certainly used by the Romans, including by Pompey and Julius Caesar.
Napoléon had the road over the col widened, and he put up an obelisk to commemorate this.
Clavière and Montgenèvre are overlooked by the Fort du Chaberton, built by the Italians from 1900-1914 to defend the pass against France. It has eight turrets above ground, and the rest was below ground.
In June 1940, the French bombarded Chaberton and put it out of action. It's possible to hike up there to see what's left of it.
The Tour de France finished at Montgenèvre in 1976, when Joop Zoetemelk won the stage.
Montgenèvre was built in 1907, which makes it one of France's first ski resorts.
From Montgenèvre Stage 4 follows the Durance down to Briançon.
Briançon is a town at the confluence of the Durance and the Guisane, in the Hautes Alpes. It's at an altitude of 1,326m. It sits between Italy to the east, and the Parc National des Ecrins to the west.
Briançon is one of the towns within the Serre-Chevalier ski area. The lift out of Briançon is called Prorel, and the red run back down is Vauban - a reference to the builder of the local fortress.
Briançon was called Brigantium by the Romans, and was a settlement where Roman roads through the Alps met.
The historic centre of the town was designed by Louis XIV's military architect Vauban in the 1600s and built up until 1734. Because Briançon is close to the Col de Montgenèvre route to Turin, it was often involved in conflicts, and had to protect itself; there are other forts higher up.
Briançon's fortifications are listed as a World Heritage Site.
The town has been extended outside the fortifications, to the south west, down by the river Durance.
Luc Alphand is from Briançon. He was a ski racer who won the overall World Cup title in 1997.
As well as skiing in the winter, Briançon is known for cycling and kayaking in the Summer. There's good whitewater on the Durance and its tributaries.
Stage 12 of the 2022 Tour de France was from Briançon to Alpe d'Huez, and resulted in a stage win for Thomas Pidcock.
The race takes the D1091 north west from Briançon up the Vallée de la Guisane, through Saint-Chaffrey, Chantemerle and La Salle-des-Alpes to Le Monêtier-les-Bains.
The Romans bathed in the waters of Le Monêtier-les-Bains. Later, there was a priory here which gave the village its name (monastery > Monêtier).
Le Monêtier-les-Bains is the official start of the climb of the Col du Galibier, which is the highlight of Stage 4.
Stage 4 of the 2024 Tour de France 2024 is an oddity, in that it's an isolated day in the Alps. The Tour doesn't return to this mountain range until Stage 17.
The Galibier is the key climb. Which of the Big Four - Vingegaard, Pogacar, Roglic and Evenepoel - is most likely to make time gains?
Incidentally, around 24th June 2024 there was plenty of snow up at the Galibier, and it had still not re-opened after the Winter.
It’s a matter of days now until stage 4 of the Tour de France passes through the Col du Galibier, and it’s not yet clear of last winter’s snow.
— Iain Cameron (@theiaincameron) June 25, 2024
📷 Strava / Julien Dussuchale pic.twitter.com/yGvY2Y11k9
Doubtless it will be open before the race comes this way on 2nd July 2024.
From Briançon the Col du Galibier climb is easy until you reach the Col du Lautaret, according to Cycling Challenge. This early part of the climb is on the Guisane valley road, the D1091.
'At Lautaret, the route leaves the main road and climbs 8.5 marvellous kilometres to the summit'.
Cycling Challenge
The monument to founder of the Tour de France Henri Desgrange is just before the tunnel entrance.
A wreath is laid there when the Tour de France passes it.
Overall, the climb is 23km at 5.1%, to a height of 2,642m after 120.7km raced.
There are time bonuses of 8s, 5s and 2s for the first three riders to the top of the climb.
The top of the Col du Galibier is also the location of the Souvenir Henri Desgrange prize in 2024.
Desgrange was the sports journalist who created the Tour de France and was its first race director. He was keen on taking the race high up into the mountains, and the Galibier was his favourite climb.
He said that all other climbs, including the Tourmalet, should take off their caps and bow before the Galibier.
He died in 1940, and in the first Tour after that (1947), the Souvenir Henri Desgrange prize was introduced.
There's a cash prize of €5,000 for the first rider to reach the prize point. It's usually the Galibier (if it's on the route), and otherwise the highest point of the Tour de France. In 2024 the Souvenir Henri Desgrange is at the Col du Galibier.
The descent from the Galibier is via a series of hairpins to Plan Lachat. After that, the road is straighter, and leads to Valloire.
The total height lost is 1,223m.
Stage 4 enters Valloire from the south, at La Borge.
The parcours takes the riders along the stream, on Rue de la Bonne Eau, before crossing it and heading along Route des Villards to the church and tourist office.
Then it's along Rue de la Sétaz, before a right turn on Avenue de la Vallée d'Or. The finish line is near the cinema.
See Nairo Quintana soloing to victory in Valloire on Stage 18 of the Tour de France 2019.
The Stage 4 finish town is Valloire, a ski resort in the Maurienne Valley and in Savoie. It is linked to neighbouring resort Valmeinier.
It was transformed from a mountain village to a ski resort in 1935-6, when the Ski Club de Paris came here.
The French Foreign Legion has a base at Valloire where recruits learn to ski.
French slalom skier Jean-Baptiste Grange is from Valloire. He was World Champion in 2011 and 2015.
As well as skiing, ice and snow sculpture competitions are held at Valloire in Winter.
In Summer, sculptors turn their attention to straw and hay creations - constructions filled with straw and hay. Teams of two create a total of twelve giant sculptures, which you would imagine will be on display on Stage 4.
Diots de Valloire are a version of diots de Savoie sausages, with cabbage, carrot, onion and beetroot as well as beef and pork. The tourist office's recipe also includes potato, laurel leaves and juniper berries.
Stage 4 is an early taste of the Alps. The GC contenders will have no option but to get stuck in on the Col du Galibier. Who will show the most promising signs?
Nairo Quintana is doing the Giro and Vuelta this year, but not the Tour, so he will not be repeating his 2019 win.
Perhaps a breakaway rider can win in 2024.
Tadej Pogacar is often on good form early in the Tour de France, albeit this year he will already have ridden the Giro d'Italia. He can descend and sprint. He will be among the favourites for the stage, along with Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel and Primoz Roglic.
For a review of the chances of the Big Four GC riders, see Focus on Stage 4 Tour de France 2024.
Who do you think will win Stage 4 of the 2024 Tour de France?
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