TDF 2024:-Stage 4: Pinerolo – Valloire, 139.6km ***Spoilers***
TDF 2024:-Stage 4: Pinerolo – Valloire, 139.6km
July 2nd.
Start Time: 12-05BST.
The 4th stage of the Tour de France travels from Pinerolo to the French Alps. The finish is situated in Valloire after the descent from the Col du Galibier. The race is 139.6 kilometres long and the elevation gain add up to 3,600 metres. Before crossing the Italian-French the riders climb to Sestriere. The ascent is 40 kilometres long and sloping at 3.7%.
So, it's only stage 4, but it’s mountains. Not just any mountains either, it’s the Galibier and probably the race’s earliest ‘Souvenir Henri Desgrange’ prize, although it won’t be the highest summit of this year’s race.
Valloire saw only one Tour de France stage finish until now. In 2019, Nairo Quintana soloed to victory from the breakaway.
Profile.
Map
The Climbs.
Sestriere (Cat. 2)
![SestriereW[1].gif](https://forum.bikeradar.com/uploads/0WA3PX9PLQRI/sestrierew-5b1-5d.gif)
Col de Montgenèvre (Cat. 2)
![MontgenevreE[1].gif](https://forum.bikeradar.com/uploads/MWNJ7J3OBN86/montgenevree-5b1-5d.gif)
Col du Galibier (HC)
Climbing 3600m.
Final Kms.
The run from the top of the Galibier to Valloire is recently best remembered for Tom Pidcock's hair raising descending, on his way to victory atop Alpe d'Huez. So, needless to say that these kilometres are technical, at least initially.
![stage-4-route-finale[1].jpg](https://forum.bikeradar.com/uploads/U5AIRYCDKQ2W/stage-4-route-finale-5b1-5d.jpg)
![stage-4-profile-finale[1].jpg](https://forum.bikeradar.com/uploads/8K8TZVUFGM4G/stage-4-profile-finale-5b1-5d.jpg)
What to Expect.
It’s difficult to predict how the race will unfold. Quite possibly a battle among the GC riders, with Pogacar as the main instigator, meaning the others will have no option but to join in. On the other hand, as strong break could make it, but it will depend on how much time can be lost during the first two stages: the smaller the time losses, the less likely a break can make it to the finish.
Pinerolo
Municipality of Piedmont
Stage town for the second time.
Population: 36,000
PINEROLO AND CYCLING
Pinerolo has already been visited by the Tour de France in 2011, when this border town hosted the finish of a stage from Gap, the town with which it is twinned. Norwegian Edvald Boasson-Hagen clinched one of his three stage victories in the Tour. It was in 1949 that the town witnessed its greatest cycling exploit, a long-distance breakaway by Fausto Coppi that gave him his second victory in the Giro d'Italia and the first Tour-Giro double that same year.
Specialities: Torta Zurich (cake), panettone bas Pinerolese glazed with hazelnut, Tomino di Talucco and Seirass (cheeses), mustardela (cold meats), bagna caoda (garlic and anchovy sauce), bollito misto à la piémontaise (meats), génépi, Pinerolese wine.
Vitello tonnato
Vitello tonnato (or vitel' tonné) is a typical Piedmontese dish, served fresh, made from slices of veal, covered with a sauce of tuna, egg yolks, anchovies, capers, olive oil and lemon juice. It is often eaten on summer terraces.
Torta 900
The decadent, chocolate-laden Torta Novecento (cake nine hundred), was created by a renowned Canavese master pastry chef Ottavio Bertinotti to celebrate the turn of the 20th century – hence the name. This seemingly simple cake, consisting of a mousse-like chocolate filling sandwiched between two layers of cocoa-flavored sponge cake.
![5be21444dd0f411cad25bc50142bb8e7[1].jpg](https://forum.bikeradar.com/uploads/RQ1P0K1H4MCW/5be21444dd0f411cad25bc50142bb8e7-5b1-5d.jpg)
Valloire
Stage town for the 4th time
Savoy mountain resort
Population: 1,150
VALLOIRE AND CYCLING
The Tour de France has not only passed through Valloire, it has also stopped here three times, the first in 1972 for a short 53-km half-stage from Briançon, won by Eddy Merckx ahead of Joop Zoetemelk, who broke away with him in the final. In 1975, the peloton headed from Valloire towards Morzine-Avoriaz, where Spaniard Vicente Lopez-Carril won. In 2019, Nairo Quintana won a stage from Embrun. It was the Colombian's third and most recent Tour de France victory.
Specialities: diots de Valloire (made with carrots, beetroot and beef), farçons valloirins (a white cabbage dish with sultanas, prunes and apples). Cheeses: Borgé (made from raw cow's milk), Tomme de Valloire (recommended by Gault & Millau). La Galibier beer (France's highest quality craft brewery) has won numerous international awards.
Diots de Valloire
Diots are sausages found throughout Savoie, but Valloire diots have the following composition: cabbage, carrot, onion, beetroot, beef and pork fat.
![brasserie_biere_galibier[1].jpg](https://forum.bikeradar.com/uploads/G9DBNTTK3K9A/brasserie-biere-galibier-5b1-5d.jpg)
Comments
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It wouldn't be the Tour (or a spring classics season) without an appallingly planned schedule by you
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If ever anyone needed to download the season calendar from INRNG and check it prior to saying yes to anything 😅
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Why is the Henri Desgrange prize on this stage if it isn’t the highest summit? Sure I’m missing something obvious.
That drag to Sestrierre looks tediously tough.
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The Galibier was his favourite climb. In 1911, the year after the Tour first used the Tourmalet, a semblance of a road was finished - the same year as the first Tour ascent.
![s1_25_lelautaret_600_large[1].jpg](https://forum.bikeradar.com/uploads/7G06DIL8ON36/s1-25-lelautaret-600-large-5b1-5d.jpg)
"Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0 -
Yes, it's usually the Galibier if it's in the race, even when there's a higher pass.
But your bonus question is:
What is the LOWEST point the Souvenir Henri Desgrange has been awarded at?
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Has the potential, likelihood even, to be a while lot of meh this stage I reckon. None of the climbs are really tough enough for proper GC shenanigans...
( I also got I to serious trouble calling a Diot a hit dog around here once. I maintain I was right however...)
((Also interesting to see the tour acknowledge the burgeoning craft beer scene around the Alps. Francois Thomezau must not be writing it this year...))
We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
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I agree with the first bit. This isn't the Galibier proper. It's just a drag up to 8k to go and even then isn't particularly steep. I don't envisage too much happening at the front other than the routine Pogacar and Vingegaard riding away from everyone.
"Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago0 -
I'm expecting UAE to try and work Jonas over. This is what they brought all those GC riders with them for.
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Is this one likely to trouble brave sir sprinter trying to meeting the cut-off?
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Last 6 K of the galibier drill it .... See if they can isolate Jonas . Jorg looks like the key man to drop ..if they can't then it's a lean GC group going over together
"If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm0 -
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I think this was recently when a pass was removed and there was no Galibier that year.
Can't be 2020 as Col de la Lose was that year. 2021 maybe?
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Yeah worried about Cav today tbh. Does anyone have the cut off details? Stage is like to be around 4 hours
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I disagree that "none of the climbs are tough enough", it's the Galibier after all.
But it is the side of the Galibier that Cadel Evans rode up on his own at the front with 20 guys following in his wheel.
He dropped Contador that day though, so it's by no means straightforward
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Agreed. Any climb can be decisive if ridden hard enough.
The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
I am not sure. You have no chance.Veronese68 wrote:PB is the most sensible person on here.0 -
Found these now. Coefficient 5 which means it's a "very difficult short stage"
Time cut starts at 10% under 29kmh average then 1% point increase for each kmh increase. If the stage is 4 hours the time cut will be about 36 minutes
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Blazing - Thanks, as always, for the stage info, but I think a reference to "Cremerie de Galibier", half way between the top and Plan Lachat should have got a mention. Beaufort cheese is always a "steal" there! (Sub E16 per kilo a few years ago - maybe E20 now given inflation).
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IIRC, the mass time-cut miss in 2011 came on a similar stage to today's. Sprinters will benefit from drafting on the 4% climb, but net height gain of 1000m won't help, as less chance to recoup losses on descents.
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Can't see Vingegaard losing time on this, but UAE have to make it hard at every opportunity for the whole three weeks. Should start on the second climb. First climb will take care of itself with the number of riders trying to get into a break.
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Nope, but that's the best attempt (only attempt) so far
Nobody else going to have a crack at the LOWEST point the Souvenir Henri Desgrange has been awarded at?
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I'm thinking they may try and send someone out much earlier - Almeida or Yates and try and make him chase.
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Just seen the intermediate sprint is only 20km from the start. They really don't have any hope in the sprinters for this stage, not even of getting in a break and getting over the first climb 😅
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Outside his house, not sure how high it was though.
Edit - research suggests around 5m above sea level in Grimaud
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Has anyone actually seen a souvenir Henri Desgrange? I like to think he's standing in one of those kitsch shell grottoes like those Virgin Marys you see all the time.
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Correct. Wikipedia has it as 1.5m but that looks a bit low to me. It was awarded there in its first edition and a handful of times after
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Full on sprint from the flag drop.
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Small split already. WVA among those trying to get away.
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