No, this time there is probably no controversy like on Monday, when the jury decided for a long time whether the sprint leader Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin) did not close Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) at the barrier.
ONLINE: Tour de France 2023, 4. stage
We follow the flat stage from Dax to Nogara in detail.
Now the sprinters will compete on the huge roads, in the wide turns of the Paul Armagnac circuit in the territory of the southern French canton of Nogaro.
“For the winners, such a finish will ensure success with a rare flavor,” surmises race director Christian Prudhomme.
Profile 4. etapy Tour de France
The destination will therefore be driven along an open 800-meter asphalt road, along which racing cars and motorcycles are routinely driven. In the end, however, cyclists have to reach it through narrow city streets, which will calm the pack, but will not please the forming sprint trains.
The hilly terrain won’t add much to them either. The profile of the track may seem like a straight line, but in reality there are high frequency up and down passages. During the 182-kilometer route from Dax, the competitors will gain 1,400 meters of altitude.
The profile of the 4th stage of the Tour de France at a glance:
July 4, 2023 at 9:57 am, post archived: July 4, 2023 at 12:54 pm
“The terrain could perfectly suit even a small group of refugees, but they would have to work together to the absolute maximum to keep the peloton behind them,” believes Prudhomme.
However, a battle of fast cars at the finish line is highly likely, many riders will like to rest on a calm day. On Tuesday, they will go to regions that are typical of delicacies such as foie gras or Armagnac distillate.
The sprint premium is located at the 94th kilometer near the Notre-Dame des Cyclistes chapel, which, as the name suggests, is dedicated to cyclists, similar to Italy, where the Madonna del Ghisallo church stands in the Lombard village of Magreglio.
Approximately 27 kilometers before the finish line, a fourth-category ascent to the top of the Côte de Dém awaits the rider.
Jasper Philipsen wins the third stage of the Tour de France
However, this should not be a big obstacle for sprinters. The favorites are generally the same as on Monday. Probably the biggest is again Philipsen, who has a fantastic train with Mathieu van der Poel at his disposal. And they have to reckon with van Aert, Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious), Caleb Ewan (Lotto Dstny), Fabio Jakobsen (Quick-Step) or Dylan Groenewgen (Jayco Alula).