Le Tour 2019 – Stage 4

Reims > Nancy

Distance: 213.5 kilometers.

This entire stage is in France and it is classified as “flat”. The riders spend 121 kilometers on fairly flat terrain before the cat 4 Côte de Rosières (1 km 7% grade). More flat to 147 km and the intermediate sprint at Lérouville. You continue on to 198.5 km and the cat 4 Côte de Maron (3.2 km 5% grade). Expect a bunch sprint at the finish.

A fine example of teamwork at the end when Julian Alaphilippe of DQT took the lead setting up fellow team member Elia Viviani to take the stage. Viviani is the team sprinter and had the energy to win while Alaphilippe wasn’t sure of himself. The process in sprinting is to have other team members “break trail” and pull the lead sprinter in their draft so he can conserve energy for the finish. Drafting works the same in bicycling as it does in NASCAR.

Julian Alaphilippe ( Fra – DQT – 021 ) [Yellow] 14h 41′ 39″
Peter Sagan ( Svk – BOH – 011 ) [Green] 104 points
Tim Wellens ( Bel – LTS – 168 ) [Polka Dot] 7 points
Wout Van Aert ( Bel – TJV – 088 ) [White] 2

Stage winner: Elia Viviani ( Ita – DQT – 028 )
Combative: Michael Schär ( Swi – CCC – 117 ) [Red numbers]
Team: Team Jumbo – Visma ( TJV – 081-088 ) [Yellow numbers]

Top Ten:
1 Julian Alaphilippe ( Fra – DQT – 021 ) –
2 Wout Van Aert ( Bel – TJV – 088 ) + 00h 00′ 20″
3 Steven Kruijswijk ( Ned – TJV – 081 ) + 00h 00′ 25″
4 George Bennett ( NZl – TJV – 082 ) + 00h 00′ 25″
5 Michael Matthews ( Aus – SUN – 141 ) + 00h 00′ 40″
6 Egan Bernal ( Col – INS – 002 ) + 00h 00′ 40″
7 Geraint Thomas ( GBr – INS – 001 ) + 00h 00′ 45″
8 Enric Mas ( Spa – DQT – 025 ) + 00h 00′ 46″
9 Greg Van Avermaet ( Bel – CCC – 111 ) + 00h 00′ 51″
10 Michael Woods ( Can – EF1 – 098 ) + 00h 00′ 51″

The Rest of the Top 30:

11 Wilco Kelderman ( Ned – SUN – 146 ) + 00h 00′ 51″
12 Thibaut Pinot ( Fra – GFC – 051 ) + 00h 00′ 52″
13 Rigoberto Uran ( Col – EF1 – 091 ) + 00h 00′ 53″
14 Tejay Van Garderen ( USA – EF1 – 097 ) + 00h 00′ 53″
15 Sonny Colbrelli ( Ita – TBM – 043 ) + 00h 00′ 56″
16 David Gaudu ( Fra – GFC – 053 ) + 00h 00′ 57″
17 Rudy Molard ( Fra – GFC – 056 ) + 00h 00′ 57″
18 Peter Sagan ( Svk – BOH – 011 ) + 00h 01′ 00″
19 Nicolas Roche ( Irl – SUN – 148 ) + 00h 01′ 00″
20 Matteo Trentin ( Ita – MTS – 107 ) + 00h 01′ 01″
21 Vincenzo Nibali ( Ita – TBM – 041 ) + 00h 01′ 01″
22 Adam Yates ( GBr – MTS – 101 ) + 00h 01′ 06″
23 Alexey Lutsenko ( Kaz – AST – 076 ) + 00h 01′ 06″
24 Daryl Impey ( RSA – MTS – 105 ) + 00h 01′ 06″
25 Jakob Fuglsang ( Den – AST – 071 ) + 00h 01′ 06″
26 Luis León Sanchez ( Spa – AST – 078 ) + 00h 01′ 06″
27 Pello Bilbao Lopez De Armentia ( Spa – AST – 072 ) + 00h 01′ 06″
28 Patrick Konrad ( Aut – BOH – 014 ) + 00h 01′ 11″
29 Gregor Mühlberger ( Aut – BOH – 015 ) + 00h 01′ 11″
30 Emanuel Buchmann ( Ger – BOH – 012 ) + 00h 01′ 11″

Note: Wikipedia has a simple article on the Mountain classification used on the Tour. The basic fact is that climbs fall into five types, with the four numbered types decreasing in difficulty as the numbers get larger, and then there is the Hors Catégorie, literally “without category”, which generally makes you look for an elevator or Sherpas.

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