Tour de France 2026 Favourites stage 4: Half the peloton rolls the dice
fotobureau Cor VosStage 4 of the Tour de France is one to watch. It is the sort of stage where half the peloton fancies its chances of the stage win, and that usually leads to a spectacle.
(Slideshow route/profile)
First published on 18 June
The riders tackle 2,700 metres of climbing on the road from Carcassonne to Foix. A quintessential in-between stage: too tough for the sprinters, and not demanding enough for the GC riders to make the difference. This opens the door for a breakaway.
On the other hand, given the opening three days of the Tour, it is quite likely that the yellow jersey has already changed shoulders by stage 3. If so, chances are that it rests on the shoulders of a rider who will be keen to keep it for as long as possible. Someone with no real GC ambitions, but who will be relishing the chance to ride in one of the most coveted jerseys in cycling — as will his team. Expect them to do everything they can to control the race where possible.
Whether they succeed is another matter entirely…
In theory, the parcours is ideal for the breakaway. But if the yellow jersey’s team keeps a tight grip on proceedings and gives the attackers little room to manoeuvre, we could just as easily see a reduced peloton sprinting for victory in Foix.
Pure sprinters, in any case, will find the route too demanding. After a series of relatively straightforward hills in the opening phase, the second half features some tougher climbs. The Col de Coudins rises for 10.7 kilometres at 5.5%, while the Col de Montségur is 6.9 kilometres at 6.6%. From the summit, there are just over 35 kilometres to the finish in Foix.
We’ll continue to update this article in the build-up to the Tour de France.
Favourites 4th stage - 2026 Tour de France
*** Maxim Van Gils, Tom Pidcock, Magnus Cort, Iván Romeo
** Michael Matthews, Mads Pedersen, Filippo Ganna, Jasper Stuyven
* Florian Vermeersch, Mathieu van der Poel, Matteo Trentin, Dorian Godon
Another interesting read: route 4th stage 2026 Tour de France.
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