Starting venue Sort is back in La Volta after a hiatus of almost 50 years. Back then, the capital of Pallars Sobirà hosted a stage finish, and Roger de Vlaeminck took the spoils.
Lleida hosted stage finishes on the Vuelta a España in 2015 and 2018, while the Volta a Catalunya’s last visit dates back to 2013. Which resulted in victories for Danny van Poppel, Jelle Wallays and François Parisien, respectively. These were all sprint stages, although Wallays won from the breakaway after the peloton miscalculated. The bunch finished in the same time, but just behind the Belgian and his fellow-attacker Sven Erik Bystrøm.
It will be the 41st stage finish of the Volta a Catalunya in Lleida. The rider who crosses the line in first position joins the ranks of illustrious former winners such as Mario Cipollini (1995, 1996), Laurent Jalabert (1992, 1994), Maurizio Fondriest (1987), and Miquel Poblet (1960). The latter is – with 33 victories – record holder in terms of stage wins on La Volta.
The route is very straightforward. The first part is mostly on descent and then the Port d’Ager – 3.9 kilometres at 6.8% – offers the only chance to gain KOM points. There is still 100 kilometres left to race and virtually all of it takes place on flat terrain.
The first three riders on the line gain time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds, while the intermediate sprints come with 3, 2 and 1 seconds.
Ride the route yourself? Download GPX 4th stage 2024 Volta.
Another interesting read: results 4th stage 2024 Volta a Catalunya.
Volta a Catalunya 2024, stage 4: route, profile, more
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