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June 8 update: Stage 4 has only one categorized climb, but it's positioned at the end where it matters most, thus earning this day the mountain stage symbol. So, we've encountered our first mountain stage and first mountaintop finish of this year's event. Like all recent editions of Critérium du Dauphiné, the mountain stages run the table in this race.
The day starts out in Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux, another Rhône Valley town off of the A7 Highway dividing the Ardèche and Provence (Drôme) regions. From the valley, we'll start a gradual western ascent of the French Alps passing through well-known Tour de France towns, Nyons and Gap, along the way.
The final climb is 12.8 km long with an average grade of 7% up to the finish at the Risoul ski resort. It's not quite Alpe d'Huez being 1 km shorter and .9% less steep that the much more famous ski resort climb to the north, but it should be a good preview of what to expect at the end of the queen stage on Saturday.
— Steve
Stage 4 categorized climbs:
Km 210.0 - Risoul - 12.8 km at 7 % (Category 1)