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Stage 4 Preview
and Results

Categorized Climbs for Stage 4:
Km Climb Length Grade Max Cat Google Earth Streetview
79Côte de Laz1.6 km5.9 %n/a4 3D Tour Streetview
172.5Mûr-de-Bretagne2 km6.9 %n/a3 3D Tour Streetview


Stage 4: Lorient → Mûr-de-Bretagne
Date: Tuesday, July 5
Distance: 173 km
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View Stage 4 in Google Earth (kml file) or Export the Stage 4 GPX file


Stage 4 start time: Tuesday 13:10 CET (11:10:00 AM GMT+0000); Weather for Lorient, France
Earliest live video: 14:00 CET (12:00:00 PM GMT+0000); Live/delayed coverage options
Approximate finish: 17:30 CET (3:30:00 PM GMT+0000); Weather for Mûr-de-Bretagne, France

This stage preview is available in the following languages:

(We are looking for translations in ALL other languages. Please submit your translation with the stage no. and language in the subject title. If you don't see your preview posted within 12 hours then please resend your preview as an attachment if you didn't already do so because we've had problems with some inline character sets like German.)

Stage 4 preview: Lorient → Mûr-de-Bretagne, 173 km (uphill finish)


The straight, uphill finish for 2 km on the rural outskirts of Mûr-de-Bretagne in Brittany



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Philippe Gilbert (here winning the 2011 Fleche Wallonne) is the logical pick for this stage
June 29 post: Uncharacteristically, Stage 4 features the second uphill in the first four days of the race and this one is more difficult than the first stage. After a 173 km route through the Brittany region starting in Lorient, the stage will end with an uphill finish in Mûr-de-Bretagne. The Tour has passed over this climb several times before (most recently in 2004 and 2006), but never finished on it. The 2 km finishing climb is 10% for first km before for the less steep 4% final km. In total, it averages 6.9% giving it a cat 3 rating. As you can see from the streetview photo above, the climb is very straight and the "finish is almost visible from the bottom" according to race director, Jean-François Pescheux.

The course along the narrow, twisty, lumpy roads of Brittany will likely split the peloton well before the finish. Look for a puncheur like Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma-Lotto) to attack from a small group on the 10% section and then hold on for the win. It would be a special birthday present for the Belgian classic specialist who will turn 29 years-old on this day. — Steve