At the end of yesterday’s marathon stage, the cyclists had already covered 423 km in three days. Today, the 4th stage between Serre Chevalier and Pra Loup marked the halfway point of the Haute Route Alpes, and the accumulation of hundreds of kilometers is starting to take its toll on the cyclists, who completed three more ascents: the magnificent Col d’Izoard, Col de Vars, and the final climb towards Pra Loup.
At the front of the race, competition was fierce, and Peter Pouly claimed his second stage victory in 3 hours and 37 minutes. The competition will continue to intensify with the individual time trial tomorrow, followed by the last two stages.
It was a tough start this morning for the 550 cyclists who left Serre Chevalier at 8 a.m. to tackle the 19 kilometers of climbing to the summit of Col d’Izoard, at 2361 meters above sea level. During the 30 kilometers of descent, the cyclists were able to enjoy breathtaking landscapes before taking the winding roads along the Gorges du Guil and then the climb up Col de Vars.
Peter Pouly and Ariya Pounsavath each have two stage victories, although Pouly now holds a 17-minute lead in the overall standings over his teammate. Tatjana Ruf continues her impressive streak by winning her fourth consecutive stage, finishing 10 minutes ahead of her closest rival Amélie Laurendon.
In the Team Classification, rivalries will grow in the coming days as only a few minutes separate some teams: the Cyclo Pro Sailing team, in 42nd place, is among the 10 teams separated by only 49 minutes.
