The Vuelta a España is now truly a Vuelta a España as we leave Portugal behind and enter Spain, where we start with a fantastic stage that also includes the first uphill finish. Stay tuned to IDLProCycling.com for all the details.
Route Stage 4 Vuelta a Espana 2024
Pico Villarcas is the first real test of the Vuelta a España, but before they can cover the 170km to the summit, the riders already have to overcome several climbs on the stage that starts from Plasencia.
There are three other climbs to tackle first, starting with Puerto de Cabezabellosa (9.2km, 5.4%). This second-category climb comes quite early in the stage and is likely to be the launch pad for any potential breakaway riders. The same could happen with the next climb, Alto de Piornal (13.9km, 5.6%), which is actually a first-category climb.
Then there’s a relatively long flat plateau before a somewhat gentler climb to Puerto de Miravete (8km, 4.5%). After that, it’s still 45km to the finish, the summit of Pico Villacas, and a 14.6km climb with an average gradient of 6.2%. These figures can be misleading, however, as between 5km and 2km from the finish the gradient rarely drops below 12%.
climb
23.9 km: Puerto de Cabezabellosa (9.2 km, 5.4%)
54.1 km: Alto de Piornal (13.9 km, 5.6%)
123.4 km: Puerto de Miravete (8 km, 4.5%)
170.4 km: Pico Villuercas (14.6 km, 6.2%)
Times
Start time: 1:05 PM
End: Approximately 5:20 pm
Weather Stage 4 Vuelta a España 2024
Hot, hotter, really hot! That’s the weather theme for day four of the Vuelta, and the scorching heat is expected to continue. Temperatures were a scorching 37°C (99°F) at the start in Plasencia and not much better around Pico Villacas. Luckily for riders struggling with the heat, there may be a slight drop in temperature as the altitude increases, but with the finish line being “only” 1,500 metres above sea level, any differences will be minimal.
Favourite Stage 4 of the Vuelta a Espana 2024
Who will be in the best shape for this Vuelta climb is still a matter of guesswork, but we can make some early predictions based on the time trial (and of course other factors). Red Bull Bora-Hansgrohe’s Primoz Roglic recorded the best time in the time trial among the GC contenders. The Slovenian didn’t start the Vuelta in perfect shape but still recorded an impressive time. In Spain, Roglic always seems to find another gear, as is evident from his three GC wins. Will he also be the strongest GC rider on the first climb finish? His strong finishing kick is definitely an added weapon.
Roglič will face tough competition, especially from UAE Team Emirates. Joao Almeida and Adam Yates, who have previously described Roglič as an enigma, are the leaders of this team. Almeida also performed well in the time trial on home soil, while Yates finished 29th. Not a big deal, but not a bad result! Can the Tour de France domestic team, led by Tadej Pogačar, take this first mountain stage on their own? Plus, the team has the young talent Isaac del Toro as a back-up.
We should also mention Ecuadorian rider Richard Carapaz from EF Education Easypost. As the Tour de France progressed, Carapaz went from strength to strength, eventually taking a stage win and the polka dot jersey. In the Vuelta, he’ll need to be sharp at Pico Villarcas as he wants to prove himself again as a contender for the overall win. He’s got confidence!
Carapaz has strong credentials!
Other riders who performed well in the individual time trials were Florian Lipowicz (Red Bull Bora-Hansgrohe) and Matthias Schermosse (Liddle-Trek). For Lipowicz, the question is how much he will have to sacrifice for his team leader Roglic, but Schermosse has made it clear for several months that he is fully focused on this Vuelta. Another young rider, Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious), had a great run in the Giro d’Italia and should be able to catch up with the top class here. And what about Sepp Kuss (Visma | Lease-A-Bike), leader of the yellow-and-black team and defending champion?
There are a few other contenders for the overall win, but their chances seem a little slimmer: Carlos Rodriguez and Timmen Arensmann (both INEOS Grenadiers), Max Pool (dsm-firmenich PostNL), Enric Mas (Movistar), Isaac del Toro (UAE-Team Emirates), Ben O’Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), Matthew Riccetti (Israel-Premier Tech), Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) and Lennart van Eetveld (Lotto-Dstny).
Of course, especially in Spain, there is always the possibility of a breakaway group making it to the finish. It’s a bit of a luck thing to guess who will be in the breakaway group, but some to look out for are William Junior Lecerf (Soudal-QuickStep), Jeffrey Bouchard (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), Dylan Theuns (Israel Premier Tech), Pelayo Sánchez (Movistar) and Ion Izagirre (Cofidis).
According to IDLProCycling.com, the favorites to win Stage 4 of the 2024 Vuelta a Espana are:
Top favourites: Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) and Joao Almeida (UAE-Team Emirates)
Outsiders: Adam Yates (UAE-Team Emirates), Sepp Kuss (Visma | Lease-A-Bike), Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost), Florian Lipowicz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe)
Long shots: Matthias Schermosse, Giulio Ciccone (both Riddle Trek), Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious), Enric Mas (Movistar), Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates), Carlos Rodriguez, Timmen Arensmann (INEOS Grenadiers)