Stage 4 of the Tour de France should provide more drama
The Tour de France continues with a second stage in succession likely to suit the sprinters as the race heads away from the Basque coast and into the heart of southwest France.
A 182km route from Dax to Nogaro provides only one categorised climb, with the peloton’s fast-men lining up another dash for victory on the smooth tarmac of the Circuit Paul Armagnac.
Jasper Philipsen took the first bunch sprint of this year’s Tour in Bayonne yesterday, capitalising on a brilliant lead-out from his Alpecin-Deceuninck teammates to win Stage Three.
But plenty of the sprinters in the field showed good legs in a twisting finale, including Astana’s Mark Cavendish, who finished sixth.
The Manx man arrived at his final Tour de France seeking a 35th stage win that would take him clear of Eddy Merckx as the most succesful stage-hunter in race history, and will hope to challenge for victory in Nogaro.
Follow all the latest updates from stage four below:
