Stage 4 | Wednesday, 14 June | Monthey - Leukerbad | 152.5 kilometres
The 4th stage begins in Monthey, not far from the previous day's finish. The starting lap, which has become a tradition of this tour, is also back on the programme, this time covering 21 kilometres. The course then heads primarily eastwards, remaining in the Rhone Valley, so that there are almost no metres of elevation gain in the profile. Sion is passed before it gets mountainous after 84 kilometres shortly before Sierre - around 15 kilometres long. Into the ski resort of Crans-Montana.
The Giro d'Italia ended there just under a month earlier the 13th stage with Einer Rubio (Movistar) as the winner. In the Tour de Suisse, however, the category 1 climb is only a stopover. At the highest point, it's back downhill to Sierre, where the riders sprint for points. After that, it gets hilly again, first on the Varenstrasse (3rd category), before the double sprint for bonus seconds.
Finally, it's time for the finale. The steep route to the mountain village of Dorben is 19 kilometres long and has a gradient of 5.6 per cent despite a four-kilometre intermediate descent. Because where it goes uphill, it is usually between seven and eleven per cent. But Dorben is not the end. It goes downhill again before the last 1200 metres to Leukerbad start to climb again.
Sporting assessment of the 4th stage
The profile of the day is similar to that of the previous day - and so are the demands on the riders. Perhaps a few more downhill qualities are required this time, but basically it is once again the climbers with ambitions in the overall classification, i.e. Sergio Higuita (Bora-Hansgrohe), Pello Bilbao (Bahrain-Victorious) or Romain Bardet (Team DSM), who will have to take seconds off their strong time trial rivals.
But it may also be the breakaway riders who can show themselves here. Those who have already lost too much time in the mountains on the first day for Remco Evenepoel (Soudal - Quick Step) and co. can still be seen as a serious threat in the classification. With a sufficient lead and perhaps even deliberately sparing their legs, a victory out of an escape group is not impossible.
Schedule, TV coverage & live stream of stage 4 of the Tour de Suisse 2023
The stage starts at 12:35. With expected average speeds of 37 to 41 km/h, the riders should arrive in Leukerbad between 16:23 and 16:47.
The Tour de Suisse will not be shown on German television. In Switzerland, however, the German-language channel SRF 2 will broadcast the 4th stage live from 14:35. At this time, the paid live streams from GCN+, Discovery+ and thus also Eurosport will also be added to the programme.
Tour de Suisse - Stage 4: The most important information at a glance
- Mid-mountain stage with mountain finish over 152.5 kilometres
- Start of the stage: 12:35 pm
- Estimated arrival time: between 16:23 and 16:47
- TV broadcast: in Switzerland on SRF 2 from 14:35
- Live stream: GCN+, Discovery+ and Eurosport from 14:35
