Key mountain stage of Tour de Romandie reduced by 70km due to weather conditions

The distance of stage 4 of the Tour de Romandie has been reduced by 70km due to plummeting temperatures on the Col des Mosses. The key mountain stage of the race will still start from Lucens and conclude with a summit finish at Torgon, but it will now be 107km in length and will not feature the Col des Mosses.

The Tour de Romandie organisation announced the decision to implement the extreme weather protocol and shorten the stage on Saturday morning after consultation between the commissaires, the CPA and the competing teams.

“The drop in temperature forecast as well as the strong winds and risk of snow showers across the Prealps called for a reduction of the day’s programme,” read a statement from the Tour de Romandie. “The temperature on the Col des Mosses will be 2°C but with an apparent temperature of -2°C.”

The stage will start from Lucens at the later time of 2.35pm CET and will feature the category 3 climb of Prévonloup as well as the category 1 ascent towards the finish at Torgons. The final ascent is 10.5km in length with an average gradient of 6.8%.

“Since yesterday, the two potential replacement routes had already been marked out in case the weather risks were confirmed, so the peloton will be guided by the same signage and the municipalities on the route were informed of the possible passage of the Tour de Romandie,” said the organisation.

Defending champion Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) holds the overall lead as the Tour de Romandie enters its final weekend. The Slovenian holds a buffer of 6 seconds over David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) and 8 over Rui Costa (UAE Team Emirates). The Tour de Romandie concludes with a 16.9km time trial in Geneva on Sunday.