As the race heads further south into the Pyrénées, stage 5 on July 27, will bring a flatter 126km route for the sprint teams, who will be on a serious hunt for 75 points on offer for the green jersey.
From the start in Onet-Le-Château, Team SD Worx have a control in the sprint classification, race leader Lotte Kopecky claiming 128 points so far to Lorena Wiebes' 100 points. However, Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step Team) is just eight point behind Wiebes in third place. And top sprinters like Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma), with 64 points, and Charlotte Kook (Team dsm-firmenich), 35 points, look to make big leaps.
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It's not straightforward flat on Thursday, as four ascents disrupt proceedings for eight mountains classification points - the Côte de Najac (2.1km at 7.4%) with 51km to go, followed by Côte de Laguépie (1.5km at 9%) and Côte de Monestiés (1.6km at 6.4%).
Points for bonus sprints have been doubled this year, so look for a skirmish when the race gets close to kilometre marker 91, as 300 metres beyond is the bonus line in Castelfadèze. From there, there is one final climbing hurdle of Côte de Monestiés, and from the top just 23.9km remain for a downhill and then flat run-in to Albi.
Jackie has been involved in professional sports for more than 30 years in news reporting, sports marketing and public relations. She founded Peloton Sports in 1998, a sports marketing and public relations agency, which managed projects for Tour de Georgia, Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah and USA Cycling. She also founded Bike Alpharetta Inc, a Georgia non-profit to promote safe cycling. She is proud to have worked in professional baseball for six years - from selling advertising to pulling the tarp for several minor league teams. On the bike, she has climbed l'Alpe d'Huez three times (not fast), and spends time on gravel around horse farms in north Georgia.
