Tour de France Stage 4 – Data and stats

Tour de France stage 4 is the halfway point of the first week and exactly as the other stages of the first week, the excess of energy and desire to win by all the peloton usually converts all the kilometers of the stage in a frenzy day. 

Stage 4 of Tour de France 2022 will be the first stage in France, after the three stages taking place in Denmark. The stage will go by the roads in the north of France starting at Dunkirk and finishing at Calais and the stage is considered hilly due to the big amount of small 4 category cotes.

Statistics and data of Tour de France Stage 4

Tour de France Stage 4 Average Distance

To calculate the average distance of the Stage 4 of the TdF there is some extra information to be provided.

  • 15 times Stage 4 was a Team Time Trial
  • 3 times Stage 4 was an Individual Time Trial
  • 2 times Stage 4 was divided in two splits 3a and 3b
  • 1 time Stage 4 was divided in three splits.

The average distance in kilometers of the Stage 4, has been 208.8 kms (129.9 miles)

Tour de France Stage 4 Average Distance in Kilometers

Otherwise, if we do not consider the Time Trials, as normally those stages are shorter, then stage 4 average distance increases to 234.7 km (146 miles)

If we analyze the details of Stage 4 2022 edition of “Le Tour” we observe the amount of kilometers is lower than average, only 172 km (107 miles). As with most of the stages this year, 2022 stage 4 is shorter than historic average.

Tour de France Stage 4 Evolution of kilometers

As we can see in the graph below the amount of kilometers has decreased since the first editions of the Tour; moreover this year’s stage is one of the shortest non time trial stage 4.

  • Longest 4th Stage: 470 km (290 miles). 1913 and 1914 edition
  • Shortest 4th Stage: 25 km (16 miles). 2013 edition

On the graph, the years with a two split stage both splits have been added together. 

Tour de France Stage 4 types of stage

The fourth stage of the 2022 Tour de France will be a hilly stage from Dunkirk to Calais. It will be the second time in Tour de France history with a hilly stage on stage 4.

A Flat stage, 79 times, is the most common type of stage on the fourth stage of the fight for the yellow jersey followed by Team Time Trial (15 times).

TdF Stage 4 Locations

The city that has hosted the start of a fourth stage of the Tour de France more times is Brest, 12 times. Not a coincidence that was also the city hosting the finish line of the 3rd stage of Tour de France more times.

The other top cities of the list of hosting start lines of Tour de France Stage 4 are:

  • Belfort – 6 times
  • Rouen – 5 times
  • Metz – 5 times

The podium of cities hosting the finish line of the fourth stage of Tour de France is dominated by the North of France:

  • Rouen – 6 times
  • Caen – 5 times
  • Belfort – 5 times

Tour de France Stage 4 winners

Winning the fourth stage of the Tour de France more than once is not common, compared with other stages.

Only one rider has won three times, one of the leaders of early times of Tour de France, ​​François Faber (LUX).

There are 2 teams that have repeated a victory on a Team Time Trial on the fourth stage. U.S. Postal Service (USA) and TI–Raleigh–McGregor (GBR).

The remaining cyclists with two victories in the fourth stage of Le Tour are:

  • Mario Cipollini (ITA) 
  • Marcel Kittel (GER)
  • Jean Aerts (BEL)
  • Éloi Meulenberg (BEL)

Stage 4 Tour de France anecdotes and important days

This section of the page will be a live document where I will be adding information that I gather through the time or that I receive in the comments.

Photo by Flo Karr on Unsplash