The battle for overall victory will be decided on the final stage of the Deutschland Tour 2024. The greatest topographical challenges await in the first third of the stage, then two longer climbs must be mastered. But the finale is also undulating. However, it remains to be seen whether a breakaway group can get through or whether the decision will be made in a mass sprint.
Mads Pedersen goes into the final day with a 12 second lead over Tobias Halland Johannessen. Anyone who wants to take the leader’s jersey from Pedersen will have to get rid of the Dane, who has been so tough up to now. Not an easy task! Especially since Pedersen has a strong team at his side. Lidl-Trek has won all the stages so far and will not be easy to beat on the final day either.
The route
Map of the 4th stage of the Deutschland Tour 2024 (Photo: © ASO, ©GEOATLAS)
A high resolution map do you find here
After the start, the route first goes east, then north – so in a small loop the Kalmit Rise The route then heads west towards Saarbrücken. In the finale there are several short climbs, the last chance for attacks. On the way to Saarbrücken there are the same three climbs that the amateur athletes tackled before. The first leads to Seelbach – not a big problem for the professionals and it is not categorised. But the second – the climb to the last mountain classification in Ormersheim – is tough! It goes uphill by up to 10%. But it is 38 kilometres from the summit to the finish. A very strong group would have to come together here if they want to stay at the front.
The last climb before Saarbrücken is just over a kilometer long and has an average gradient of almost 5%. But it is followed by a fast descent and a long flat section into the center. Here, breakaway riders can quickly be caught up again. On the final laps in Saarbrücken, there is also another small climb – it is climbed twice, the last time 4.5 kilometers from the end.
The favorites
The most likely scenario is another mass sprint. Jonathan Milan is the best sprinter in the field and also the top favorite for the final day.
***** Milan
**** Meeus, Kanter
*** Govekar, Märkl
** Lamperti, Kristoff, Barrenetxea
* Aular, Jeannière, van Poppel, Hayter
