In the first half of the race the riders tackle a 31 kilometres climb that is averaging 5%, while the steepest sectors are 13%. Following a rolling intermezzo the closing climb on the flanks of Mount Etna is an 18 kilometres toil at 7.2%. Today’s stage winner must be a Hors Catégorie climber who’ll receive a huge bonus in the shape of the maglia rosa.
It will be interesting to watch the GC guys. The course is perfect for an iconic clash, yet the Giro d’Italia is only in its fourth day, so chances are they will want to keep their powder dry. It may be too early to reach for pink and defend it for almost three weeks.
On the other hand, Vincenzo Nibali won the 2014 Tour de France after soloing to yellow as early as the second stage…
Favourites 4th stage Giro d’Italia 2017
*** Vincenzo Nibali, Thibaut Pinot, Nairo Quintana, Esteban Chaves, Steven Kruijswijk
** Tom Dumoulin, Ilnur Zakarin, Geraint Thomas, Rui Costa, Bauke Mollema
* Domenico Pozzovivo, Mikel Landa, Andrey Amador, Diego Rosa, Adam Yates, Aleksandr Foliforov
Giro 2017 stage 4: Route maps, height profiles, and more
Click on the images to zoom
+ Click for more images (14)
Related articles Riders - Giro 2017 Withdrawals - Giro 2017 Favourites - Giro 2017 GC Favourites - Giro 2019 Favourites - Giro 2017 More articles Vuelta Femenina 2025: Van der Breggen wins with late attack, Gerritse retains GC lead
Vuelta Femenina 2025 Route stage 5: Golmayo - Lagunas de Neila
Giro 2025: The Route
Giro 2025: Riders
Giro 2025: GC Favourites
Giro 2025 Route stage 1: Durazzo - Tirana
Giro 2025 Favourites stage 1: Puncher's sprint for pink
Giro 2025 Route stage 2: Tirana - Tirana
Giro 2025 Favourites stage 2: Chrono specialists to the fore
Giro 2025 Route stage 3: Valona – Valona
Giro 2025 Favourites stage 3: Breakaway day
Giro 2025 Route stage 4: Alberobello – Lecce
Giro 2025 Favourites stage 4: For fast men #1
Giro 2025 Route stage 5: Ceglie Messapica - Matera
Giro 2025 Favourites stage 5: For fast men #2
Giro 2025 Route stage 6: Potenza - Naples
Giro 2025 Favourites stage 6: Hilly race with flat finale
Giro 2025 Route stage 7: Castel di Sangro - Tagliacozzo
Giro 2025 Favourites stage 7: First mountain top finish
Giro 2025 Route stage 8: Giulianova – Castelraimondo
Giro 2025 Favourites stage 8: Attackers in the Apennines
Giro 2025 Route stage 9: Gubbio - Siena
Giro 2025 Favourites stage 9: Strade Bianche alla Giro
Giro 2025 Route stage 10: Lucca – Pisa
Cycling Calendar 2025
Tour de France 2025: The Route
Tour de France 2025 Route stage 1: Lille - Lille
Tour de France 2025 Route stage 2: Lauwin-Planque - Boulogne-sur-Mer
Tour de France 2025 Route stage 3: Valenciennes - Dunkirk