Susa is a small town west of Turin, nestled in the foothills of the Alps. Like so many Italian towns, it boasts a castle, a cathedral, and a Roman amphitheatre. As soon as the riders leave all that beauty behind, the road starts climbing towards the first summit of the day. The Puerto Exiles is a 5.8-kilometre climb with an average gradient of 6.2%.
The Exiles is just the beginning of a demanding first half of the race. Next up is the Col de Montgenèvre – a 9-kilometre ascent with an average gradient of 5.6%. The steepest section comes about 1.5 kilometres in, where it ramps up to 10% for a kilometre. After that, it eases off a bit before gradually getting steeper again. Just before reaching the summit, the riders cross into France.
The Col de Montgenèvre never has featured in the Vuelta before, but it did appear seven times in the Tour de France and three times in the Giro. In the 2024 Tour, Stephen Williams was the first to reach the top. In a more distant past, Richard Virenque managed to crest the climb first on three occasions.
Following the second summit of the day, the riders descend into Briançon, the twin town of starting venue Susa. The route then continues on a prolonged false flat, culminating in the Col du Lautaret, a climb that featured four times in the Tour de France. On the most recent occasion, in 2014, Joaquim Rodriguez was the first to summit. The Lautaret drags on for 9.2 kilometres, but the gradient is moderate at 5%.
After the Col du Lautaret, there is still around 110 kilometres to go, mostly downhill. The peloton won’t face any more serious mountains, though the Col de Comboie offers a challenge – 1.7 kilometres at 8.5% – just over 30 kilometres from the finish. And the road road kicks up again with 5 kilometres to go, climbing at 3% for 2 around kilometres.
The winner in Voiron follows in the footsteps of Wout van Aert, who won a stage here in the 2019 Critérium du Dauphiné.
Vuelta a España 2025 stage 4: route, profile, videos
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