Under a 40°C sun on the road to Foix, Mads Pedersen turned a chaotic breakaway day into a ruthless piece of team racing. Stage 4 ran 181.9 km from Carcassonne to Foix, with 2,700 metres of climbing and 4 classified climbs: Col de Bedos, Col du Paradis, Col de Coudons, and Col de Montségur. A huge 34 rider breakaway escaped early and quickly took control of the stage away from the general classification group. Within that move, Lidl Trek had the perfect mix. Pedersen had the finishing speed. Quinn Simmons and Mathias Vacek had the legs to protect him. By the line, Pedersen had his 3rd career Tour de France stage win, Simmons had 2nd, and Raúl García Pierna of Movistar took 3rd.
A Breakaway Packed With Real Threats
This was not a soft escape handed to Pedersen. The 34 rider move carried serious names, including Biniam Girmay, Jasper Philipsen, Michael Matthews, Jan Tratnik, Kévin Vauquelin, Romain Grégoire and the 3 Lidl Trek riders who would later decide the stage.
Girmay took the intermediate sprint at Quillan, but the road changed quickly after that. The Col de Coudons, a 10.8 km category 2 climb at 5.5 percent, started to strip the breakaway down. Tratnik pushed on. Vacek shadowed him. That move mattered because it let Lidl Trek place a rider up the road without forcing Pedersen to burn matches too early.
Behind them, the heat made every acceleration expensive. The pure sprinters began to lose contact. Pedersen did not need to dominate the climb. He only needed to survive it close enough to the front, with teammates still in the race.
Montségur Turned The Stage Into A Team Test
The decisive filter came on the Col de Montségur, a 6.9 km category 2 climb averaging 6.6 percent. That was where the breakaway stopped being a crowd and became a contest.
Simmons helped keep the pace high. Vacek held firm. Pedersen stayed in touch while rivals tried to shake him loose. By the top and the descent that followed, only 10 riders remained at the front. Lidl Trek had 3 of them. Movistar had García Pierna and Pablo Castrillo. Vauquelin, Sean Quinn, Marco Frigo, Ramses Debruyne and Torstein Træen were also still there.
Pedersen later credited the work done before the sprint, telling race broadcasters, “For sure, I would say this was a masterpiece in teamwork. Maybe not in climbing, I was suffering a lot on the last climb, but with Quinn and Vacek there it was an incredible day.”
The Final Kilometers Belonged To Lidl Trek
The final run into Foix was where the other teams had to act. Taking Pedersen to the line was the worst possible option. Movistar understood that and tried repeatedly.
Castrillo attacked with 11 km left. Pedersen closed him down himself. García Pierna went next and briefly opened a gap of around 50 metres before Simmons dragged him back. Castrillo tried again. Vacek followed. Frigo shut one move down. Vauquelin waited, hoping for one late chance rather than wasting energy in scattered attacks.
None of it broke Lidl Trek’s grip.
Inside the final 3 km, the 10 riders were still together. Vacek moved to the front under the final kilometre banner, with Pedersen and Simmons lined behind him. The finish in Foix came after a fast sweeping approach, a final corner and a short rise to the line. Vauquelin tried to surprise Lidl Trek through that corner, but Pedersen was already perfectly placed.
He entered the final corner in 2nd position, opened his sprint early and won by 3 bike lengths or more. Simmons completed the 1 and 2. García Pierna finished 3rd for Movistar.
Træen Quietly Took Yellow From The Same Move
The same grueling breakaway that set up Pedersen’s sprint also reshaped the yellow jersey battle. While Lidl Trek controlled the stage win, Torstein Træen used the long day up the road to take the general classification lead. His move was less explosive than Pedersen’s finish, but it was just as important to the Tour’s early race picture.
Træen said: “With the heat, you never know how your body will react. Once I got to that point, I realised that the possibility of wearing the yellow jersey was real, but I still had to cross the finish line.”
Brutal conditions battered the peloton all day. Temperatures rose above 40°C, and organizers eased feeding rules because of the extreme heat. Teams leaned heavily on bottles, ice and roadside support to keep riders functioning. The main peloton eventually reached Foix 12 min 59 sec behind the breakaway, giving Træen the opening he needed.
Sean Quinn moved to 2nd overall, 28 seconds behind. Vacek climbed to 3rd at 3 min 50 sec. Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard slipped to 7 min 53 sec behind Træen, though the major contenders remain grouped close enough to one another for the deeper race to come.
Pedersen also moved into green, collecting 50 points at the finish and turning Stage 4 into more than a 1 day triumph.
Foix did not hand Pedersen a simple victory. It gave him heat, climbs, repeated attacks, and the burden of being the obvious fastest finisher. Lidl Trek solved each problem before he launched. That is why the sprint looked so clean. It was built long before the line.
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FAQs
Who won Stage 4 of the Tour de France in Foix?
Mads Pedersen won Stage 4 in Foix. Lidl Trek teammate Quinn Simmons finished second.
How did Lidl Trek control Stage 4?
Lidl Trek placed three riders in the final break. Simmons and Mathias Vacek protected Pedersen before the sprint.
Who took the yellow jersey after Stage 4?
Torstein Træen took the yellow jersey. He gained time from the same breakaway that set up Pedersen’s win.
Why was Stage 4 so hard?
Stage 4 had brutal heat, four classified climbs, and constant attacks. The Col de Montségur made the final selection.
Did Mads Pedersen take the green jersey?
Yes. Pedersen moved into green after taking 50 points at the Stage 4 finish.
