Heading into stages three and four of the Virtual Tour de France we’ve got another star-studded startlist including Egan Bernal (Team Ineos), Lizzie Deignan (Trek-Segafredo), Elia Viviani (Cofidis), Chloé Dygert (Team TWENTY20), Yves Lampaert (Deceuninck-Quick Step), and Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (Team CCC-Liv).
While both stages this weekend are fairly flat, expect a lot of action on stage 4’s Petit KOM, especially on the second lap where the climb ends just 2.8km from the finish line. (The Petit KOM is around the same length as last week’s Hilly KOM Reverse, but twice as steep!)
Here are more details for each of this weekend’s stages including start lists, race times, and more.
Stage 3: France’s R.G.V.
This week the peloton leaves the virtual world of Watopia and heads to a newly created ‘native’ virtual France, a debut course created by Zwift especially for this historic event. Racers will tackle two laps of the fast R.G.V. circuit. Starting in the flatlands of virtual France there will be plenty of opportunity for the sprinters to test their legs and pick up green jersey points with two intermediate sprints up for grabs per lap, the first coming 11.9km in with the Pavé Sprint Reverse.
But sprinters will need to recover fast as the first Q/KOM point opportunity comes less than 2km later with the Category 3 climb: ‘Aqueduc Reverse‘. The second Skoda green jersey sprint point comes next with the Ballon Sprint Reverse. The race finishes at the R.G.V marina at the end of the second lap. Expect to see Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank and NTT Pro Cycling working hard during the day’s stage to protect their green jerseys.
Date: Saturday July 11
Timings:
Women’s: 14:47 CET // 05:47 PDT // 22:47 AUS
Men’s: 15:52 CET // 06:52 PDT // 23:52 AUS
Start Lists
Stage 4: France’s Casse-Pattes
Stage four sees the race move from the virtual French flatlands to slightly more challenging terrain. This day will be a day for the puncheurs. If you loved the castles and quaint French town of R.G.V., then there’s more of that in store during Casse-Pattes. This route starts off on the flat with a brief opportunity for the sprinters to score points in the green jersey classification at the Pavé Sprint Reverse. Following this, the racers will tackle two Category 3 climbs, the Aqueduc KOM Reverse followed by the longer Petit KOM. Racers then descend quickly back to the R.G.V. marina finish line where they will begin their second and final lap.
The rolling terrain of Stage four could provide the perfect opportunity for the breakaway specialists but expect Drops Cycling and Israel Start-Up Nation to be ready to fight to the top of the climbs as they attempt to keep their polka dot jerseys.
Date: Sunday July 12
Timings:
Women’s: 14:47 CET // 05:47 PDT // 22:47 AUS
Men’s: 15:52 CET // 06:52 PDT // 23:52 AUS
Start Lists
Where to Watch
A full list of broadcasters is available on the Tour de France website.
The easiest way to watch it online is through Zwift’s YouTube channel, although the quality may be better on TV channels.
Current Standings
Click to view current standings for women and men
This page includes an explanation of how the points system works.
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