Their first race day back in Spain was a mountain stage in the truest sense of the word.
The final climb, in particular, was an incredibly difficult First Category summit finish.
Stage 4 would take the riders from Plasencia, Spain, to the famous Viluacas Peak, covering a total distance of 170.5 km with a total elevation gain of 3,519 meters.
This was undoubtedly a stage for the GC contenders.
The stage featured a total of four climbs offering points.
The first climb was a Second Category climb, the Puerto de Cabezabellosa, with its summit at the 23.5 km mark of the stage.
It was 9.2 km long with an average gradient of 5.4%, while its steepest kilometer averaged 7.3%.
The difficulty ramped up sharply for the second climb, a First Category climb called the Alto de Piornal, with its summit at the 54 km mark.
It was 13.8 km long with an average gradient of 5.5%, and its steepest kilometer averaged 6.6%.
