The summit of the Galibier is over 2,600 metres. Up there the air is thin and everything is scarce. But it was there, with the summit banner in sight, that Tadej Pogacar drew his knife. He wanted to deliver the first blow to Jonas Vingegaard in this 2024 Tour de France. He attacked with 800 metres to go and only managed to take 8 seconds off the Dane. 

On the descent, however, the Slovenian went all out and crossed the line 21 kilometres from the summit in Valloire with a 50-second advantage (including the time bonus). Vingegaard was haunted by the ghosts of his crash at the Vuelta al País Vasco (Spain) in April. The crash left him broken and struggling to recover. However, he looked strong on the climb and said he was ready to fight Pogacar.

Tuesday's fourth stage of the Tour has already turned the race on its head. The favourites are in the expected neck-and-neck race and the chasing pack has been reduced to a minimum. Only Primoz Roglic, Carlos Rodríguez and Juan Ayuso survived the initial attack. The previous leader, Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz, lost more than 5 minutes. It was a great show from the riders on the alpine stage.

It was Pogacar's 77th professional victory at the age of 25. This stage win in the Tour de France was his twelfth in a stage race. He won six in this year's Giro d'Italia. Simply incredible.

The route of this year's Grand Boucle is a real challenge for the riders and a treat for the spectators. Starting in Florence, Italy, with a 3,500 metre climb on the first day was a bold move. The second stage featured a two-kilometre wall with a gradient of over 10 per cent just two kilometres from the finish line. This raised the stakes even further. But climbing the Galibier on stage four is undoubtedly the ultimate challenge. It is one of the toughest and most demanding climbs in the Alps.

Pogacar pushed the pace on the first day to see how Vingegaard would react. The question was whether the Dane's form was up to scratch, and he didn't disappoint on day one. Only Vingegaard could match Pogacar's ferocious attack on the steepest climb of the second day. As expected, the Tour was down to two contenders. The anticipated duel on the summit of the Galibier did not disappoint.

It was a battle between the two leading figures of the last four years of the Tour de France. Biniam Girmay won the third stage, which finished in Turin. He became the first African-born black rider to win a stage of the Tour. It was a sprint finish, ahead of Colombia's Gaviria.

"It was great to finish solo. We knew the descent was dangerous. We attacked to see where we could drop Jonas," said Pogacar, who was resting in the Alpine resort of Valloire. His rivals could only watch from behind.

Primoz Roglic stood his ground and managed to stay with Vingegaard and minimise the damage after slowing down. The same goes for Remco Evenepoel, who looked uncomfortable for a while but eventually managed to stay with Vingegaard and Roglic. Evenepoel has shown that he can cope with long, high climbs. He came into the Tour in great shape to fight for the podium. And the ambitious Belgian has his sights set high. He finished second to secure the bonus points. Ayuso was third, taking Roglic's bonus points and helping UAE Emirates Team leader Pogacar.

The time differences are not yet decisive, but they show that Pogacar knows he has to attack in the first week to prevent Vingegaard from finding his full form. The Slovenian seems to have recovered from the gruelling Giro d'Italia. The Tour has started faster and more dangerous than in previous years. But that was to be expected given the route.

It's also worth noting the impressive performances of two Spaniards, Carlos Rodríguez and Juan Ayuso, aged 23 and 21 respectively.

"The descent is dangerous, but that's part of cycling," said Ayuso, referring to the critical descent of the Galibier, which was more decisive than the climb itself. Over these four stages it has become clear that the UAE Emirates Team is the team to beat. They used all their riders on the Galibier climb. They showed their full potential. Adam Yates was the final lead-out man alongside Portuguese rider Almeida. Spaniard Marc Soler joined the effort. This year, UAE's collective effort seems to have surpassed that of Visma, who dominated and won all three grand tours last year: the Vuelta, the Tour and the Giro.

The race also brought good news for the French with Romain Bardet's brief stint in the yellow jersey. Bardet, accompanied by his teammate Vander Broeck, put on a show in the first stage. He wore the yellow jersey. For 33-year-old Bardet, who finished second in the 2016 Tour, it was a fitting end to his final season as a professional. For the French, it was a moment of pride as no compatriot had worn yellow since Julian Alaphilippe in 2029.

2024 Tour de France general classification after four stages:

Tadej Pogacar (UAE) - 19h 06:38

Remco Evenepoel (Soudal) - 45"

Jonas Vingegaard (Visma) - 50

Juan Ayuso (UAE) - 1h 10m

Primoz Roglic (Red Bull) - 1'14

Carlos Rodríguez (Ineos) - 1:16