Favorites stage 4 Tour of Romandie 2025 | Saturday is when the big names finally get their chance in grueling mountain stage!

Saturday is queen stage day, as the organizers have mapped out an extremely tough stage for the riders. The start is in Sion, and after just over 127 kilometers, the finish will be atop the climb to Thyon 2000.

Fairly early on, the road will start climbing — something the riders are now well used to in Switzerland. The climb to Anzère is 14.6 kilometers long with an average gradient of 6.9%, although some sections hit double digits. After descending from that climb, it’s time for the 'climb' to Lens: 3.5 kilometers at 6.5%.

The riders then descend further and face nearly 25 flat kilometers — but they won't have much time to recover, as the climb to Nax (11.4 km at 6.9%) and the climb to Suen (5.8 km at 5.1%) follow soon after. After a small plateau and another descent, the riders will arrive at the base of the final climb. The climb to Thyon 2000 is a whopping 20.8 kilometers long (!) and rises at an average gradient of 7.6%, with several sections again hitting double-digit gradients. Hallelujah!

TimesFinish: 3:59 PM local time (9:59 AM EDT)

Riders might expect a light shower on Saturday, although the small amount forecasted is mostly expected in the morning. With 20°C in the valley, it’ll be a bit cooler than previous days. There might also be a shower on the final climb. Wind is not expected to play a major role on Saturday.

After days of spectacle, Saturday is — as expected — finally the moment for the top contenders to go all-in for overall victory. Going into the race, Remco Evenepoel and João Almeida were the two big favorites. The Belgian from Soudal Quick-Step and the Portuguese rider from UAE Team Emirates – XRG are still the top picks for the climb to Thyon 2000.

Looking at other major teams, several other climbers could also shine on this exceptionally long climb. Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe will be counting on Aleksandr Vlasov, while INEOS Grenadiers and Bahrain Victorious are pinning their hopes on Carlos Rodriguez and Lenny Martinez, respectively. Rodriguez is also the defending champion in the Swiss six-day race.

And who else? Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto), who managed to gain a gap on the other general classification contenders on Thursday, will be hoping to stay with the best for as long as possible — as will Lorenzo Fortunato (XDS-Astana), the winner of stage three. And what can we expect from David Gaudu? The Frenchman from Groupama-FDJ has had a difficult buildup to the Giro d’Italia, partly due to surgery, and will mainly be hoping to be in decent shape on Saturday.

These are also the kind of days where you always need to watch out for Oscar Onley. The strong Brit from Picnic PostNL showed earlier this year — including in the UAE Tour — that he can climb really well. Luke Plapp (Jayco AlUla), for his part, has had a solid preparation for the Giro d’Italia, while Aurélien Paret-Peintre (Decathlon AG2R), Cristián Rodríguez (Arkéa–B&B Hotels), and Juan Pedro López (Lidl–Trek) could all spring a surprise. As for the young Jørgen Nordhagen, it’s expected that his goal will be to hang on for as long as possible.

Top favorites: Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) and João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates - XRG)