Dauge recovers to climb well on stage four at Tour of Hellas

After a challenging and disappointing day on stage three, French climber Lucas Dauge recovered to put in a positive performance for Team Novo Nordisk on Mount Parnitha, finishing in the top 40 on today’s mountainous stage of the Tour of Hellas.

In brighter conditions the race finally wound its way towards Athens, the 180.9km stage from Atalanti to Parnitha taking the peloton through the Boeotian plain before turning towards the Attica basin and the demanding mountain finish. 

The route saved its sting for last, with the technical and sustained gradients of the climb to the summit at Mont Parnes — dominated by its iconic casino — creating the perfect conditions for attacks and decisive race moves.  A leading group of nine riders went clear early and would go on to contest the stage result atop the lightly forested summit north of the city, while the battle for position raged behind them.

“I felt much better today on the final climb,” said Dauge. “Maybe still not quite good enough to be right at the front, but within the main group most of the way.”

The Frenchman rode a measured and controlled race, keeping his powder dry through the long approach to the mountain before the favourites began to attack in the final kilometres. “The breakaway gained a large advantage quite early on and by the time we hit the final climb in the Parnitha range the contenders started to attack out of the peloton. That increased the pace and the tension, but I kept my rhythm until the end.”

With the climbing stages now behind them, the team turns its attention to tomorrow’s finale. The fifth and final stage runs 146.5km from Piraeus to Syntagma Square in the heart of Athens  — a fitting setting to close out the race in the shadow of the Acropolis. “One more stage to go tomorrow in Athens and we’re all expecting a fast and exciting finale,” said Dauge.