MADRID, 2 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Slovenian cyclist Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) won the fourth stage of the 111th edition of the Tour de France, contested over 139.6 kilometres between Pinerolo and Valloire, and sent a message to his main rival, the Dane Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike), whom he beat by more than forty-five seconds, after regaining the yellow leader’s jersey.
The stage was a fast-paced one from the start, with a very high-level breakaway leading the race up to the slopes of the Galibier colossus, which ended the adventure of the Spaniard Oier Lazkano (Movistar), the strongest of a breakaway that included Tour stage winners such as Alexey Lutsenko (Astana Qazaqstan Team) and Warren Barguil (DSM).
The breakaway also included top riders such as climber David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) and this year’s winner of the Fleche Wallonne, Stephen Williams (Israel Premier Pro Tech). Before starting the climb to the hardest mountain of the day, the recent Spanish runner-up on the road tried his luck with an attack that his fellow adventurers were unable to follow.
However, the UAE’s powerful and demanding work throughout the stage ended up neutralising the breakaway. The pace set by Marc Soler, together with the earlier efforts of Tim Wellens, Pavel Sivakov and Adam Yates, caused havoc in a peloton from which the leader of the general classification, the Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz (EF-EasyPost), was soon left behind, and with 25 kilometres to go, he was no longer part of the group.
The Spaniard Enric Mas (Movistar) was also unable to hold on among the favourites, losing more than four minutes, as was the British Simon Yates (AlUla Jayco Team), his compatriot and winner of the Tour in 2018, Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers), the Russian Aleksandr Vlasov from Bora Hansgrohe, or the American from Visma, Matteo Jorgenson, who practically said goodbye to their chances in the general classification after the first major climb.
The chosen bunch included the Slovenian Pogacar, escorted by his teammates Juan Ayuso and Joao Almeida, who led the group and made Jonas Vingegaard, Primoz Roglic (Bora Hansgrohe), Remco Evenepoel (Soudal QuickStep), Carlos Rodríguez (Ineos Grenadiers) and Mikel Landa (Soudal QuickStep) suffer, who kept in the wake of the UAE.
With one kilometre to go to the summit of the Galibier, the winner in 2020 and 2021 dealt a blow to his rivals and left them all behind, including Vingegaard, who saw himself gradually moving away from him until he reached the summit with a 10-second lead with 20 kilometres to go.
On the winding descent, the Slovenian maintained his lead and did not let his rivals catch him. Carlos Rodríguez launched himself down with force and completed a spectacular descent in which he came into contact with Vingegaard before the final flat section, in which both were caught by Remco Evenepoel, Ayuso and Roglic.
On the flat, Pogacar’s lead continued to grow until it reached 35 seconds, with Remco Evenepoel crossing the finish line in second place, ahead of Juan Ayuso and Roglic. Two seconds behind were the Dane Vingegaard and the other Spaniard Carlos Rodríguez.
With this powerful victory, the UAE rider regains the lead in the general classification, and achieves a margin of 45 seconds over the second, the Belgian Evenepoel, and 50 over his main rival, the Dane Vingegaard. The first Spaniard is Juan Ayuso, fourth at 1:10 behind his teammate, while Carlos Rodríguez is sixth at 1:16, and Mikel Landa occupies seventh place at 1:32 behind Pogacar.
This Wednesday the peloton faces the fifth stage, between Saint-Jean de Maurienne and Saint Vulbas, over 177.4 kilometres, with two fourth-category climbs along the route, but which will likely be decided in a sprint in what will be the second opportunity for the sprinters in this Tour.
–RANKINGS.
-Stage.
1. Tadej Pogacar(SVN/UAE Team Emirates) 3h46:38.
2. Remco Evenepoel(BEL/Soudal QuickStep) at 35.
3. JUAN AYUSO (ESP/UAE Team Emirates) mt
4. Primoz Roglic(SVN/Bora Hansgrohe) mt
5. Jonas Vingegaard (DIN/Visma-Lease a Bike) 37.
-General.
1. Tadej Pogacar (SVN/UAE Team Emirates) 19h06:38.
2. Remco Evenepoel (BEL/Soudal Quick-Step) at 45.
3. Jonas Vingegaard (DIN/Team Visma | Lease a Bike) 50.
4. JUAN AYUSO (ESP/UAE Team Emirates) 1:10.
5. Primoz Roglic (SVN/Bora Hansgrohe) 1:14.
2024-07-02 15:18:46
#Pogacar #wins #battle #Vingegaard #regains #yellow #jersey
