Fretin’s super strong sprint defeats all the big names in the sprinting world, Van Aert is hindered

Milan Fretin has won the fourth stage of the Volta ao Algarve. In an intense sprint, the Cofidis rider defeated several big names. Jordi Meeus, who had won Friday’s stage, finished second, while Filippo Ganna took third place. However, right after the finish, there was some uncertainty regarding the result, as the victorious Belgian hindered Wout van Aert during the sprint. The Visma | Lease a Bike rider had to briefly hold back, but despite this, the jury decided not to penalize Fretin.

On Friday, Jordi Meeus had sprinted to victory in the third stage. The fourth stage once again offered a chance for the sprinters, though the route between Albufeira and Faro featured some small climbs. About 25 kilometers from the finish, the riders had to tackle Santa Bárbara (2.8 km at 4.9%), followed by Bordeira (0.7 km at 4.9%) just a few kilometers later. This could have been a perfect opportunity for attackers to shake up the race. If the peloton stayed together, the sprinters would get another shot at a bunch sprint.

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Tivani takes the mountain points as Bahrain duo goes on a 'chasse patate'

Shortly after the start, a four-man breakaway formed with four riders, consisting of Warre Vangheluwe (Soudal-Quick Step), Johan Jacobs (Groupama-FDJ), Gorka Sorarrain (Caja Rural), and German Nicolas Tivani (Aviludo-Louletano-Loulé). Their lead peaked at nearly eight minutes. For Tivani, the stakes were high as he was defending his mountain classification jersey. On the Alto do Malhão (2.4 km at 10%, max 21.5%), he solidified his lead in the mountain classification by reaching the summit first.

Meanwhile, Vlad Van Mechelen and Afonso Eulalio (Bahrain Victorious) attempted to bridge the gap to the breakaway. However, with the difference still over five minutes, the task proved impossible for the young duo. Their effort ultimately turned into a "chasse patate", a futile chase stuck between the breakaway and the peloton.

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Visma l Lease a Bike go all out for Van Aert

In the final phase of the race, Visma | Lease a Bike took control, working entirely to set up a sprint for Wout van Aert. EF Education-EasyPost and Intermarché-Wanty also contributed to chasing down the breakaway.

On the climb to Santa Bárbara, Sepp Kuss took the lead in the peloton, reducing the breakaway’s advantage to under a minute. Tiesj Benoot and even Jonas Vingegaard pitched in, hoping to thin out the peloton. However, the effort didn’t break up the field. The breakaway riders were inevitably caught with 17 kilometers to go, setting the stage for a bunch sprint. Would Meeus take his second stage win? Would Van Aert capitalize on his team’s hard work? Or would someone else celebrate in Faro?

No sprinter received a perfect lead-out from their team. Van Aert was positioned too far back and couldn’t get involved in the final sprint. Fretin, however, showed incredible power, holding his sprint all the way to the finish. Yet, controversy followed. Fretin deviated from his line and hindered Van Aert, forcing him to momentarily ease up. Despite this, the Cofidis sprinter was not penalized and secured his second victory in a week.

Results stage 4 Tour of the Algarve 2025

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