Giro contenders take note: Arensman pulls off dominant solo win and takes the lead in the GC at Tour of the Alps

After Marco Frigo's victory in the third stage of the Tour of the Alps, following a monstrous solo ride of almost 80 kilometers from an early breakaway, another beautiful stage is on the program today. In the fourth stage, not a single kilometer is flat, and with several climbs, there may be another opportunity for a breakaway rider.

Six riders were keen to take advantage of this. Early in the race, they attacked and tried to build up a nice gap on the uphill sections. This worked well: on the first climb, the gap quickly grew, and with 130 kilometers to go, the six riders had a lead of almost four minutes on the peloton.

Unfortunately, those four minutes weren't enough. The lead steadily melted away on the arduous climb up the Passo di San Antonio (7.8 kilometers at 8%). Once at the top, the five remaining attackers had only a minute and a half left, and with 80 kilometers to go, it was all over.

For Arensman, that was the moment to attack. The Dutchman left the peloton behind and had a group of favorites—including leader Storer—chasing him. The Dutch climber's lead quickly grew to two minutes over this chasing group, after which Koen Bouwman and Derek Gee started the chase for Arensman.

With 40 kilometers to go, Arensman already had a four-minute lead on the group of favorites. Bouwman followed with Gee just under a minute behind, but the difficult final stretch still lay ahead. On the day's penultimate climb, Gee managed to drop Bouwman and catch up with Arensman.

Behind the leaders, the peloton fell into pieces, and a real man-to-man battle ensued. The gaps between the riders grew smaller, and with 25 kilometers to go – and one categorized climb remaining – Arensman still had a three-minute lead over Storer. Gee was just under a minute behind at that point.

With 20 kilometers to go, Gee was closing in on Arensman, while Storer was now two minutes behind as they turned onto the final climb. The Dutch climber maintained his lead, and with 13 kilometers to go, Arensman still had a comfortable advantage going into the final kilometers.

With ten kilometers to go, it was all over for Gee, while Storer got closer, but the Canadian lost more time. With three kilometers to go, the Dutchman's victory was secured, and he also took the lead in the GC from Storer, who crossed the finish line a few seconds too late.