Success at last for Visma talent Tulett! Young British rider hits double in Coppi e Bartali

So far, it has been an all-English affair in Italy. After Caleb Ewan's victory in the first stage, Paul Double was the best in the second stage. Jay Vine then replaced him, while Magnus Sheffield took over the leader's jersey from the British rider of Jayco AlUla. The fourth stage of Brisighella could provide a spectacle just like the previous stages. A very hilly final, with another local circuit, would make it extremely interesting.

Whereas in previous stages, a breakaway was formed to be in the picture, it was serious this time. 13 men broke away, including many strong names. Pascal Eenkhoorn (Soudal Quick-Step) was the only Dutch rider, and previous stage winner Double joined him. Walter Calzoni (Q36.5 Pro Cycling) and Adrien Maire (Unibet Tietema Rockets) were also present. The strength of the leading group was a cause for concern because the pelotons were not giving them much space. Halfway through the race, they only had a minute and a half lead.

The peloton was already approaching the final local circuit. This meant Alberto Bettiol and Mauri Vansevenant saw their chance to catch up. On the third passage of the Monticino, which was climbed four times, the Belgian from Soudal Quick-Step had a very strong domestique at the front in Eenkhoorn, so the lead suddenly grew again. But the gap had already diminished considerably on the Valico Rio Chiè, another small mountain. It was a cat-and-mouse game between the peloton and the leading group.

The front group was not going fast enough for the better riders: five men, including Marianne, Vansevenant, and Double, managed to create a gap. Vansevenant had big plans, but so did the peloton. The favorites caught up to the leading group with 20 kilometers to go. Then, it was the turn of Rafal Majka, who Jarno Widar joined. The 35-year-old Pole rode away with his breakaway companion, who was 16 years his junior. Later, the extremely combative Vansevenant also joined this duo. The three were strong in the hills but lost ground to the depleted peloton on the flat stretches.

They were caught on the second-to-last climb, which looked like a classic uphill sprint to Brisighella. Right? Well, not necessarily. Ben Tulett broke away from the peloton. He was 3 seconds ahead of leader Sheffield, so he had to react. Mark Donovan (Q36.5) also took off. However, the British rider from Visma | Lease a Bike got rid of his fellow breakaway riders before the final climb. He had enough left over on the brutal final climb and pulled off a superb one-two.