Van Eetvelt puts hand in the air, but super strong Roglic takes double in thrilling Vuelta finale

Primoz Roglic made a significant impact by winning the fourth stage of the Vuelta a España. The Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe climber was the strongest on the grueling Pico Villuercas, finishing ahead of Lennert Van Eetvelt, who was just a few centimeters behind, and Joao Almeida. Roglic took over the red jersey from Wout van Aert, who had to drop back in the stage. Several riders suffered serious losses in the general classification or even had to say goodbye, at least temporarily, to dreams of achieving a good overall ranking.

The fourth stage promised a lot of excitement on paper, with four climbs packed into 170 kilometers. The first three ascents were more gradual and served as appetizers for the ultimate final on the Pico Villuercas. This climb had a relatively easy first half but would inevitably create gaps among the favorites in the last three kilometers of the steep black section. The only question remaining was whether the contenders were willing to go for the stage win as well.

Opening stage brimming with attacks, Arensman and teammates hit the asphalt

The opening phase was full of attacks, with Arensman and his teammates hitting the asphalt. The first two climbs were already within the first 55 kilometers, so a fierce start was expected. Several riders saw an opportunity here. Josh Tarling tried his luck, along with Bruno Armirail and Luca Vergallito. The first two attempts failed, but Armirail, in particular, kept looking for the right breakaway, possibly with the red jersey in mind, as he was close in the general classification.

A third attempt was successful. Pablo Castrillo (Equipo Kern Pharma), Sylvain Moniquet (Lotto-Dstny), Armirail (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), Filippo Zana (Jayco-AlUla) and Mikel Bizkarra (Euskaltel-Euskadi) built a gap of up to four minutes. They were helped by a crash in the peloton, which caused a scare for Thymen Arensman and his teammates Laurens De Plus and Oscar Rodriguez. However, all three were able to continue.

Battle for the polka dots, long mid-stage forces Red Bull-BORA to show their hand

On the first two climbs, there was a battle between Bizkarra and Moniquet for the polka dot jersey, with the Belgian proving the strongest on both occasions. He collected fifteen points for the mountains classification and positioned himself well to don the polka dot jersey at the summit of the final climb. This was especially likely since Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe took the lead early in the chase, which was largely dictated by the course layout.

The valley phase lasted well over forty kilometers and unfortunately split the stage into two parts. We saw no real racing, just control being maintained, and the gap slowly shrank to two minutes. Primoz Roglic's team stayed firmly at the front, making their intentions clear. Did the Slovenian's team want to win the stage? It certainly looked that way.

Prelude to final climb, brave Armirail keeps dreaming of red

As the TV commentators were busy discussing buttermilk pancakes, Indiana Jones and ripe figs, the race continued. Armirail topped the penultimate third-category climb, where bonus seconds were still up for grabs. The Frenchman had been leading virtually all day and still dreamed of the red jersey, depending on how the race played out in the main group behind the breakaway.

After the penultimate climb, Armirail kept pushing, taking Castrillo along with him. The rest of the breakaway group was okay to be caught. At the base of the final climb, there was still an intermediate sprint. General classification leader Wout van Aert joined the Alpecin-Deceuninck train and had a spirited duel with Kaden Groves. The Australian won, closing the gap slightly in the battle for the green jersey.

First shuffle, first casualties in Vuelta

After the sprint, as expected, Van Aert dropped back. The fourteen-kilometer final climb started gently but was tackled at a strong pace, and it was only a matter of time before riders began to crack. The breakaway riders were reeled in second by second: they had only a minute left with nine kilometers to go. However, the most monstrous sections of the climb were still to come. Gradually, UAE and Lidl-Trek moved to the front of the elite group. And there it was, the goat path on the left side: concrete slabs with holes, typical for the Vuelta. Wonderful.

Here, the peloton was immediately decimated, and it became almost every man for himself. Pavel Sivakov was the first to attack, Aleksandr Vlasov quickly followed, with Roglic on his wheel. The breakaway was caught, and the real battle began. Sepp Kuss was momentarily missing but soon moved to the front. Richard Carapaz, Enric Mas and Lennert Van Eetvelt were also well-positioned. The main names missing at the front were Ben O'Connor, Adam Yates and Mattias Skjelmose.

Roglic impressive, but Van Eetvelt also makes a mark

When the big names paused briefly, Felix Gall suddenly moved forward. The Austrian, riding for a French team, opened a nice fifty-meter gap. On the 18% gradient sections, Roglic accelerated again. Arensman and De Plus were at the back, losing time, as was Cian Uijtdebroeks. Gall was caught by Roglic, Van Eetvelt and Mas, leaving a quartet at the front in the last three kilometers. During this phase, Kuss and Carapaz also dropped back, while Joao Almeida made his typical return. Gall paid the price for his attack and was dropped.

In the last kilometer and a half, the Portuguese, the Austrian and the surprisingly forward-riding Matthew Riccitello rejoined the front, leading to a battle between six men. Mikel Landa also made a miraculous return, creating a group of seven. The Basque rider attacked bravely but was caught by Van Eetvelt, who was then just overtaken by Roglic, who won the stage and took the red jersey in the sprint.

Results stage 4 Vuelta a España 2024

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