Cycling: Fernando Gaviria (Quick-Step Floors) clinched his second stage win. On the fourth stage of the Tour de France, he left world champions Peter Sagan (Bora-hansgrohe) and André Greipel (Lotto Soudal) behind in an exciting sprint. Previously, the four breakaways were only caught 800 meters from the finish line. Again numerous drivers fell in a mass sprint.
The Tour de France as a guest of David Lappartient
After yesterday's team time trial, today's Tour de France featured another stage for the sprinters. In the northwest of the country, the peloton had 195 kilometers from La Baule to Sarzeau to cover, although the start and finish are only 60 kilometers apart. In the south of Brittany, however, the pros were initially headed east, away from the twelve-kilometre-long bathing beach in the bay of La Baule. Then we headed west again, to the tranquil town of Sarzeau, also on the Atlantic, where the UCI President is David Lappartient has held the office of mayor since 2008. The drivers did not have to overcome any major obstacles. With 97,5 kilometers to go, the sprint score held, 59,5 kilometers from the finish with the Côte de Saint-Jean-la-Poterie the only one mountain classification. Both intermediate ratings should go to the breakaways.
Cofidis is now also relying on escape groups
As on the two flat stages before, the escapees of the day quickly found each other. The Cofidis Duo Dimitri Claeys and Anthony Perez followed an attack by William Van Keirsbulck (Wanty-Groupe Gobert) as well as Jerome Cousin (Direct Energy). That was the 2-2 breakaway quartet between France and Belgium – who will meet tonight in the World Cup semi-finals. It was no coincidence that two professionals from the Cofidis team were represented at the front. Your top sprinter Christophe Laporte complains of pain in his ribs, with which the French team is now trying to win a stage with the alternative attack. At first it didn't look bad as the lead quickly grew to over seven minutes. Then, however, the sprinter teams lined up in the peloton to prevent a further increase. Secured himself in the sprint classification Fernando Gaviria (Quick-Step Floors) ranked fifth André Greipel (Lotto Soudal) and Peter Sagan (Bora-hansgrohe).
Mass crash 5 kilometers from the finish: Zakarin loses time
The mountain classification on the Côte de Saint-Jean-la-Poterie was secured Anthony Perez. teammate Dimitri Claeys crossed the bonus sprint in Limerzel first. However, there was no fight for the two intermediate ratings. But the quartet fought all the harder for the stage win. The Quick-Step Floors team was not supported in the tracking work in the main field and had great problems catching up with the four breakaways with a strong tailwind. Only on the last ten kilometers - when the lead was still more than a minute - did e.g. B. with Bora-hansgrohe other teams. About five kilometers before the finish, there was another mass fall, which caused strong climbers to lose time. Ilnur Zakarin (Katusha-Alpecin) lost 59 seconds as a result, William Martin (Wanty Groupe Gobert) 1:24 minutes, Marc Soler (Movistar) 2:44. It hit particularly hard Tiesj Benoot (Lotto Soudal). The young Belgian lost more than ten minutes and should have said goodbye to the fight for the white jersey. The Frenchman Axel Domont (AG2R La Mondiale) even had to give up the Tour de France.
Fernando Gaviria holds his own against André Greipel and Peter Sagan
When there were only 800 meters to go, the Dimension Data train caught up Mark Cavendish the last outlier. However, Quick-Step Floors once again took command of the mass sprint. Maximiliano Richeze could do it on the rear wheel Fernando Gaviria waited up to 250 meters from the finish line before shooting out of the slipstream. In the fight against André Greipel and Peter Sagan the Colombian was able to assert himself at the front. Fernando Gaviria thus celebrates his second stage win and moves closer to Peter Sagan in the fight for the green jersey.
The Stage 4 photo. Quick-Step Floor's Fernando Gaviria takes the win. #sbstdf pic.twitter.com/NIpbb52AUQ
— CyclingCentral (@CyclingCentral) July 10, 2018
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