The Belgian continues to lead the general classification by five seconds.
Remco Evenepoel enjoyed his 21st day as leader of a Grand Tour as the peloton made its way back to Catalunya after the summit finish in Andorra. Tarragona – once the oldest Roman settlement on the Iberian Peninsula – welcomed the race for the first time since 2017, when our team took the spoils in a bunch sprint, with Matteo Trentin.
A mass gallop also decided the winner of this fourth stage, but it was a fraught one, two crashes in the last four kilometers leaving only a small group to contest the victory. In the end, it was Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck) who prevailed, on the uphill drag to the line, while Evenepoel concluded safely in the bunch, only a handful of seconds behind.
Overall, it was a pretty calm day for the 23-year-old Belgian of Soudal Quick-Step, and a well-deserved one for that matter after the intense and eventful start of this edition. The first reigning Belgian Champion in 45 years to win a stage of La Vuelta, Remco will hope for a similar scenario on the roads to Burriana, where Wednesday’s 186.2km stage five concludes.
“My team did a great job protecting me the entire day and especially in the finale, where we stayed calm as things became more hectic due to the presence of that many roundabouts. I felt good after yesterday’s crash – the team doctors took really good care of me – I didn’t experience any stiffness on the bike, and it was a nice first day, and a quite calm one, in the red jersey. Tomorrow should be another opportunity for the sprinters, and afterwards we’ll focus again on the climbing and the fight for the general classification”, said Remco after the finish.
Photo credit: ©Alexander Hassenstein / Getty Images
