Vuelta a Espana 2013 Results: Stage 4 Standings, Highlights and Recap

In one of the more difficult stages of the entire race, Daniel Moreno was able to survive the climbs to come away with the win at Stage 4 of the Vuelta a Espana.

As Cycling Weekly notes, the victory came thanks to a late push after the rider remained in the middle of the pack for most of the ride:

The course did not feature too many high mountains, but there was a lot of up-and-down traveling throughout the 189 kilometers, with one very difficult peak at Mirador de Ezaro. However, Moreno showcased plenty of resilience to finish in front with a time of four hours, 37 minutes and 47 seconds.

Fabian Cancellara also deserves credit for a strong performance to finish in second place on the day, followed by Michael Matthews who came in third place.

Here is a look at the top 10 from the stage:

After Stage 3 was mostly a treat for the sprinters, Tuesday's action did more to benefit the climbers as few could keep up on the mountainous course.

Even the early leaders utilized a lot of energy separating themselves from the peloton. Alex Rasmussen won the first intermediate sprint and held on as one of the leaders deep into the race:

However, he ended up falling back into the peloton by the time the heavy climbing started. Meanwhile, Nicolas Edet was able to win the second sprint and the points that came with it, but the real challenge was still ahead.

This picture is enough to sum up the trouble on this stage at Mirador de Ezaro:

What's more, when the riders eventually made their way to the steep climb, it was clear that even some of the best in the world could not handle it:

Edet held onto the lead throughout the climb and far into the descent at the end of the stage. However, he was eventually caught with 15 kilometers to go as the race developed into more of a sprint:

With the final three kilometers uphill, Moreno pulled away from the pack and held on for his first stage victory of the tour.

While this was a great run, the Spanish cyclist did not do enough to capture the overall lead. Instead, it is Vincenzo Nibali who will wear the red jersey after coming in 16th place, which was good enough to equal the first-place time.

Stage 3 winner Chris Horner lost the overall lead after ending six seconds behind in the stage. Here is an updated look at the standings after four days of action:

However, Moreno did capture the sprint points lead in this stage. Of course, Nicolas Roche will hold onto the polka-dot jersey going forward as the top climber.

Things do not get any easier for the competitors as La Vuelta continues. And Stage 5 features more mountains on a 174.3 kilometer course from Sober to Lago De Sanabria.

These two days are certain to separate the legitimate contenders from the rest of the pack with a few weeks still remaining in this prestigious race. 

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