Tour De France 2015: Stage 4 Results, General Classification and Highlights

Tony Martin rode a brilliant finale to win Stage 4 of the 2015 Tour de France on Tuesday, finish solo just ahead of the peloton in the first stage ridden on French soil. The German came into the day chasing Chris Froome by a single second in the general classification, and his win on the cobblestones of northern France means he will start Stage 5 in the yellow.

Launching a late attack after the final stretch of cobblestones, Martin―riding a team-mate's bike―managed to stay ahead of the peloton with a monstrous final push, beating the thundering sprinters by mere seconds.

John Degenkolb and Peter Sagan completed the podium as the two fastest men of the bunch sprint, capping off a day that started in stormy conditions and ended on the dusty, dry roads around Cambrai. Here's a look at the full results from Stage 4:

Pos	Rider	Time
1	Tony Martin (Ger) Etixx - Quick-Step	05:28:58
2	John Degenkolb (Ger) Team Giant-Alpecin	+3 seconds
3	Peter Sagan (Svk) Tinkoff-Saxo	Same Time
4	Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team	Same Time
5	Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) MTN - Qhubeka	Same Time
6	Nacer Bouhanni (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits	Same Time
7	Jacopo Guarnieri (Ita) Team Katusha	Same Time
8	Tony Gallopin (Fra) Lotto Soudal	Same Time
9	Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Etixx - Quick-Step	Same Time
10	Bryan Coquard (Fra) Team Europcar	Same Time

After Monday's heavy crash, Fabian Cancellara had to visit the hospital, and he confirmed later in the day he would not be starting Stage 4. He shared his pain via social media before the start of Tuesday's stage:

A small break was given some space early by the peloton, but with reports of light rain and treacherous crosswinds hammering the cobblestones awaiting the pack, the pace increased dramatically after just an hour of racing.

Team Sky pushed the tempo, to the pride of their official Twitter account, and they were joined by the teams protecting their favourites for the general classification before long:

The first―minor―cobblestone section passed without any major incidents, and with six more sections on the horizon, the peloton started preparing for the intermediate sprint. Thomas De Gendt took top honours in the lead group, while Mark Cavendish won the sprint in the peloton, stealing a few points from Andre Greipel and Sagan.

Sagan was enjoying himself and played a little joke on his fellow sprinters. After the sprint, he urged his competitors to start working as a group to build the lead, as noted by Global Cycling Network's Neal Rogers:

Here's some footage of the moment, which put a smile on the faces of Greipel and Company:

The second cobblestone section was just miles away at this point, and with the threat of thunderstorms in the air, the peloton started to prepare for another day of carnage. Daniel Martin crashed almost immediately, and while Team Sky powered the tempo over the second section, the heavens opened.

Zdenek Stybar and Lars Boom, two of the Tour's biggest riders and best performers in these kind of conditions, moved forward as the peloton started to show cracks, and in between sections, it became clear this stage had turned into a light version of Paris-Roubaix, the Spring Classic famed for its cobblestones.

None of the favourites were willing to waste much time, and soon enough, the peloton completely split in two, per the event's official Twitter account:

During the next sector, Alexander Kristoff suffered a puncture, all but ending his chances of winning the stages, while the favourites for the general classification mostly made a strong impression. Sagan and Cavendish both positioned themselves superbly, perhaps gunning for an unexpected bunch sprint.

Thibaut Pinot has struggled with form and bad luck so far during the Tour, and the local favourite ran into more trouble on Tuesday. An untimely puncture saw him lose minutes on his competitors, and per Michael Rasmussen of Ekstrabladet, his hopes for the yellow jersey have all but faded:

Remarkably, the first peloton managed to stick together throughout the cobblestone sections, in sharp contrast to last year's stage. It wasn't until the final stretch where the first real attacks happened, as Vincenzo Nibali opened up and Froome followed. Degenkolb and Stybar also joined in on the break, which consisted of eight riders.

Froome was isolated but didn't hold back one bit, in an attempt to stop Nibali from closing the gap in the general classification a bit. The rest of the group was unwilling to work, however, allowing plenty of riders to move up to the front from the background. 

Martin liked his chances of stealing the yellow in a tricky finale, and he attacked just over three kilometers from the finish line. The peloton waited far too long to chase down the time-trial specialist, who brilliantly held on inside the final kilometers and grabbed the stage win and yellow jersey in one swoop.

Rogers was impressed with Der Panzerwagen, who had endured a frustrating start to his Tour de France and more than earned his moment in the spotlight:

Here's a look at the latest standings:

Pos	Rider	Time
1	Tony Martin (Ger) Etixx - Quick-Step	12:40:26
2	Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky	00:00:12
3	Tejay Van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team	00:00:25
4	Tony Gallopin (Fra) Lotto Soudal	00:00:38
5	Peter Sagan (Svk) Tinkoff-Saxo	00:00:39
6	Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team	00:00:40
7	Rigoberto Uran (Col) Etixx - Quick-Step	00:00:46
8	Alberto Contador (Spa) Tinkoff-Saxo	00:00:48
9	Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky	00:01:15
10	Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Etixx - Quick-Step	00:01:16

Pos	Rider	Points
1	Andre Greipel (Ger) Lotto - Soudal	84
2	Peter Sagan (Svk) Tinkoff-Saxo	78
3	John Degenkolb (Ger) Giant-Alpecin	60
4	Tony Martin (Ger) Etixx-Quick Step	55
5	Mark Cavendish (Gbr) Etixx-Quick Step	53
6	Chris Froome (Gbr) Team Sky	40
7	Nacer Bouhanni (Fra) Cofidis	37
8	Bryan Coquard (Fra) Team Europcar	36
9	Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC	35
10	Joachim Rodriguez (Spa) Katusha	30

Pos	Rider	Points
1	Joachim Rodriguez (Spa) Katusha	2
2	Michael Schar (Swi) BMC	1
3	Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo	1
4	Thomas De Gendt (Bel) Lotto - Soudal	1
5	Chris Froome (Gbr) Team Sky	1

Martin's win was impressive, but what made it even more special was that he wasn't even riding his own bike, via the Bike Lane's Matt Keegan:

As reported by Sky Sports' live blog of the race, the German didn't expect to win after he was forced to switch bikes with a team-mate, saying:

"Honestly, after having a flat tyre and changing bike with the wrong position, I was just thinking to survive the stage and was looking forward to the next stages. Suddenly, 5km to the finish, we were all together and everyone was looking at each other and nobody really wanted to pull, so I just decided to give me a chance and go full gas ahead and somehow I found some power and I made it."

He will start Wednesday's stage in the yellow, and given the flat profile of the quick hop from Arras to Amiens, he'll have every chance to defend his jersey.

For Froome, losing the top spot in the standings at this stage is hardly a disaster. He salvaged his lead over Nibali, Alberto Contador and Nairo Quintana during a tricky, dangerous stage, and he'll now get to prepare for the high mountains without having to worry about the responsibilities of carrying the yellow around his shoulders.

Follow @ReverschPass