Vuelta a Espana 2016: Stage 4 Results, General Classification and Highlights
Lilian Calmejane won Stage 4 of the 2016 Vuelta a Espana on Tuesday after seizing the stage lead inside the final 10 kilometres. The Direct Energie rider finished ahead of BMC's Darwin Atapuma, who took the red jersey after a superb ride.
Atapuma was in the mix of a massive break for most of the day and made a late attack to leave challenges from the peloton trailing. It was a day when the break lasted, partly because the peloton left it too late to make its move.
Here are the stage results, per the race's official site:
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Here's what the general classification looks like:
Recap
A 21-rider breakaway formed nearly 60 kilometres in just before Monte Caxado. Atapuma was near the front of the break, with Thomas De Gendt of Lotto Soudal also involved, while general classification leader Movistar's Ruben Fernandez led the peloton.
Fernandez and his team-mates didn't really press the chase and seemed content to let the large break stretch its initial lead to just over three-and-a-half minutes with 90 kilometres of the stage to go.
Giant-Alpecin rider Nikias Arndt was the first dropped from the breakaway. He fell out of the mix after the second climb. Among the riders making it to the end of Monte Caxado still in the break, Cannondale pair Pierre Rolland and Ben King emerged at the front.
The break was setting a solid pace as the lead soon moved to three minutes, 46 seconds. It meant Atapuma was now moving ahead of Fernandez in the red-jersey standings. Fernandez was busy being challenged by Team Sky in the peloton.
The break's advantage over the peloton soon extended to close to five minutes with 66 kilometres left after the feed zone. Still, the peloton was expected to eventually up the pace off the next climb.
Even so, the stage had slipped into a holding pattern. The break was staying together at the front, while Fernandez and Movistar were still biding their time in the peloton.
Despite the bigger names in the team, it was Rory Smith at the head of the train pushing Movistar at the front of the peloton. Meanwhile, Team Sky riders were staying close.
Further ahead, Atapuma was still staying strong near the rear of the break. He was making a strong case to move up in the overall classification. The break still held a time edge of 4:15 when it hit a plateau and then entered the short descent on the penultimate climb.
The gap to the break actually appeared to stretch ahead of the stage's final 35 kilometres. It was soon back up to 4:45 as the pace stayed with the breakaway group.
With the peloton showing little interest in pressing for the day's lead, attacks became frequent and frantic within the break. King and Zdenek Stybar started first, before Axel Domont launched a swift counter. Yet, De Gendt soon pulled him back, as the attacks briefly subsided and the break calmed again somewhat.
The calm was a necessary precursor to the formidable final climb. Merida Pro Road Racing showed a graphic of the difficult task awaiting the riders ahead of the finish:
Soon enough, though, De Gendt was back on the attack—this time trying to corral Angel Madrazo. Caja Rural rider Madrazo got free again as the break now enjoyed a lead of 5:30 over the peloton. However, Domont had rallied and took the race lead with 14 kilometres remaining.
The peloton waited until the last 11 kilometres to accelerate, with Team Sky and Tinkoff making the most decisive moves. Those moves put Atapuma's bid for general-classification leadership into jeopardy.
He was still part of what was now a reduced break—a group under threat from a suddenly determined peloton. The thinned break soon absorbed a clearly tiring Domont.
Rolland was among the riders who had caught Domont, and he challenged Calmejane. But the 23-year-old Frenchman held Rolland off, building a 15-second advantage.
Meanwhile, Atapuma began to look over his shoulder at the frantic chasers. Those looks were preparation for what the BMC man hoped would be a decisive attack for the overall lead of the race.
He made another push inside the final three kilometres to try and make sure of the red jersey. Atapuma sped forward as the chasers caught Rolland and Rolland slipped 25 seconds behind Calmejane.
He made sure of the stage, as Atapuma put on a late sprint to ensure the red jersey.
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