Tour de France 2019: Elia Viviani Wins Stage 4 Sprint in Nancy

Deceuninck - Quick-Step's Elia Viviani won Stage 4 of the 2019 Tour de France on Tuesday, beating Alexander Kristoff and Caleb Ewan in a sprint finish on the narrow streets of Nancy.

The Italian specialist only just managed to hold off his rivals for the green jersey, taking his first-ever win in the Tour. Julian Alaphilippe, who played a key role in Viviani's lead-out, is still the overall leader.

Here are the results from Stage 4:

Tuesday's stage was a mostly flat one, giving the sprint specialists a rare opportunity for a stage win. With the Vosges massif fast approaching, the breakaway specialists and contenders for the general classification were expected to stay quiet.

Michael Schar, Frederik Backaert and Yoann Offredo made up the early break, quickly building a solid lead. The three took advantage of an early toilet break, setting up a dull scenario that did not make for great viewing:

Their lead sat just above the three-minute mark for most of the day, but it had shrunk to roughly one minute with 45 kilometers left to ride. The sprint teams made sure to keep them close, knowing they would not get many more opportunities to grab a stage win.

Schar was the last man caught inside of 20 kilometers, and with plenty of racing still to do, there were chances for a late break. Lilian Calmejane tried his luck and found a gap, but with a headwind blowing and 11 kilometers left, he was doomed from the start. 

The narrow streets of the city of Nancy made it difficult to organise the sprint trains, but 

Deceuninck - Quick-Step still managed a decent lead-out train for Viviani. The Italian narrowly beat power-sprinters Kristoff and Ewan, while green jersey favourite Peter Sagan took fourth place ahead of Dylan Groenewegen. 

Wednesday's stage seems perfectly suited for a long breakaway to succeed, although the punchers will also like their chances. The star climbers and top contenders will take centre stage for the first time on Thursday when the stage finishes on the flanks of the steep La Planche des Belles Filles.