Stage 4 is the second hilly stage in the race. On paper it looks easier than yesterday, there are 4 Cat 2 climbs but that rating seems generous and the sprinters who survived yesterday will hope to do the same again today. It is also 50k shorter than yesterday at just 174k. But perhaps the stage will be ridden harder today if we get a larger break. Once again there are two sprint points.
It hasn’t been a great race for cycleYorkshire so far but the organizers think today is a stage for Yates.
The peloton does not seem interested in a larger breakaway so with 15k gone there is nothing settled as every time a group goes the peloton shut them down. Klaris and De Gendt did get a small gap but all the chasing behind has meant they haven’t been able to relax and now Klaris is on his own 52 seconds ahead. De Gendt is at 40 seconds and the three trying to join them are Duyvesteyn, Hulgaard, and John.
145k to go. Hosek and Van Tricht have made it up to Klaris. De Gendt still hanging on 16 seconds back. It looks like the peloton might be good with these 4.
127k to go the peloton was ok with that escape group and Tjotta is setting a gentle pace on the front. The 3 leaders can be seen ahead just starting the climb to Montelupone on the horizon, they have 2’22 on the peloton. De Gendt wasn’t able to catch them and is now just 35 seconds ahead and looking doomed.
Hosek is the best climber in the group and holds off Van Tricht for maximum points. Klaris is dropped and is 38 seconds back among the fans on the climb.
Monk comes out of the peloton to take fourth on the climb, De Gendt having been caught.
Hosek also wins the 1st sprint point ahead of Van Tricht with Klaris, who had just rejoined them taking 3rd. Hosek is at 1’40 on GC to start the day, the others both over 4 minutes back.
Hosek also wins the 2nd sprint point with 90k to go. Peloton at 2’04 with Tjotta doing most of the work.
70k to go for the peloton. Fastned does not seem interested in letting the breakaway have much leash today. Havik has taken over from Tjotta and has the lead down to 1’14. In about 10k the break will start the 2nd cat 2, to Osimo.
On an uncategorized climb before the Osimo climb Klaris is dropped by the other two.
Havik leads the peloton into Osimo. Klaris is caught, ahead Van Tricht has dropped Hosek but he has just 28 seconds on the peloton.
Katrasnik and Monk come out of the peloton to snatch 1st and 2nd from Van Tricht at the KOM point. Atkins also on the attack but he has to settle for 4th.
Hosek takes 5th but is then caught by the peloton. The other 4 press on and with 53k to go have a 45 second lead. 12 riders are dropped from the peloton after the climb.
40k to go, Van Tricht has been dropped by the counter-attackers and is back in the peloton. The remaining 3 have 1’44. Fastned have stopped working, they were worried by Hosek’s GC position but the 3 new escapees are all well back in the GC. The chase has been taken up by other teams including Lidl, Jura, Assa Abloy and cycleYorkshire.
34k to go, the break are on the climb to Filottrano. They will do this climb twice more with the last one being the finish. The climb is very steep here, it peaks then there is about 2k of downhill and flat and a final 1k ramp to the finish. Peloton at 1’28 with Stehli pushing the pace.
Katrasnik drops the other two and starts down the descent solo. The points are not awarded until the finish line.
Katrasnik cross the start-finish line and takes first on the climb with a 28 second lead on Monk, 40 seconds on Atkins and 1’15 on a 31-rider group that has split off the front of the peloton.
Schreurs trying to close the gap as Pidcock has missed the split. (Pidcock is just to the left of the two Oxxo riders on the far side of the road, being a small man, he is mostly obscured by the much larger figure of Neilands)
Crisis time for Xero now as Schreurs weakens with the gap up to 48 seconds. Luckily for them Plapp also missed the split and so Neilands is coming to the front. Geoghegan Hart is another big name from the front group yesterday who has missed the split but so far no sign of any Cedevita riders helping out. Ahead Tryg and King Power are pushing the pace.
It is Gazelle who stitches things back together, at least temporarily. All 3 of their riders who were in the front group yesterday (Godon, Malecki, Aleotti) missed the front group today. Another split has occurred further back we’ll see who that has impacted as things develop. All the breakaway riders are caught except Katrasnik who has 40 seconds.
Gazelle’s efforts swell the main chase group back to 54 riders and with 23k to go in the race about 4k to the next circuit through Filottrano. Katrasnik has 33 seconds on the that group which is being led by Ruiz.
Behind things have clarified and there is a 22-rider group 57 seconds behind the main chase group, that includes Geoghegan Hart. Cedevita are scrambling to get riders to him from another group further back. Rodriguez, the only ZARA representative in the front group yesterday, is also in the Geoghegan Hart group and ZARA are helping with the chase.
Padun is much further back, and as is often the case with the Ukrainian, he seems unfazed by the total disaster unfolding around him, he seems more interested in his hydration. Madouas is also in this group but is much further forward.
As they hit the climb into Filottrano Katrasnik is caught. Larsen leading the chase. The Geoghegan Hart group have rejoined the main chase group thanks mainly to the efforts of Thijssen but the riders that far back will have to work hard not to be dropped again. The Padun/Madouas group is still a little way off the back.
Girmay leads De Bie and Gidich over the top of the first part of the climb. Pidcock’s positioning looks much better right now. The situation at the back is fluid.
Girmay and Osorio lead across the start finish line. Currently there are 71 riders in the front group with another group 1’29 back. The only rider of note who seems to be missing from the front group is Padun. Madouas has made it across but is right at the back should another split occur. 16k left.
Assa Abloy (Girmay), MOL (Ariesen, Gonzalez, Morales Ortega), Lidl (Mansouri) and Oxxo-Frisby (Ruiz) on the front with 8.5k to go. The lead group is down to 64 with a few stragglers dropped. The Padun group is 1’36 back and he is on the front so it doesn’t look good.
4.6k to go, Ruiz leads them on to the first part of the Filottrano climb for the final time. Padun group at 1’25.
After a big dig from Mansouri, Pidcock goes on the offensive.
Pidcock can’t get a gap and Ardila counters with Gesbert on his wheel.
Over the top the first 23 get a gap. Rodriguez is the first man behind the gap. Madouas has also missed it. The Padun group has officially rejoined this second group so perhaps Popo will help at the front now.
Under the 1k banner the front four are Pidcock, De Bie, Gesbert and Demare. There is a gap after the first 11, the other 7 ahead are Vansevenant, Yates, Groves, Higuita, Ardila, Gidich and Kron. Valter leading the chase among the next 12. Further back Shikai is trying to bring a group with Rodriguez and Madouas back.
700 meters, Demare to the front. Vansevenant making up ground on the inside, Yates on the outside.
500 meters, Yates and Vansevenant catching Demare, the split in the first 23 has been sealed by Groves going backward and Valter coming forward but it could change again.
200 meters, could it be back-to-back stages for Vansevenant? Higuita coming fast now. A gap has opened after the front 9 with Ardila dropping back and Valter not quite able to close up.
And Vansevenant wins it ahead of Yates and Higuita.
Demare is 4th, then De Bie, Pidcock Kron, Gidich and Gesbert.
Valter takes 10th.
No time gaps are awarded among the first 21 which is great news for the strong TTers like Evenepoel, Plapp and Geoghegan Hart who finish 16th to 18th. Padun, Rodriguez and Madouas do all lose time as they finish in a big group at 47 seconds.
The bonus seconds mean that Vansevenant stretches his lead over Pidcock to 33 seconds and his lead over those who have no bonus seconds to 1’05. Yates sits third on 53 seconds. The young rider jersey still mirrors the GC and Pidcock still leads the points jersey but now by only 7 over Vansevenant.
Katraasnik has a large and likely insurmountable lead in the KOM after his opportunistic attack today. Gazelle, Assa Abloy and Jura are tied for the teams lead with Fastned dropping back as they only had Vansevenant in the front group while the others had 2 riders apiece.
Tirreno - Adriatico 
