Stage 4 Jerez de la Frontera - Alto Peñas Blancas (Estepona) 174.4 km
The stage starts in Jerez de la Frontera, Provincia Cádiz. A settlement that seems to date back to about 1200 BC, founded by the ancient Tartessian civilization. The city became very prosperous in the 1500’s after the discovery of America, today a city of about 210,000 inhabitants.
Form Jerez de la Frontera the stage is heading west towards the Mediterranean Sea through the southern parts of the Baetic Mountain System , heading for a summit finish on “The Puerto de las Peñas Blancas”.
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The intermediate sprint in San José del Valle after just 29.6 km may attract the sprinter teams, thereby preventing an early breakaway. The last sprint in Bahia de Casares after 150.5 km is not like to have any interest, unless the unlikely event should happen where one of the GC contenders attack on the downhill and get some bonus seconds.
Today we have only one category 3. KoM at Alto del Mirador after 110.9 km, but the finish line also counts as a cat.1 climb. Making it possible that today winner could also take the KoM lead.
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We have very little wind, it is partly clouded but do not look like it is going to start raining.
Just as the peloton is rolling out of Jerez de la Frontera Chhetri attack and behind him Chatarunga, Stoltz and Barbero
They quickly get a minute on the peloton.
A hard pursuit begin, Puma and Evonik keeping a persistent pace above 50 km /h. The breakaway fight back but after 16 km it is over.
5 km later another attempt by Vermeltfoort, Oelerich, Rosch, Egidio and Turek also fails.
Then with just 1.4 km to the intermediate sprint, another attack Vermeltfoort again with Chhetri, Affonso and Declerq behind him.
Sprint: Vermeltfoort Declerq Chhetri
Later also Rosch and Bagdonas joins the first group, and the breakaway of today’s stage have been formed.
The peloton keep a controlling pace holding the distance around 2’30, it is Athanasiades, De Gendt, Young, Konovalovas and Golovash sharing the workload.
On the descent before the first KoM we get a huge crash, 17 riders are down.
The most prominent is Konrad, Silva, Fernandez, Kirsch, Izagirre, Novikov, Blikra, Herrada, Ludvigsson and Novikov
Giogieri never get back in the race.
The important riders from the crash makes it back to the rear end of the peloton just as the KoM climb starts, and even though the KoM climb to Alto del Mirador is just a cat.3 it is not easy, 8.7 km at 5.6 % avg.
The first 2 km are very tough with about 8% slopes and immediately Declerq and Bagdonas suffers from the high pace set by Rosch
After another 2 km now with Affonso in front, also Vermeltfoort has to let go.
The trio in front keeps a high pace passing Alto del Mirador with 3’55 to the peloton, 2’48 to Vermeltfoort
KoM: Rosch Chhetri Affonso
We got some crashes on the downhill from Alto del Mirador but no important riders are involved and the dropped riders from the breakaway get swallowed. Kruijswijk is leading the peloton now 108 riders.
On the uncategorized hill before the sprint, Enger drops, this will as expected be the end of his white jersey.
5km before the sprint, the best climber in the breakaway Rosch crash, it is the end of his stage win dreams.
Without fight Chhetri win sprint in Bahia de Casares, at 10’40 in CG he won’t need the bonus seconds.
Chhetri attack on the flat section, dropping Affonso but when he reach the final climb he got less than 2 minutes. That is just not enough on a climb like this.
Alto Peñas Blancas is 15 km at 6.4%. On the first 2km we got Kruijswijk and Bibby in front, with most of Gazelle right behind them, the pace it not extreme at this point, 93 riders in the peloton.
Besides Gazelle we see Dombrowski, Schleck, Pluchkin amongst the first 10, Schleck remarkably without any teammates.
With 12 km to the top slope 7.3%, Nepomnyachsniy taking over the lead upping the pace some, there is still officially 93 riders left, but more clear gaps is visible.
Over the next 2.5 km with Nepomnyachsniy on front, the rest of the breakaway are reeled in.
We are on the least tough section of the climb 4.4%, 9.6 km to the top.
Positioning is Pluchkin with two riders in front, with Nepomnyachsniy leading and Kononenko.
Then Velits with Kulhavy, Madrazo without domestics passing Chhetri from the breakaway.
Behind him Schleck without domestics, then Dombrowski with Kohl and Kritskiy with Ignatenko,
Behind them Lecuisinier Machado Monsalve Abal and Keizer, all without domestics.
Behind them Guldhammer and Galta with one domestic, unclear who it is.
6 km to the top, the first rider is now on a 4.7% slope. Bibby who was further back a few km ago is now back in front, he may have been back to get water. He is not sitting with Madrazo, he has moved all the way to the front.
Behind him Nepomnyachsniy with Pluchkin on his wheel Madrazo, Schleck, Dombrowski, Kritskiy on a line.
Side by side with Kritskiy is Machado, behind him Kulhavy in front of Velits. On their left Lecuisinier a weel in front of Monsalve.
Behind Lecuisinier Galta and behind him Guldhammer and Keizer.
Further back in the hairpin bend (slope of 7.8%), we can also see in this order: Abal, Arndt, Brambilla, Oliveira, Hirt, Preidler, Nesset, Goos.
Officially the peloton is 59 riders.
Under the 5 km banner, slope 6.4%
Now we get the first real attack, it is Schleck with Dombrowski on his wheel. They instantly get a small gap to the other favorites.
Let’s take a look at positioning at this crucial moment:
In front and side by side left Nepomnyachsniy with Pluchkin, right Bibby with Madrazo.
Behind them a group with, in this ordre: Kritskiy, Lecuisinier, Monsalve, Machado, Kulhavy, Velits, Galta
Behind them a small gap to
Guldhammer Keizer Abal Arndt Brambilla Oliveira and Hirt.
Then again a small gap to the next group, the mentioned gaps are small, officially still 59 riders in the peloton.
We have got 4 km to the finish line on a slope of 4.7% Schleck and Dombrowski haven’t created a well-defined difference but still have some small gap.
Behind them now we got Madrazo with Monsalve also having a small gap down to Pluchkin who now seems to accelerate to close the gap.
On a line behind Pluchkin we got Velits, Kritskiy, Lecuisinier, Machado and Guldhammer and on the far right Abal, the last two improved nicely over the last kilometer.
On a line behind those riders we can see Brambilla, Arndt, Galta in between the domestics falling back.
38 riders officially left in the peloton, 2nd group lost 1’01
3 km to the top, slope 8.7%
Schleck seem to have lost his first boost, now Dombrowski have taken the lead. Now we have got the first official distances between the favorites.
At 6” Madrazo and Monsalve
At 20” Pluchkin Velits, Lecuisinier, Machado, Kritskiy, Guldhammer, Abal
At 38” 19 riders with Arndt Keizer Brambilla Olivier Galta Hirt and König
2.5 km to the top, slope 6.1% Madrazo and Monsalve have caught the wheel of Dombrowski, but Schleck has accelerated again, now 4” in front of the trio.
At 22” we have now got a lagers group with 26 riders.
In front of that group: Velits Pluchkin Lecuisinier Kritskiy Machado Guldhammer Abal
2 km to the finish line, slope 8.3% Schleck has extended his lead to 11”
Behind him a group of 10 riders in this ordre: Dombrowski Madrazo Monsalve Velits Pluchkin Lecuisinier Kritskiy Machado Guldhammer and Abal
The next group is at 51” seems clear it is going to be amongst these 11 riders to share the podium and possible advancements in the GC.
1.5 km to the top, slope 7.4%
Schleck in front.
The 10 riders in pursuit is now split in two.
At 15” Monsalve, Dombrowski, Madrazo, Pluchkin, Velits and Kritskiy
At 29” Lecuisinier, Machado, Guldhammer, Abal
From the next group Hirt has attacked now alone at 49”
At 59” the next group Nesset, Olivier, Brambilla, Keizer, Arndt Galta, Vosekalns, Preidler, Bibby and Kulhavy
Behind them at 1’40 Goos, Nepomnyachsniy, Egger, Haig, König, Van den Broeck, Van der Velde and Bevin
Schleck first under the red kite
Slope 5.5%
At 20” in this order Monsalve, Dombrowski, Madrazo, Pluchkin, Velits and now hanging a little bit Kritskiy
At 36” Lecuisinier, Machado, Guldhammer,
Behind them at 48” Abal is not looking good, losing time fast.
At 56” Hirt
At 1’15 a group of 10 riders as mentioned above.
Schleck starts sprinting from 500 meter, slope 6.1 %
Group Pluchkin at 20” (6 riders)
Group Machado at 40” (3 riders)
Abal and Hirt at 59”
The group with Galta at 1’23 (10 riders)
The group with Haig at 2’11 (8 riders)
Some managers would surely think that moto is way too close
Schleck can raise his arms in victory winning the first major mountains stage in this year’s Vuelta at The Puerto de las Peñas Blancas. The combination of time gain and bonus seconds also secure him the “maillot rojo” leading the GC with 20” to Aleksandr Pluchkin. This was his 2nd podium in this Vuelta
The only one in the next group able at actually starting his sprint from 200-300 meters is Monsalve, never letting anyone come close. Very impressive considering he is not a top podium contender and has been leading the group for some time. This was also his 2nd podium in the Vuelta
Dombrowski a close 3rd over Madrazo
Kritskiy 5th and Velits just manages to sneak infront of Pluchkin for 6th and 7th
these 6 riders all lost 23”
Behind them Lecuisinier and Machado as 8th and 9th in 51”
Coming in alone Guldhammer losing 1’15”
Andy Schleck also takes the points and mountain classification
Pierre-Henri Lecuisinier takes over the white jersey.
Moser – Sygic now team classification leader.
[PTM] Vuelta a Espana 
