After a time trial with some big time differences yesterday, it’s time to head onto the fourth stage of the Tour of Britain! Some interesting climbs of first category at the end, will they benefit the hybrids?
There’s a good chance the break will hold until the finish. The CT teams understand this, as we see Ssabagwanya, Roux, Molard, Ginanni, Vila and Moreno Hernandez in the break. Vichot is the sole representor of the PCT.
Molard manages to beat Vichot and Ssabagwanya in a tight sprint for the first KoM-points of the day, on the first of four KoM’s. This one was second category, the remaining KoM’s are all first category.
The seven leaders reach the first intermediate sprint of the day with 140 km to go, but nobody is interested in the points. The peloton is 4’30” away, with the gap having been almost 7’ already. The teams doing the work in the peloton are Duolingo, Campari, GCN, Polar and Centovalli.
Vichot is the strongest on the second KoM (1st cat.) of the day, ahead of Ssabagwanya and the two Strava riders. If the Frenchman wins the remaining two KoM’s, he takes over the jersey from Barbero. The peloton crosses the top 5’45” later, 110 km to go!
Who wins the stage today, the break or a favourite? 78 km to the finish line as a peloton of 125 reaches the top of the longest climb of the day three minutes behind the seven leaders.
The leaders are at the top of the final hill before they head into the finale where they have to conquer the Caerphilly Mountain four times. 59 km to go and the peloton is 2’30” behind them!
Caerphilly Mountain is short, but steep. There are 35 km to go as the leaders are one km before the start of the climb, but Vichot can’t wait anymore! He knows the peloton is coming closer (1’30”) and wants that KoM-jersey, he attacks!
The good thing about having a teammate with you is that he can do some useful work. Vila closes the gap for his teammate and the other chasers with 1 km to go. Or will Vichot hold on to that small gap? The peloton is 1’30” behind the race lead, with Sergent and Dowsett at the head of that peloton.
Respect for Vichot though, as the Frenchman doesn’t let the others come back and wins the KoM-sprint! Ssabagwanya sprints to second, but only the Bakkafrost rider is still able to take the KoM-lead on the final KoM-categorized ascent of Caerphilly Mountain.
Now the riders have three more ascents of Caerphilly Mountain to go! The second of those three is the KoM-categorized ascent. Vichot is caught just before the start of the second ascent, and it’s Ssabagwanya who attacks!
Impressive display by Campari here, with seven rider among the first ten in the peloton at the moment! They trail the six chasers by 45”, Ssabagwanya is another 20” ahead.
The Project: Africa rider reaches the top solo, but the chasers have come a bit closer, as they trail by ten seconds now, 22.5 km to go!
The Campari work is being rewarded! Ten riders have a small gap over the other favourites, and in this group of favourites we see some strong climbers: Fiorelli, Kunshin, Kebede, Slagter, Schreurs, Izagirre, Saggiorato, Moscon, De Plus and Meyer!
We’re back to six leaders with 16 km to the finish line, as the riders are on their penultimate ascent of Caerphilly Mountain! This one is KoM-categorized, so Vichot knows what to do!
40 seconds behind them is the elite group of ten, but then right behind them we see Bettiol trying to bring back yellow jersey Paillot and some other favourites!
The leading group has been reduced to Ssabagwanya, the two Strava riders and Vichot with 900 meters to climb! Behind them, we’re back to a peloton of 55 riders now!
Molard solo at 500 meters of the top! No KoM-jersey for Bakkafrost, as Strava is going for the stage win!
Slagter with an attack in the peloton now! De Plus and Moscon tried to follow the Dutchman, but had to sit down immediately!
At the top, Molard leads by thirty seconds over Slagter and Ssabagwanya. Moscon leads what’s left of the peloton over the top a couple of seconds later!
Slagter catches Molard with 10 km to go! Moscon and green jersey Schreurs left the others behind in the descent, that duo is now 20” behind the leading duo! Ssabagwanya then in fifth, followed by a peloton of 25, led by Bettiol, at 1’15” of the race lead! Most of the other top-10 GC riders are in that peloton, but Ignatiev (4th) is already 3’ behind the race lead! Sergent has also lost three minutes already!
Slagter feels the two others coming closer and attacks again as he passes the finish for the penultimate time! Moscon doing everything to close the gap, Schreurs chilling in his wheel! Yellow jersey group at 1’05”!
7.5 km to the finish line and 1.5 km to climb on the last ascent of Caerphilly Mountain! Moscon hasn’t been able to close the gap, Slagter still going strong!
Schreurs then drops Moscon on his way to his fellow countryman Slagter! The Italian at 20”, the peloton at 1’10”! The Dutch champion is 2’ behind in the GC, is he able to take yellow again?!
The two Dutch riders reach the top together, 20” ahead of Moscon! 6 km to go!
Izagirre reaches the top at 40” of the two leaders, the Polar rider knows he has to act now if he wants to win the Tour of Britain! De Plus follows another 15” later, the rest of the group of favourites another is 10” further! Bazhkou (2nd), Faiers (10th) and Barbio (7th) are being dropped!
Moscon not giving up, as he reduces the time difference to twelve seconds with 4 km to go! The first positions behind are still the same, with Izagirre at 33” and De Plus at 48”!
The Lierse rider closely followed by Meyer, Yates, Gallopin, Borges, Dunbar and Betancourt, as yellow jersey Paillot has a gap to make up for in the descent! In the same group as the yellow jersey we find Nepomnyachsniy!
Moscon isn’t able to close the gap on the two Dutchmen, and it’s Slagter attacking with 2 km to the finish line!
Slagter is followed by three lapped riders under the flamme rouge, and behind them we see green jersey Schreurs and Moscon. Izagirre still at 30”, so the winner should be one of those three!
The other two also not coming closer anymore, Slagter on his way to victory with 400 meters to go!
And here he is! Great win from Slagter, with Schreurs and Moscon also on the podium!
Izagirre comes in fourth at 38”, just ahead of De Plus. The Polar rider could be taking yellow.
At 53”, Yates sprints to sixth ahead of Meyer (7th), Borges (8th), Gallopin (9th), Dunbar (10th) and Betancourt (11th).
Edmondson leads the yellow jersey group over the finish at 1’24”. This means Paillot is still in yellow, with a two second lead over Izagirre!
