Stage 4 of the 2022 Tour du Maroc is the second and final mountain rated stage. The diesel climbers suffered on Stage 2 and riders like Aular will hope to strike back on today’s longer climbs. The stage today goes 195k from Marrakech to Agouim and includes a Cat 3 and two Cat 2’s plus Cat 2 points at the finish. None of the climbs is that hard but they are all a good length.
This was stage 6 last year. It was won by Tatarinov, he is back to try again but that would take quite a performance. The organizers view the GC favorites as the likely winners.
15k gone. 12 riders quickly got a gap but now a lot of others are trying to join them and the gaps remain small. The front 12 include KOM leader Manfredi plus Kusi. Gunman, Ardila, Baroncini, Yudha, Mäder, Rowsell, Raileanu, Iino, Sleen, and Cheung
8k further into the stage and the front group, which has been joined by Thill, rolls through the first sprint. Another 12 riders are just behind them and the peloton is only 43 seconds down.
160k to go, the front two groups are together and their lead is up to 1’47. A few more tried to get across but the peloton seems to think 25 is enough. The first official climb doesn’t start for a while yet but they are already going up hill. The 12 additions are: Kireva, Shalunov, Antunes, Rodrigues, Roman, Arifin, Xandri, Jang, Zimmermann, Rivera, Polnicky, and Keinath. Binance had a poor day yesterday but have a strong presence in the break, led by Rodrigues, but Jang is the closest on GC at 3’38.
137k to go, the break passed the 2nd sprint without contesting it but with 1k to the first KOM point (a Cat 3), Manfredi takes off. With good scoring today he can secure that jersey. He had a 16 point lead in that competition at the start of the day and an 18 point lead over the 2nd-best placed rider in the break (Arifin).
Mandredi just holds off Xandri to take 6 more points. Raileanu is 3rd. The lead over the peloton is over 5 minutes.
The break completes the descent off the Cat 3 with a lead of 5’24 over the peloton. The next climb, the Cat 2 Taddart Oufella (7.4k at 5.9%) doesn’t start officially for 22k but the riders will be going steadily uphill for those 22km.
103k to go for the peloton, the lead down to 4’20. Bralirwa, Lierse and Popo the most prominent on the front. The break is on the official climb now and has about 5k to go. Points leader Minali suffered a puncture a while ago, he made it back to the peloton but has now been dropped again along with Carsi.
Manfredi clearly the rider most focused on the KOM competition, he attacks with 1.5k to climb and quickly opens up a 39 second gap. Project Africa take up the chase behind him.
Manfredi easily takes the points, his KOM lead is up to 32 points. Zimmerman and Jang go over behind him. The break split up on the climb but after little more uphill they have a long descent so there should be some regrouping.
Enjoying his home roads El Sabbahi leads the peloton over 4’49 down on what is now a 10-rider front group, but most of the rest of the break is close to rejoining.
By the time they reach the third sprint point, with 73k to go the break is back to 23. Missing are Baroncini and Cheung. Peloton at 3’55. The riders will now complete a loop before coming back through here and turning right to go up the final climb.
50k to ride. Bralirwa (El Sabbahi), Lierse (Covi) and Popo (Zumer, Budyak, Nitu) have the lead down to 2’52. 115 riders in the peloton.
30k to go and the break reaches the penultimate climb, a Cat 2, 7.7k at 5.9%. After that a descent and a finishing climb. The peloton at 2’09 still led by the same teams.
Raileanu sets a hard pace on the climb and weaker riders are dropped out of the break. The peloton keeping the pressure on behind, gap is 2’05.
Roman launches first, Jang chasing.
Roman has 26 seconds over Jang with 800 meters to climb, next are Arifin and Zimmermann. In the peloton the first attacks have been launched by Padun and Pomoshnikov but no gaps yet.
Pomoshnikov’s attack draws a reaction. Mostly GC men behind the Sauber man but Gregaard is the Carlsberg rider.
Pomoshnikov leads a 19-rider group including the race leader clear and they begin to sweep up the remnants of the break. Kraftwerk is the big loser here with none of their riders represented, they are chasing behind. Ahead Roman has crested the top of the climb alone. He has 2 minutes on the GC group
The full race situation:
The riders not listed in the Madrazo group are all dropped breakaway riders. No other GC riders are present.
Sicard leads the GC group over the top. Yellow Jersey Monsalve right at the back of that group, White Jersey Pogacar made it up to the front group. Arndt and Koch leading the chase with dropped breakaway riders in between, it is still very tight.
Crisis for the leader as he is dropped over the top and is back with the Kraftwerk group on the descent. Mas right behind him. The gap to the rest of the GC leaders is just 40 seconds so it could easily close.
15k to ride, Roman is caught by the next 3, Arifin, Zimmerman and Jang. They have 44 seconds over a group with Mäder, Rodrigues, and Xandri. Then there are a few more dropped breakaway riders then the GC group just around the bend in the road, they are 1’48 behind and with no domestiques left Novak is leading the chase. They have 44 seconds over a 12-rider group including Monsalve, Arndt, Mas, Aular and Faglum Karlsson. Pogacar has been dropped by the GC group and is in between them and the Yellow Jersey group.
9.4k to go the leaders turn on to the final climb. It is a Cat 2, 9.5k at 5.9%. They have just 12 seconds over Mäder, Rodrigues, and Xandri. Then 1 minute behind is a group with 7 other breakaway survivors. At 1’41 is the GC group which, to Monsalve's relief has been caught by his group, but that relieve may be short-lived as Novak can be seen attacking to the left of the black car. The GC top 20 riders missing from the GC group are places 16 to 19, Fabbro, Ranaweera, Elissonde, and Borisavljevic
Rodrigues and Xandri make it up to the front group just as Arifin and Roman attack. Mäder unable to bridge up. Novak did not get a gap on the Yellow Jersey group and they have almost caught the other breakaway remnants.
6.9k to ride. Arifin and Roman are clear of the others at the front, Xandri made it up to them but has now been distanced. The GC group is still 1’48 behind with Gregaard on the front. Faglum Karlsson is the first big name showing signs of weakness.
6.8k to climb for the GC group. The Yellow Jersey well back in the group as Penasa attacks with Berhane the first to respond.
5k for the leaders, Rodrigues has bridged up to the front two. Penasa has been joined by Guldhammer and they are at 1’21. Rest of the GC favorites at 1’40, Monsalve right at the back.
Aular is gapped by the GC favorites and more importantly so is Monsalve, it has been a bad day for hm and it does not look like he will be able to hold on. Raileanu is the Phillips rider. Still 5k to go. At the front of the group Sicard and Quintana have launched a counter.
At the front Rodrigues drops the other two with ease, he is over 6 minutes down on GC so this is all about the stage. Pogacar has been dropped by the GC group and Arndt is about to be.
Just as Sicard brings the GC group back to them Guldhammer and Penasa attack again. Rodrigues has 1’16 over this group. The top 14 on GC here except for those already mentioned (1st, Monsalve, 3rd Arndt).
2.5k for Rodrigues. He has 56 seconds on the next group which is Penasa and Guldhammer plus his original breakaway companions. Mas, who attacked the GC group, is another 22 seconds back then 6 seconds the GC group where Areruya and Gregaard are struggling.
Mas catches the first group of chasers and immediately sets off after Rodrigues, he has about 2k to close 58 seconds. Areruya and Gregaard are dropped from the GC group along with breakaway survivor Xandri. Is this going to be another outstanding day for Zara?
Race situation, Monsalve is in the first group not shown, 3’02 down on the leader.
Pomoshnikov has been super strong today, he brings the GC group back to the Penasa group. Padun struggling at the back now, Quintana also looks spent. Mas has 18 seconds on this group, Rodrigues still 58 seconds ahead, he has reached the 1k banner.
Pomoshnikov tears his way across the gap to Mas. Only Berhane and Sicard with him. The latter was the only one of these in the front group on Stage 2 and is in line for the GC lead.
500 meters for Rodrigues, his lead is down to 48 seconds. Pomoshnikov and Sicard have dropped Berhane and Mas. They have 17 seconds on those two and 37 seconds on the rest of the GC riders. Padun and Quintana hanging on in that group so far.
Pomoshnikov has the edge on Sicard but he is running out of room to catch Rodrigues.
Rodrigues wins Stage 4, a bad day for Binance yesterday but they got the right man in the break today and he delivered.
Pomoshnikov had great legs today riding a fleet of bigger names off his wheel. Berhane and Mas are closing in on Sicard.
Sicard is 3rd, he is the best of Stage 2’s top finishers and will take over the GC lead. This could be turning into a huge race for Strava. Mas edges Berhane for 4th, a lot of riders redeeming themselves today after poor Stage 2 results.
Roman and Arifin take 6th and 7th from the break. Then Guldhammer and Penasa take 8th and 9th, they had good legs today but perhaps went a little early. Zimmermann rounds out the top 10 with Madrazo, Novak and Quintana behind him. Guldhammer through Quintana finish on 1’14, 30 seconds behind Sicard on the stage. The four who were in the front group on S2 will sit 2nd through 5th on GC, tied on 38 seconds behind Sicard (Penasa, Madrazo, Quintana, Guldhammer is the order).
Pomoshnikov is rewarded for his efforts by moving up to 6th place on GC, 1’21 down, 10 seconds ahead of Areruya, who had a disappointing day. But it wasn’t as disappointing as Monsalve’s he loses 3’42 and drops to 13th on GC.
With a very different set of top finishers today than on the other GC stage, Minali holds on to the points lead. Areruya the top GC guy in 4th.
Manfredi ends the day with a 32-point lead over Arifin in the KOM competition. With only Cat 3 climbs left in the race, that jersey should be safe.
Pogacar does enough to hold on to the young riders jersey and the same goes for Carlsberg in the teams. They have a 4’48 lead but only 51 seconds separates 2nd to 7th so the minor placing will be up for grabs in the last two stages.
Tour du Maroc 
