Plenty of familiar roads as the sprinters are given their final opportunity to stake their claim at the points classification before the climbers are unleashed. There is also the possibility that the polkadots might change hands, with two ascents of the Category Three climb from La FrÃa to San Juan de Colón. The climb is more three seperate slopes of about 5% seperated by false flats, so the official numbers of 20km @ 3.6% might be slightly misleading. After each summit the riders will return to La FrÃa for an intermediate sprint competition, and on their third visit to the town they will depart to the north-east. They will retread their steps from Stage Three, taking the exact opposite route from La FrÃa, through Coloncito, to El VigÃa. A slight rise in the final few kilometres might provide an opportunity for a daring late attack but otherwise this one will go to the fastmen, there's more than enough flat riding for the sprint teams to bring back any escapees.
Not that their opponents were going to make it easy for them! A total of ten riders were eager to get into the breakaway; Crabbe-CC Chevigny and Simba Cement - Tanga Fresh weren't so keen on those numbers. Things only settled when the escapees made their way onto the day's climb: the heavy sprinters not confident of surviving hard-ridden hills. Adam Phelan was present in the polkadots jersey. Pierre-Pascal Keup and Alessandro Verre were the only others with points in the mountains classification but they'd already proved inadequate challengers. The most likely candidate to take up the mantle was Fernando Barcelo. Marildo Yzeiraj had to have been eyeing up those intermediate sprints, taking both would be enough to catapult him back into the lead of the points classification. Making up the numbers were Andrea Enrico Maccagli and Szymon Tracz. The usual suspects took to the front once the pace came down, controlling things for their sprinters.
Barcelo took maximum points at the first climb. Unfortunately for him, Phelan did enough to secure the polkadots for another day by coming a close second. Also accumulating some more points was Verre. It was Keup who had kicked things off with both Barcelo and Phelan coming from a while back; the Spaniard merely being quicker than the Aussie.
The gap grew to its maximum of ~4'40" in the valley that hosts La FrÃa. Verre led into the intermediate sprint with Yzeiraj and Keup on his wheel. The Albanian just didn't quite have the kick necessary to pass the man in front of him so the images show him settling for second. Somebody in the adjudication team must be a Degenkolb fan however, as Keup was bumped ahead of him in the official record.
Verre and Keup were quite active today, being the only riders to contest the second climb against Phelan. The Australian led from the front, his high pace not only seeing him take another six points but also causing Barcelo to unexpectedly crack.
Everything came back together on the descent. Yzeiraj, having been denied the chance of wearing the green jersey tomorrow, wasn't about to make the same mistakes again. He jumped hard and early, winning the second intermediate sprint by more than a bikelength. It didn't hurt that Maccagli happened to hold up everybody else. Only Verre was able to get round him.
As the cameras come on to bring us live action here in Táchira one of the motos is showing us a devastating sight. Nawuti Liphongyu suffered a puncture and was left behind by the peloton. As the pace has risen in order to reel in the breakaway it doesn't look like he will make it back, even with Ajay Pandit Chhetri having dropped back to assist him. The Thai National Road Race Champion is in his final season at the peak of his powers and this is likely to be his only 2.2 race of the year. Even if we haven't reached the high mountains yet, he'd done well with 15th up to El Ceibal and just needed to hold steady before TTing to a solid result. Fortunately for his team they still have former winner Piter Campero safely tucked in the peloton, which is probably the reason nobody else has dropped back to help.
As the miles are whisked away the gap slowly ticks downwards, but it doesn't look as though its closing quickly enough. With five kilometres remaining it has been stuck at ½ a minute for a while now. Who is on the front? Tsgabu Grmay and Thomas Boudat. Neither of them can afford to be expending energy here, needing it for the mountains and for the leadout respectively. Marildo Yzeiraj has already masterminded one stage win; perhaps another is on the cards.
There is just fractionally too much road today as the JEWA TIROL train comes surging through, it is headed by Thomas Koep with Boudat and Degenkolb following in behind. Gilles Heymes also tried to get involved but he is adrift in the centre of the road. As Koep swings off about 1500 metres out Boudat accelerates. Degenkolb is slow to follow the move and lets a small gap open up. This has been a continous issue for this duo, with the latter having to expend precious energy to return to the wheel of his leadout.
The situation behind sees the other sprinters fanning out behind the sole train. They've already begun to disconnect from the uninterested peloton. Alexander Krieger is right on Degenkolb's wheel with Gabriel Marin and Dan McLay forming the next row. Zhihui Jiang, Issiaka Cisse and Oscar Guerao are gather on the left. Emils Liepins and Riccardo Minali are in McLay's slipstream; behind Marin are Adomaitis Rojus and Ivano Lo Cicero. On the right, Jacob Kelly and Tom Scully are making the most of Heymes's presence.
Degenkolb swings out of Boudat's wheel near the 600 metre marker as the latter begins to slow. Krieger aims to edge round the other side of the fading Frenchman while McLay is searching for Degenkolb's wheel. Marin and Lo Cicero are also in the wind. Heymes ruined Kelly's run when he took the Bajan out as he dropped through the group. In contrast Scully managed to navigate the chaos and is still going strong.
The railing marks 350 metres to the finish and Krieger is closing in on Degenkolb. The man in the middle of them, Boudat, has lost most of his momentum. The final podium spot looks as though it will be contested between McLay and Marin; there can't be more than a hairsbreadth between them. None of Lo Cicero, Kelly nor Guerao will be challenging for the Top 10, the entire trio having already surrendered. Piet Allegaert also had a go of it, although it hasn't worked out well for him.
He's slowing! Degenkolb doesn't have the strength to make it all the way in, that disjointed leadout might well have cost him the stage win. The question now is whether anybody will be able to catch Krieger. McLay and Marin have made up some ground, but it is Adomaitis Rojus who is moving the fastest.
Krieger does enough to secure himself a second stage win. Degenkolb fades to 6th which leaves the remaining podium placements to McLay and Marin. The Briton takes 2nd with a bikethrow at the line. Scully just can't quite snag 4th from Rojus with a late move. Emils Liepins, Riccardo Minali, Zhihui Jiang and Issiaka Cisse round out the Top 10.
Look at the joy on Alexander Krieger's face. Not only does his victory double his stage tally, it also means he'll be wearing the green jersey come tomorrow's mountain timetrial. That classification has traditionally been the remit of the climbers and history suggests that his 65 points won't be enough come the grand finale in San Antonio del Táchira. Perhaps we ought not to inform the German of that wee tidbit just yet, he deserves to revel in his success.
