With a solo breakaway over 50.3 kilometres, Tadej Pogacar impressively underlined his ambitions for victory in the Vuelta a España and outclassed the competition. On the fourth stage, which was a mere 104.8 kilometres long, but extremely gruelling fourth stage – with 3,009 metres of climbing – the road cycling world champion attacked on the second of four climbs and won convincingly in Andorra la Vella, 2 minutes and 39 seconds ahead of the 20-year-old Belgian Jarno Widar.
For Pogacar, it was his longest solo breakaway in a major national stage race. In the general classification, the 27-year-old now also holds a comfortable lead of 3 minutes and 21 seconds over second-placed Primož Roglič. A start-to-finish victory seems all but certain for the winner of the opening time trial, even at this early stage of the three-week tour.
“The pace was really high; we were riding at full throttle. I didn’t have any team-mates left. I reckon they’d all have been working against me, so I went on the attack. I just hoped I’d make it through. It was really tough. I can now look forward to the next few days with confidence,” said Pogacar.
Taking a breather after the Pyrenees
The day before, the weather had prevented the next Pogacar spectacle from taking place. Due to a storm accompanied by hail, the stage had been abandoned and not counted. The shivering professionals had found shelter in a hotel, where the staff had provided them with hot drinks and blankets.
Wednesday offers a chance to catch one’s breath. The peloton leaves the Pyrenees and, after a 173.3-kilometre stage from Falset to Roquetes, the stage win in Catalonia is likely to go to a sprinter. The favourites are Britain’s Matthew Brennan, his Belgian team-mate Wout van Aert, Denmark’s Mads Pedersen and Australia’s Kaden Groves.
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