photo credits @ Itzulia
Alex Aranburu (Cofidis) emerged victorious at the end of stage 4 in Itzulia Basque Country today, finishing ahead of Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) atop the final climb of the day.
Race Highlights
From the very start, riders fought fiercely to make the day’s breakaway. But it wasn’t until the 64-kilometer mark that Brandon McNulty (UAD, 32) broke away from the peloton. He gradually pulled ahead, while a chasing group of 34 riders formed behind him. Amongst them, Clément Braz Afonso (GFC, 22) posed the biggest threat in the GC, at 4 minutes and 1 seconds.
McNulty’s maximum lead was 3 minutes 45 seconds over the peloton and 1 minute 30 seconds over the chasing group. Following the first crossing of the finish line, the peloton upped the tempo. Bahrain Victorious began to close the gap to just 1 minute 30 seconds with 30 km remaining to the finish. Visma–Lease a Bike joined the chase to help Ben Tullet (TVL, 194).
During the second ascent of Elorritxueta (El Vivero), McNulty was neutralised by the breakaway, and there were attempts to break away from within the lead group. Behind them, the Decathlon CMA CGM Team took up the pace at the front of the peloton. Florian Lipowitz (RBH, 53) tested the leader with a surge, but the leader quickly closed the gap, thwarting his attempt. There was plenty of tension among the favourites. Lipowitz continued launching attacks to test the leader. The Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe team had two strong contenders in Roglič and Lipowitz, and also had Luke Tuckwell in the breakaway to support their team leaders.
The race was wide open following the descent. With 17 km to go, a breakaway group formed, consisting of Marc Soler (UAD, 37), Luke Tuckwell (RBH, 56) and Anders Halland Johannessen (UXM, 203), holding a 15-second lead over the chasing pack. The peloton was 1 minute 40 seconds behind, but the climb to Legina still lay ahead. The leading trio failed to coordinate, and Anders Halland Johannessen (UXM, 203) surged ahead.
The final climb began, with gradients exceeding 17%, a narrow road, and a 1 minute 15 second gap between the breakaway and the peloton. With just 10 km to go, Alex Aranburu tried from the breakaway, gaining a crucial lead of a few metres. In the group of favourites, Lipowitz made another attempt, but the yellow jersey proved too strong. It looked as though a stage win was within reach.
From the summit of Legina (El Vivero), Aranburu began a time-trial-style push, closely followed by Tobias Halland Johannessen (UXM, 202). The Cofidis rider knew the descent like the back of his hand and hurtled down, opening a small gap on Johannessen. The Norwegian cyclist from Uno-X Mobility struggled on the descent. On that very descent, the race leader launched a downhill attack that only Igor Arrieta could follow. The young French rider taking a big risk.
With 4 km to go, Johannessen caught Aranburu, and the two began taking turns at the front to stay clear of the chasing riders. They were 23 seconds ahead of the chasing pack. Pello Bilbao (TBV, 111) and Ion Izagirre (COF, 141) joined the group led by Seixas and Arrieta
The final victory would be decided in a sprint up to the finish line. The leading pair were caught by the chasing group, which included Seixas and Izagirre. Johannessen launched the sprint, with Aranburu on his wheel, but Aranburu proved the fastest, taking victory in the fourth stage of the Itzulia.
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