Vuelta a Espana Stage 4 Results

The Spanish National Road Race Champion Valverde Wins Stage 4

Alejandro Valverde (Movistar Team) won Stage 4 of the Vuelta, becoming the first of the General Classification contenders to win a stage in Spain. Peter Sagan (Tinkoff-Saxo) came in second in what should have been a sprinter’s stage, with an uphill finish. Valverde is first in the Points competition, and Sagan is second in the same competition. Esteban Chaves (Orica GreenEdge) still leads the race, with little change among the top contenders. The top contenders for the Red Jersey are still within one minute of the Vuelta leader Chaves.

The peloton rolled 209.6 km (130 mile) on Stage 4 from Estepona to Vejer de la Frontera. The stage should have been a contest among the sprinters since the route is mostly flat. However, there were two climbs in the circuit at the finish line in Vejer de la Frontera. The peloton caught up with the two-man breakaway at 11 km (6.8 miles) to go on a broad roadway led by Tinkoff-Saxo supporting Sagan. As the peloton advanced to the end of the stage, the road narrowed within the last 4 km (2.4 miles), and the route went upward toward the finish. The narrow road and short but steep climb sorted the peloton out, leaving the GC contenders toward the front of the race.

Valverde capitalized on the two climbs near the end of the stage by staying close to the leaders of the peloton, Nicolas Roche (Team Sky) and Sammy Sanchez (BMC Racing Team) in the last two kilometers. Valverde and Sagan overtook Roche and Sanchez with 500 meters to go. Valverde held off Sagan for the win.

Stage 5 will run 167.3 km (104 miles) from Rota to Alcalá de Guadáira. Stage 5 is a flat stage, but the heat and potential gusty winds may provide problems for the cyclists.

Stage 4 Results

1	Alejandro Valverde	Movistar Team	5:07:30
2	Peter Sagan	Tinkoff-Saxo	:00
3	Daniel Moreno Fernandez	Team Katusha	:00
4	Nicolas Roche	Team Sky	:00
5	José Gonçalves	Caja Rural-Seguros RGA	:00
6	Joaquim Rodriguez	Team Katusha	:00
7	Julien Simon	Cofidis, Solutions Credits	:00
8	Rafal Majka	Tinkoff-Saxo	:00
9	Nairo Quintana	Movistar Team	:00
10	Esteban Chaves	Orica GreenEdge	:00

Points Competition Standings

1	Alejandro Valverde	Movistar Team	25
2	Peter Sagan	Tinkoff-Saxo	20
3	Daniel Moreno Fernandez	Team Katusha	16
4	Nicolas Roche	Team Sky	14
5	José Gonçalves	Caja Rural-Seguros RGA	12

General Classification Standings

1	Esteban Chaves	Orica GreenEdge	13:11:31
2	Tom Dumoulin	Team Giant-Alpecin	0:00:05
3	Nicolas Roche	Team Sky	0:00:15
4	Daniel Martin	Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling Team	0:00:24
5	Alejandro Valverde	Movistar Team	0:00:28
6	Joaquim Rodriguez	Team Katusha	0:00:35
7	Daniel Moreno Fernandez	Team Katusha	0:00:36
8	Nairo Quintana	Movistar Team	0:00:36
9	Christopher Froome	Team Sky	0:00:40
10	Fabio Aru	Astana Pro Team	0:00:47
11	Mikel Landa Meana	Astana Pro Team	0:00:51
12	Mikel Nieve	Team Sky	0:00:51
13	Tejay Van Garderen	BMC Racing Team	0:00:55
14	Domenico Pozzovivo	AG2R La Mondiale	0:01:04
15	Gianluca Brambilla	Etixx - Quick-Step	0:01:04