It’s easy to forget that Fernando Gaviria’s only 23, so rapid has been his ascent to the upper echelon of sprinters. But on the fourth stage of the Tour, from La Baule to Sarzeau, the young Colombian showed again that he’s arguably the fastest in the game, pipping Peter Sagan and Andre Greipel at the line for his second win of the Tour. You’d be brave to bet against him taking a third (or fourth…).
After a chaotic opening few days, the day’s racing followed a more conventional path. A breakaway of four riders from minor teams with a point to prove jumped away at the start, spending most of the day on the front in an ultimately futile search for a stage win.
There were some nervous moments on the approach to the line, most notably a crash at 5km which brought half the bunch to a standstill. Axel Domont (AG2R La Mondiale) fared the worst; his race ended on the road there with a broken collarbone. Tiejs Benoot (Lotto Soudal) looked the grisliest, limping to the line with blood streaming down his face. His team will make the call tomorrow as to whether he’ll be able to continue.
Of the GC contenders caught up in the crash, Rigoberto Uran was unhurt and able to catch back onto the main field, while Ilnur Zakarin will be rueing his lost 59 seconds. The Katusha-Alpecin leader now sits close to two minutes off the pace before the race even hits the mountains.
Up ahead, the peloton timed the catch to perfection, reining in the remnants of the breakaway with just under 1km to go. For a brief time, it seemed like seasoned campaigner André Greipel (Lotto Soudal) would add to his tally, but he faded in the last 50m and was pipped by a fast-finishing Gaviria and Sagan.
- A quick pre-ride espresso for Roberto Ferrari and Oliviero Troia (UAE-Emirates).
- Greg Van Avermaet on his way to sign on for the stage.
- Rainbow steel.
- Team Sky’s wunderkind Egan Bernal, the youngest rider in the race, has been keeping a low profile in his Grand Tour debut. Expect to see a lot more of him when we arrive in the Alps, however.
- *Not this year.
- It was a long day out in front for the four-rider breakaway of Guillaume Van Keirsbulck (Wanty-Groupe Gobert), Dimitri Claeys (Cofidis), Jerome Cousin (Direct Energie) & Anthony Perez (Cofidis).
- Meanwhile, in the peloton, the first ever Kiwi in a KOM jersey: Dion Smith (Wanty Groupe Gobert).
- An arch of wheels welcomes the Tour’s arrival.
- A roadside fan tests Oliver Naesen’s patience (and fair enough).
- The breakaway rolls through the town of St-Lyphard…
- … followed by the peloton.
- BMC have been presenting a united front in the Tour, with the top two riders on GC and a genuine contender for the overall in Richie Porte.
- The peloton (with Chris Froome) rolls through the town of Vay.
- Andre Greipel looked to have the stage won, but was overtaken by a fast-charging Fernando Gaviria and Peter Sagan to finish third.
- Gaviria just pips Sagan at the line, with Greipel in third.
- All aboard the sportsmanShip!
- In his first Tour de France, Fernando Gaviria has won two of four stages… so far.
- Rigoberto Uran was caught up in a crash with five kilometres to go, but hauled himself back with the help of some teammates, losing no time on the stage.
- Ilnur Zakarin (Katusha-Alpecin) wasn’t so lucky, conceding 59 seconds. Four stages in, he sits almost two minutes back in the general classification.
- Tiesj Benoot was last to cross the finish line, bearing the grisly marks of a crash with 5km to go.
- He was immediately taken off for medical assessment. A team press release detailed his injuries: “Tiesj Benoot has second-degree dislocation of AC joint in right shoulder; bruised ribs, right shoulder blade and left wrist; abrasions on hips, back, arms, legs; cuts to right eyebrow and back of head. Will decide tomorrow if he can continue.”
- Tomas Marczynski (Lotto Soudal) was caught up in the crash near the line, and revives post-finish with a refreshing can of something sweet and sticky. Unrelated: Fanta – worst major soft drink? Discuss.
- With a number of stages in the coming days well suited to Greg Van Avermaet’s strengths, he will be fancying his chances of holding the maillot jaune until the Alps.
- Catch!
- Safe to say that Gaviria was pretty stoked with this result.
- When you’re wearing yellow and are the reigning Olympic champion, you get a bike featuring a snazzy mix of yellow and gold.