Gallery: Roglic imposes himself on stage 4 of the Tour de France
On stage 4 of the 2020 Tour de France we got our first look at the form of the GC contenders. As Dane Cash wrote earlier today, Jumbo-Visma put on an impressive display, while Ineos, the team of defending champion Egan Bernal (and the team that’s won seven Tours in eight years) looked decidedly less imposing.
In today’s gallery we bring you all the action from stage 4 of the Tour, courtesy of some tasty snaps from our photographers at the race: Ashley and Jered Gruber, Kristof Ramon and Cor Vos.
- Race organiser ASO has made hand sanitiser available throughout the race.
- The bunch rolls out of Sisteron to start stage 4.
- Israel Start-Up Nation owner Sylvan Adams was out riding the course ahead of the race.
- Niccolo Bonifazio was in need of some running repairs.
- A breakaway of six riders led for much of the stage.
- Tiesj Benoot took a tumble in the break, hitting a guardrail and snapping his bike. He was lucky to come away with only cuts and a sore finger. “It’s really stupid,” he said later. “I wanted to be in Nils Politt’s wheel in that descent and I closed a gap on him, but I went too fast into a corner that went further than I expected.”
- Job done for Tony Martin (closest to camera).
- Race leader Julian Alaphilippe had no trouble hanging with the GC favourites on the lumpy stage.
- Jumbo-Visma rode a very impressive race. After Deceuninck-QuickStep did the pacemaking for much of the stage, Jumbo took control on the final climb.
- A big turn from Wout van Aert shredded the peloton.
- Even gun climbers were put under considerable pressure.
- Alaphilippe was able to hang on though.
- Greg Van Avermaet, not so much.
- Sep Kuss took over the pacemaking for the last 1,300 metres …
- … setting Roglic up perfectly.
- The Slovenian champ bided his time before starting his sprint …
- … but opened a big gap when he did.
- Roglic won the stage easily ahead of compatriot Tadej Pogacar and Guillaume Martin.
- Roglic still bears the signs of his crash at the Dauphine a few weeks back, but he doesn’t seem to be too hampered by his injuries.
- Roglic’s teammate Tom Dumoulin now sits seventh overall. Expect him to get better as the race goes on.
- Many fans are sick of Roglic being referred to as a “former ski jumper”. By our reckoning, that descriptor is fair game as long as he keeps doing this on the podium.
- With fifth on the stage, Alaphilippe earned himself the race lead for another day (at least).