Tadej Pogačar mounts imperious attack to win stage 4 of the Vuelta a España

 

 

With an imperious display in the mountains of Andorra, Tadej Pogačar won stage 4 of the Vuelta a España and assured himself of a sizeable lead in the Red Jersey.

 

Seizing control of the general classification with victory on stage 1, Pogačar extended his advantage with a trademark solo assault on Tuesday afternoon.

 

With stage 3 having been cancelled due to inclement weather, Pogačar and his UAE Team Emirates-XRG squad were determined to grab the bulls by the horns on stage 4. With Pogačar in red, their ambitions could be great.

 

At a little over 100km in length, Tuesday’s stage provided the perfect moment for the Slovenian to lay down a marker against his rivals for the overall title.

 

Right from the gun, the action was frenetic as opportunist climbers looked to make their way up the road in a breakaway. Such groups did emerge, but UAE Team Emirates-XRG, helped by Decathlon CMA CGM, kept the riders up front on a tight leash.

 

Decathlon CMA CGM were hoping to set things up for their team leader, Felix Gall, runner-up at this year’s Giro d’Italia.

 

It was Gall who looked to respond when Pogačar, already a six-time Grand Tour winner, made his stage-defining attack with 50km to go. For a few moments, it was only the Austrian who was able to live with the Tour de France champion’s pace.

 

That resistance, though, was only fleeting. With 50km to go on the live ticker, Pogačar was away, and away alone. The 27-year-old was beginning the latest in a long line of solo conquests.

 

It was on the Collada de Beixalis (6.5km at 8.5%) that Pogačar had made his move, and on the following Coll d’Ordino (9.9km at 7%), the UAE Team Emirates-XRG man consolidated his advantage. At the top of the final category 1 climb, his lead over those scrambling to chase from behind stood at a little under three minutes.

 

As Pogačar’s teammates Jay Vine and Pablo Torres continued to handle themselves well in the peloton, Pogačar kicked on towards the last climb of the day.

 

Stretching out for 3.8km at 5.6%, the Alto de la Comella gave Pogačar a further opportunity to demonstrate his climbing legs. The Slovenian needed no second ask.

 

Alone, he rode over the top of the climb before descending to the finish in Andorra la Vella. Across the day’s 104.8km, the reigning five-time Tour de France champion had seized sizeable control over the Vuelta a España.

 

Winner of stage 4, Pogačar now holds a lead in the general classification of three minutes and 21 seconds over the second-placed Primož Roglič (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe).

 

Naturally, Roglič, himself a four-time Vuelta champion, and the other contenders cannot be underestimated. As such, the battle for red will wage on as the race heads to Spain, but UAE Team Emirates-XRG and Pogačar can return to the race’s homeland buoyed full of confidence.

 

Pogačar: “I didn’t have to do that, but the pace was super high already on the first climb. Then on the second climb we were going basically all out from the bottom. Then when Jay let me pass on the wheel of Decathlon, I knew that I didn’t want to be isolated against all the GC riders because they would always play against me. I tried with an attack on the climb, and then just hoped I could survive until the finish. I saw that I could open a gap, and I did it. It was pretty tough, but a beautiful day out there.

 

“Any gap is more than enough, but it is super good because now I can be calm and confident for the next days. We will just keep going day by day, and keep focused on each day after this.

 

“I have such beautiful memories from the first time in Andorra. It was really beautiful, and it is one of my favourite moments from my career. I will never forget that day.”