Vuelta a España 2019 – Stage 4 Preview

We saw another interesting stage today! In our last preview we mentioned that the final climb could sap energy out of some sprinters legs, and that’s exactly what happened! Jakobsen, Gaviria and Walscheid dropped, but BORA waited too long to seize the opportunity to up the pace in the peloton, allowing everyone but Gaviria to return back into the bunch.

We tipped LooneyTheuns for a podium spot today, even though we were un-sure if 10-fold Vuelta stage-winner Degenkolb would sacrifice his own chances for the Belgium sprinter. Degenkolb ended up being the final lead-out and he did a great job for Edward Theuns who picked up a second place and landed us a very nice bet! (E. Theuns podium @ 18x).

However, there was one sprinter who stood head and shoulders above the others: Sam Bennett easily won even though the lead-out wasn’t superb!

With that said, let’s head over to tomorrow!

The Route:

Stage 4 (177km) will be the last chance for the sprinters for now as the next stages will be for the climbers and the breakaway specialists! The fourth stage takes us around Valencia and the flat parcours is only interrupted by a single climb at 45 km’s to go (Puerto del Oronet), should be easy for even the worst climbing sprinters.

The riders will see nothing but oranges and mandarins today as the orange and mandarin plantations are the main economic activity of this region. The region is very suitable for growing these kinds of fruit as they tend to grow best at a temperature of around 23 degrees, a temperature that is not too uncommon in Valencia.

Since it will most likely be another bunch sprint, we can list the same names tomorrow for the finish in the city of El Puig as we did for stage 3. El Puig does not have a history at hosting Vuelta stages so we’re sure the locals will be excited to see their city hosting a Vuelta finish!

So what type of sprinting final will we get? Let’s take a closer look at the final kilometers.

On paper a more difficult finale than yesterday, with multiple tricky roundabouts and a speed bump just before the finish line. Few complicated turns in the final kilometer beside the roundabouts so if the conditions are favourable it will be another fast sprint.
As a sprinter, you really want your lead-out to drop you off at the front of the bunch with around 500 meters to go, because it will be close to impossible to regain spots at this point.

The Race:

We see potential for some more chaotic racing than today due to the weather, let’s take a look!

The Weather:

Rain, lots of it. The wind probably won’t influence the race, but the rain certainly might! There is quite a technical section after the 3rd cat climb on a fairly steep descent. Teams will be aware of this and we might see another ‘flat’ stage where GC teams lead the pace on the climb to ensure their leaders safety. We think it will still be a sprint, but don’t be suprised to see some riders crashing left and right if the pace is not neutralized by the GC teams.

The Favorites:

Sam Bennett
Fastest sprinter in the world, which he showed today. He is the man to beat and unless there are external factors or the race is somehow torn apart we don’t see him losing tomorrow.

Fernando Gaviria
In form one of the strongest but definately suffered nuisance from his crash. Should focus himself on the second part of the Vuelta in our opinion.

Fabio Jakobsen
Dropped on the climb, but managed to return to the bunch in-time. Result: a disappointing 6th place and a finish behind his final lead-out rider Richeze. Made remarks about the tailwind in the final in his interview, saying that it did not allow him to accelerate and move up positions in the final kilometer. With a different final tomorrow: a flat final with a cross-headwind, this shouldn’t be an issue. Richeze can drop him of at the right spot and from there on he can power to the finish line. Will do better tomorrow.

Luka Mezgec
Conditions were optimal for him today and he managed to finish third. Probably the best result that we can expect from him in mass sprints, good job!

Max Walscheid
Very disappointing today even though sunweb did a very good job in their lead-out! A 14th place is very disappointing for the German power-house who seemed boxed in the final few hundred meters, and we don’t see him turning it around tomorrow.

John Degenkolb
A big shout-out for Big John who has 10 stage wins to his name, but does not feel too big of a rider to carry out a lead-out role if there happens to be a fastest riders in his team (Edward Theuns). We think given the success of Theuns they won’t switch tactics tomorrow, so expect him to be in a supportive role.

Edward Theuns
Really nice result today for LooneyTheuns! Great team effort and if Bennett wasn’t around he would have landed his first grand tour stage-win. Expect him to be among the top of the ranks again tomorrow, although the odds to back him for another podium will be considerably lower. Does not have the absolute top speed to challenge with the best of sprinters.

Outsiders: Sarreau, van der Sande, Abersturi, Hagen, Venturini, Bauhaus

The Winner:

Fastest man wins: Sam Bennett for his second!