Not always second: Wout van Aert duped the competition on the 4th stage of the Tour de France.
Belgian classics star Wout van Aert has won stage 4 of the 109th Tour de France. Eleven kilometers before the finish, his team Jumbo-Visma launched a brutal attack on the almost one kilometer long track Cote du Cap Blanc-Nez. The team with the favorites Primoz Roglic and Jonas Vingegaard drove the entire field apart, and defending champion Tadej Pogacar also had problems at first.
Van Aert, wearing the leader’s yellow jersey, was the first to go over the crest and raced towards the finish line alone. Behind them, the field came together again after a short, confusing phase.
Jasper Philipsen celebrates the supposed victory
“We had plans for the team. We were in a perfect position. That was tough. We heard that we had caused some damage. Then I went through it alone.” said van Aert.
His compatriot Jasper Philipsen won the sprint of the field in second place and cheered because at first he thought he had won the stage. Eventually he was spotted by third-placed Christophe Laporte.
Cort escapes again
Van Aert was narrowly beaten in second place in each of the three stages in Denmark. The fourth stage took the riders 171.50 kilometers from Dunkirk to Calais, it was the first stage in France.
The stage started like the previous ones: Mountain jersey wearer Magnus Cort broke away, this time with Frenchman Anthony Perez, behind them the field was bored until van Aert attacked.
Now it’s time for cobblestones
The fifth stage on Wednesday leads over eleven cobblestone sectors on the way from Lille to Arenberg. A total of 19.4 kilometers have to be mastered on the bumpy surface that is normally reserved for the spring classic Paris-Roubaix.
Compared to the last cobblestone stage in 2018, there are fewer sectors, but they are longer. The German drivers Nils Politt and John Degenkolb think they have a chance – but the stage also seems like a painting for all-rounder van Aert.