2013 Vuelta a España Stage 4 Results & Recap
Stage 4 of the 2013 Vuelta a España is in the books. The final results and standings are below, followed by our recap of how the race unfolded.
Race Recap
Daniel Moreno (Katusha) grabbed stage 4 of the Vuelta a Espana from Lain to Fisterra with a perfectly timed attack on the last climb. The Spaniard launched his move with less than one kilometre to go, soaring passed a fading Juan Antonio Flecha (Vacansoleil-DCM) and holding off a chase from Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack Leopard), Michael Matthews (Orica GreenEDGE) and the rest of the peloton.
Chris Horner (RadioShack) lost his overall lead to Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) after the American lost contact with the leaders on the final climb.
While the Vuelta has opened with three intriguing hill top finishes and a team time trial, timing has been the deciding factor in the three road stages. Nicolas Roche displayed both his growing tenacity and ruthlessness with a punchy move on stage one and Chris Horner rolled back the years on stage 2 to slip clear at just the right moment a day later.
This time it was Moreno’s moment. The Spaniard often rides in the shadow of his teammate and friend Joaquim Rodriguez but the former’s stature has been on the rise in the last few seasons.
As the peloton rolled towards another uphill finish Nibali ushered his Astana teammates to the front of the peloton as the final climb began, but the men in blue slipped back just as Juan Antonio Flecha (Vacansoleil) attacked inside the final kilometre. Just like yesterday, Flecha went too early but his move offered Moreno with the perfect marker, and as the favourites eye-balled each other the Katusha climber accelerated away.
Cancellara, who had been protecting Horner on the approach to the climb, closed to within a matter of meters but he ran out of road, with Moreno able to raise his hands and take the stage.
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