2019 Vuelta a España Stage 4 Results & Recap
Stage 4 of the 2019 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
Jakobsen wins stage 4
Fabio Jakobsen found redemption after yesterday’s blunder in the finale, claiming stage 4 for Deceuninck-QuickStep in a photo finish sprint. The Dutch national champion found his feet under the wing of the Deceuninck-QuickStep train in the last kilometre, while his closest competitor Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe) had a misstep after choosing to take the long way around the final roundabout and having to expend energy moving up during the last crucial moments in El Piug.
Despite his mistake, Bennett was less than centimetres away from his second win. Max Walscheid (Team Sunweb) took third place but was penalized and relegated by officials. Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates) was awarded third place.
"I knew when I saw guys from the team cheering," Jakobsen said after the stage to TV reporters. "I threw the bike for the line and couldn't see because I closed my eyes and Sam was close to me. I'm so happy to take the win. This is a big one, especially in the Dutch champion's jersey. I came here to win a stage in this Vuelta. I'm only 22 years old and I'm so happy I can already put this on my palmarès."
For the third day in a row, Nicolas Roche (Team Sunweb) finished the stage safely in the red jersey. However, stage 5 will be the first test for the Irishman, as it finishes with an 11km Category 1 climb.
It was another day designed for the sprinters. The flattest on the books, with one lesser categorized climb in the latter part of the day and one intermediate sprint right before. \nJorge Cubero (Burgos-BH) and Jelle Wallays (Lotto Soudal) jumped from the start and built up a seven-minute advantage before Bora-Hansgrohe moved up in the peloton to help Team Sunweb with the tempo.
The duo’s advantage came down quickly, and by the time they reached 20 kilometres left, the breakaway was all but reabsorbed, with Wallays giving it a last-ditch attempt to stay away. \nRémi Cavagna (Deceuninck-QuickStep) pulled off the front of the peloton with six to go, and gained a few dangerous seconds before being reeled in with 1 to go. \n
Get our full coverage of the Vuelta a España and every race we cover with our mobile app! The apps have over 100 additional exclusive features, including our award-winning Time Machine feature that lets you pause/rewind/replay the entire app to sync with delayed race video, integrated Fantasy Cycling, push notifications, an integrated news feed, live GPS tracking, world-class commentary, and our animated interactive maps and profiles.
