Stage 4

The road

At the start

Back in Spain, up Pico Villuercas

Van Aert won in Castelo Branco and keeps red, thirteen seconds up on Brandon McNulty. Now the race crosses into Extremadura for its first summit finish: 167 kilometres over rough, remote roads and the haul to El Piornal, then fourteen up the Pico Villuercas with three of them at thirteen per cent. It is forty degrees out there — and nobody yet knows what Primož Roglič has left after crashing out of the Tour.

How it was won

1. 138 km to go

   Armirail and Castrillo press on

   In sweltering heat Bruno Armirail attacks the break and drags Pablo Castrillo clear, the pair carving out a lead on the road to the Pico Villuercas.

2. 25 km to go

   Onto the Villuercas ramps

   A reduced bunch hits the concrete final slopes just seconds behind the leaders, Roglič's Red Bull setting a pace that shells the pretenders.

3. 33 km to go

   Gall tries, Roglič waits

   Felix Gall attacks the steepest stretch but can't shake the patient Roglič, who bides his time with Mas and Van Eetvelt for company.

4. 4At the line

   Roglič pips Van Eetvelt

   As the gradient eases Van Eetvelt celebrates too soon and Roglič powers past on the line, proving his Tour crash is behind him and taking the red jersey.

The result