Van Aert wins Tour stage 4 in style and extends overall lead

CALAIS, France (AP) — Belgian rider Wout van Aert received the hilly fourth phase of the Tour de France and extended his all round lead right after attacking strongly on the day’s remaining climb on Tuesday.

The Belgian rider retained the leader’s yellow jersey for the Jumbo–Visma workforce just after having it for the 1st time on Saturday. He also prolonged his direct in the green jersey contest for ideal sprinter.

Van Aert shook up the peloton when he surged in advance up the very last of the five climbs — a 900-meter ascent up Cote du Cap Blanc-Nez at a gradient of 7.5 % — about 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the end.

He mentioned he felt an early attack was the best way to steer clear of a mass sprint at the line.

“I didn’t want to consider the threat of shedding any more. It was pretty clear that we were hoping a little something with the workforce,” he reported. “I went total gasoline to see what would transpire. I went all out.”

The 27-12 months-outdated Van Aert is viewed as a single of the most effective multi-qualified riders in the world and is a former a few-time cyclo-cross planet champion and a a single-day classics specialist.

The Jumbo-Visma rider flapped his fingers like a bird’s wings as he sat up on his bicycle. He crossed the line eight seconds distinct of countryman Jasper Philipsen of the Alpecin–Fenix staff, with Jumbo-Visma teammate Christophe Laporte getting third location in a dash finish.

“This jersey provides wings. It was certainly a tricky climb but this stage was really most likely heading to end up in bunch sprint,” Van Aert reported. “It was complicated to finish on your own, but many thanks to the perform of my teammates, I did it. It was up to me to finish it off.”

Van Aert picked up a 10-next time reward and is now 25 seconds ahead of Yves Lampaert in the in general standings and 32 seconds apparent of two-time defending champion Tadej Pogacar.

Pogacar’s rival Primoz Roglic, the 2020 Tour runner-up and Van Aert’s teammate, stayed seventh in general and remained 9 seconds powering Pogacar, with both ending in the major pack.

Just after a journey working day, riders tackled a sunny 171.5-kilometer (106.3-mile) route from the coastal city of Dunkirk to Calais, the place riders could see the English coastline when they arrived into the much-utilised port area. Van Aert completed it in 4 several hours, 1 minute, 36 seconds.

Danish rider Magnus Cort, who thrilled crowds with his breakaway rides for the duration of 3 intensive times in Denmark, was all over again in the early breakaway — this time together with Anthony Perez.

Perez pulled in advance some 45 kilometers (28 miles) out and Cort was caught by the peloton soon just after. Cort picked up a lot more points in the polka-dot jersey bid but a great deal a lot more complicated climbs in the Alps and Pyrenees are continue to to come.

Wednesday’s fifth phase is a flat stage for sprinters around 157 kilometers (97 miles) commencing at Lille Metropole and going above some of the feared cobblestones that feature on the Paris-Roubaix one particular-working day vintage.

The race ends on July 24 in Paris.

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