Tour de France 2016 – Stage 04 [LAST 5 KM]

July 05, 2016
Tour de France 2016 – Stage 4 [LAST 5 KM] – Saumur – Limoges – 237,5 km (Flat stage)

The 2016 Tour de France is the 103rd edition of the Tour de France cycle race and is currently taking place between 2 and 24 July 2016.

Marcel Kittel (Etixx-QuickStep) won stage 4 of the Tour de France by the narrowest of margins, holding off a rapidly-closing Bryan Coquard (Direct Energie) in a tight sprint finish in Limgoges.

Coquard left his effort late in the slightly uphill finishing straight and came within millimetres of overhauling Kittel at the line. Yellow jersey Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) placed third on the stage to retain the overall lead and retake the lead of the points classification from dual stage winner Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data).

At 237.5 kilometres, this was the longest of the race and the second mammoth stage in succession, through it was run off at a rather brisker pace than Monday’s leg to Angers, and the terrain in the finale was decidedly more rolling.

The stage was animated by a four-man break featuring Oliver Naesen (IAM Cycling), Alexis Gougeard (AG2R-La Mondiale), Markel Irizar (Trek-Segafredo) and Andreas Schillinger (Bora-Argon18). The quartet built up a maximum lead of six minutes before Etixx-QuickStep, Lotto Soudal and Dimension Data set about pegging back their advantage in the final 100 kilometres.

Naesen and Irizar were the last survivors of the break but they were swept up in the final 7 kilometres on the fraught run-in to Limoges. Lotto Soudal led the peloton into the final kilometre, while Katusha’s Jacopo Guarnieri led out the sprint for Alexander Kristoff, but on the final kick to the line, Kittel emerged to claim the honours and had just enough in reserve to hold off Coquard.

Results :

1 Marcel Kittel (Ger) Etixx – Quick-Step 5:28:30
2 Bryan Coquard (Fra) Direct Energie
3 Peter Sagan (Svk) Tinkoff Team
4 Dylan Groenewegen (Ned) Team LottoNl-Jumbo
5 Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Team Katusha
6 Sondre Holst Enger (Nor) IAM Cycling
7 Daniel Mclay (GBr) Fortuneo – Vital Concept
8 Mark Cavendish (GBr) Dimension Data
9 Samuel Dumoulin (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
10 Simon Gerrans (Aus) Orica-BikeExchange

General classification after Stage 4:

1 Peter Sagan (Svk) Tinkoff Team 20:03:02
2 Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Etixx – Quick-Step 0:00:12
3 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar Team 0:00:14
4 Michael Matthews (Aus) Orica-BikeExchange 0:00:18
5 Simon Gerrans (Aus) Orica-BikeExchange
6 Lawson Craddock (USA) Cannondale-Drapac 0:00:35
7 Samuel Dumoulin (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:00:59
8 Bryan Coquard (Fra) Direct Energie 0:01:15
9 Sondre Holst Enger (Nor) IAM Cycling 0:01:40
10 Mark Cavendish (GBr) Dimension Data 0:01:43