Evenepoel drops Almeida and co with late attack to win Tour of Valencia queen stage
CyclingSaturday, 07 February 2026 at 17:14
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Follow us on GoogleRemco Evenepoel (Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe) won the Tour of Valencia’s queen stage on Saturday in Teulada. The Belgian launched his attack with 15 kilometres to go and left his rivals behind in impressive fashion.
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The Tour of Valencia had already delivered plenty of drama in the first three stages. Stage 2’s time trial was ultimately ridden without time gaps and without time trial bikes due to strong wind gusts, and Friday served up a thrilling finale where AJ August (INEOS Grenadiers) emerged on top.
Unfortunately, there was also a heavy crash, with Cian Uijtdebroeks (Movistar) one of the biggest victims. The Belgian did finish Friday’s stage, but went straight into an ambulance afterwards for checks on his arm and wrist. Those tests showed no fractures, but Uijtdebroeks still did not start on Saturday.
Continue reading below the photo!
Cian Uijtdebroeks had to leave the race after a fall.
Riders on familiar roads in Valencia
The stage started in La Nucía, an area where several teams base their winter training camps. In the first hour of racing, the peloton also tackled the Coll de Rates on the Costa Blanca — a climb many riders know by heart. It was there that the breakaway formed, featuring Lewis Askey (NSN), Julien Bernard (Lidl-Trek), Steff Cras (Soudal Quick-Step), Carlos Garcia Pierna (Burgos-BH), Tommaso Nencini (Solution Tech), Jakob Otruba (Caja Rural), Fernando Tercero (Caja Rural) and Danny van der Tuuk.
After 50 kilometres came the Alto del Miserat (5.4 km at 9.7% on average), one of the area’s regular training climbs — and also a road Evenepoel knows well from his rides around Calpe. It was no surprise, then, that Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe took control and started to set the pace.
The finale truly kicked off around 30 kilometres from the finish on the Alto de la Fustera (1.8 km at 8.3%). The remaining escapees began that climb with a 90-second advantage. Cras tried to put his break companions under pressure, while UAE Team Emirates–XRG and Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe ramped things up in the peloton. Game on.
Uphill lead-out sets up imposing Evenepoel
Before the stage, many expected Evenepoel to use the Cumbre del Sol (2.3 km at 9.3% — the climb where Tom Dumoulin won a memorable Vuelta stage in 2015) as his launchpad from Moraira. His teammates made sure he was perfectly positioned, even delivering a proper uphill lead-out for their leader. Giulio Pellizzari provided the final lift before the move from Evenepoel.
When the Belgian accelerated, Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious) initially managed to latch on. But after a few hundred metres, the Italian cracked, and Evenepoel was suddenly alone — free to begin his solo ride to the finish.
Behind him, Tiberi drifted back into a group containing Brandon McNulty, João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates–XRG), Magnus Sheffield (INEOS Grenadiers) and Pellizzari. McNulty then sacrificed himself for Almeida, who had to battle it out to the line with the two Italians.
Results stage 4 Tour of Valencia 2026
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
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Tom van der Salm (27) comes from the charming town of Zeilberg (Deurne) in the Netherlands and has been working as editor-in-chief & journalist at IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, In de Leiderstrui, since 2019. He travels with the peloton from the Tour de France to the AlUla Tour and from the World Championships in Rwanda or Canada to the Zilvermeercross in Mol. In his spare time he enjoys playing football, mountain biking, running, walking with his Labrador/Stabyhoun, investing, holidays, (specialty) beers, reading, cooking and watching sports & documentaries!
Contact: [email protected]
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Latest Comments
- - Wout + Remco “riding in sync” gives me Leuven vibes. If they play it smart—Remco long-range, Wout sprint from a reduced group—Belgium could realmente dominar. Go on lad!michael5426-09-2026
- - Not sure I buy the jet lag bit. Late travel to North America has bitten riders before. Why risk that when others have been in Canada for a week?jennifer1926-09-2026
- - Love that he addressed Pogačar’s absence without gloating. Still, let’s be honest—no Pog means the Belgians have to control different threats, especially MvdP and maybe Hirschi. Gonna be a chess match late doors.sprocketspiny26-09-2026
- - Quick question: when they say the course is “a lot longer now,” how many kilometres are we talking compared to the GP Montréal? And does extra distance really suit Wout over Remco?cadencekingm26-09-2026
- - Proper interview! Wout sounds calm and dialled after that Vuelta block. If he’s carrying that points jersey form into Montréal, he’ll be in the mix on Camillien-Houde every lap.velodromevirtuoso126-09-2026
- - Vamos Isaac! But the article’s right—Mexico won’t be able to support Del Toro if Remco and MVDP turn the screws. Sin equipo fuerte es muy difícil. Still, I’d love a shock podium from him.michael5426-09-2026
- - Quick one: does “same course” literally mean identical to GP Montréal, or just similar laps/elevation? Trying to understand why that rehearsal is such a big indicator.samanthak26-09-2026
- - Is Seixas really 19? That’s a huge load for a Worlds road race. One bad moment and France has no plan B. Seems risky when you’ve got Sivakov and Paret-Peintre there.robert6526-09-2026
- - Remco + WVA with “two strategies” sounds terrifying. If Belgium launches Wout early and keeps Remco in the wheels, who’s marking both? The Brits and Dutch won’t have numbers if it kicks off on the penultimate climb.velodromevirtuoso126-09-2026
- - Love the unity from Les Bleus. Voeckler turning a camp into a proper team-building bootcamp (laundry and cooking!) is genius. If they control the Montreal laps like they did at GP Montréal, Seixas has a real shot. Allez!cadencekingm26-09-2026
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