Late breakaway nearly wins the day at Giro Next Gen stage 4, but well-timed move provides upset
CyclingWednesday, 17 June 2026 at 17:13
Follow IDL Pro Cycling on Google
Stay up to date with the best cycling news by making us a preferred source on Google.
Follow us on GoogleThe fourth stage of the Giro Next Gen was won by Matteo Fiorin. The young Italian from Solme - Olmo - Arvedi was the fastest in a reduced bunch sprint and surprised top favourite Davide Donati (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe). Visma | Lease a Bike also had a contender in Aldo Tailleu, but they saw the Belgian abandon.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Giro Next Gen had already produced three exciting stages. Early breakaway rider Kasper Haugland just held off the peloton in the opening stage, before the sprinters came to the fore in stage two. There, Davide Donati was the fastest, but stage three brought more climbing work. Jasper Schoofs won that stage, but what would day four bring?
That was still very much the question. The fast men saw their chance at the flat finish, but the hills before the finish in Corato could still make things difficult. Castel del Monte had to be tackled twice, although that hill was not overly hard. Even so, it looked as though it could go either way.
Somewhat surprisingly, no effort was put into an early breakaway, meaning the race got underway from Matera with the full peloton. There were attacks, but halfway through the race no one had managed to get clear. Mirko Bozzola (S.C. Padovani Polo Cherry Bank) was the first to open up a small gap. He was joined by Leonardo Vesco
Continue reading below the video
DNF for Visma | Lease a Bike's Tailleu
Meanwhile, there was an ugly crash, involving among others the white jersey wearer Matvey Boldyrev (UAE Team Emirates), but all those involved were able to continue. It was not the only incident, as there were more crashes on the Italian roads. Earlier, Aldo Tailleu (Visma | Lease a Bike) had to abandon the race. He had finished second in stage two and was one of the favourites for the stage win.
The hilly section in the finale sparked a new wave of attacks. At the foot of the final ascent of Castel Del Monte, there were three leaders: Matthew Dodd (Netcompany INEOS), Marco Martini (Team Technipes) and Jesper Stiansen (Tudor). The first-named Brit was particularly dangerous, just 13 seconds down on Schoofs in the pink jersey.
Schoofs was having a rough moment at that point. He had to change bikes. First, he received a bike from a teammate, and it took a long time before he could continue on a completely new steed. Fortunately, he was able to return, after which his team - together with Visma | Lease a Bike, Decathlon CMA CGM and Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe - began the chase.
Read also
Continue reading below the video
Breakaway battled, but the sprint was inevitable
On the final climb, Dodd proved the strongest: he picked up some mountain points and took over the mountains jersey, although that was not his main aim. On his own, he hoped to land a double success, but his lead was not large. NSN began to lend a hand in the chase, causing the Brit’s effort to come to nothing in the final five kilometres.
The peloton had been thinned out, which gave attackers chances. Still, nobody could get clear, allowing Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe to bring back Donati in the red jersey. An attack in the final kilometre from Nicolò Pizzi (Technipes) almost prevented a sprint, but it was Matteo Fiorin (Solme - Olmo - Arvedi) who was surprisingly the strongest, ahead of Pizzi and Donati.
2026 Giro Next Gen stage 4 result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
IDL-productions
2026 Tour de Suisse – Men preview | Tour de France test for Van der Poel, Pogačar and Pidcock
How to watch the Tour de Suisse on TV this week: The return of the Pogi!
Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes 2026 Standings | Final results in all categories
Copenhagen Sprint 2026 | Dylan Groenewegen faces a strong Belgian sprint contingent
Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes 2026 Stage 8 Preview | Poor Tuckwell faces fired-up Seixas and Del Toro
Latest Cycling News
Tour de Suisse Women 2026 | Visma's De Vries wins the first pink jersey, but here's what's coming up
2026 Tour de Suisse – Men preview | Tour de France test for Van der Poel, Pogačar and Pidcock
Pogacar destroys field with outrageous long-range attack in Tour de Suisse opener
Baloise Belgium Tour 2026 preview | Biniam Girmay draws first blood in Belgium
Motivated Wilco Kelderman on leading Visma at Tour de Suisse, Giro frustration & Tour de France hopes
Popular Cycling News
When recruiting Tour de France domestiques, Pogačar won't call on his American help
Paret-Peintre has 2 clear Tour de France ambitions after Evenepoel's exit: 'quite favourable for me'
2026 Tour de Suisse – Men preview | Tour de France test for Van der Poel, Pogačar and Pidcock
Decathlon CMA CGM provide update after Seixas DNF: 'The pain came back'
Heavy blow for Netcompany INEOS as Oscar Onley and Joshua Tarling crash: DS Geraint Thomas gives Tour update
Latest Comments
- - The finale looked like a mini spring Classic, just with Alpine numbers. If this is the opening salvo, the rest of the week could be a damage-limitation exercise for everyone else. Curious to see if anyone can isolate Pogacar on a true mountain day—or if that’s wishful thinking.jennifer1917-06-2026
- - UAE tactics were spot on: hoover up bonus seconds, force panic, then let Pog do Pog things while McNulty and co. police the chase. Also interesting to see Roglic and Narváez in the same chase mix—Tour de France form notes being taken.samanthak17-06-2026
- - Tough day for MvdP—when the race explodes that early on those gradients, there’s nowhere to hide. Still, props to Carapaz for committing to the chase solo and to Bagioli for that late surge. The gaps this big on day one are wild.raceready717-06-2026
- - Pogacar attacking with 70 km to go is just outrageous confidence. He basically turned stage 1 into a solo TT over 2,500 m of climbing and still put minutes into world-class chasers. Tour de Suisse already feels like his playground.cyclechamp4517-06-2026
- Tough luck for Molano having to abandon—UAE TTX had an eventful day with Herregodts nearly pulling off the heist. Can’t wait to see the rematch between Girmay and Merlier tomorrow; margins are razor-thin.sprocketspiny17-06-2026
- Classic Belgium: narrow roads, cobbles, late chaos. Love it. If four of five stages suit sprinters, GC could hinge on bonus seconds and positioning. Girmay in yellow early could make the next stages spicy.raceready717-06-2026
- Surprised not to see Philipsen in the top three given the profile. Anyone catch what happened to his lead-out? Also, Kanter continues to impress—XDS Astana getting the details right.andrewf17-06-2026
- Sprint trains looked a bit disorganized after the cobbles and those short climbs—Alpecin and Decathlon CMA CGM seemed to burn matches too early. NSN played it cool and Girmay finished it off. Great start to a sprinters’ tour.davidm17-06-2026
- What a nail-biter! Felt sure Herregodts had it with 1 km to go—heartbreaking to be caught so late, but hats off to him for the panache. Girmay’s timing was absolutely perfect, and that bike throw looked millimetre-close over Merlier.jeremya17-06-2026
- Shoutout to the break riders—Pridal, Brand, Uriarte, and Danny van der Tuuk—did what they could, but they never stood a chance once BORA lit it up. If the team keeps riding like this, we might see Pithie take another stage—and Marit snag one too if the finish suits him.cadencekingm17-06-2026
Loading
