Thrilling finish in Wallonia: Vacek wins fourth stage, but Strong heads into final day with small lead

Twenty-year-old Davide Donati (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) had caused a big surprise on Monday by winning in the sprint. On Tuesday, it would no longer be up to the fast men, as the organization had laid out a challenging ride through the Ardennes. This included the Côte de la Redoute and the Côte de la Roche aux Faucons, which we of course know from Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

An early breakaway of five was quickly reduced to three riders, after which only two brave men remained in the leading group. They were Tom Donnenwirth (Groupama-FDJ) and home rider Vlad Van Mechelen (Bahrain Victorious). The pair gained a maximum lead of about three and a half minutes.

Israel-Premier Tech led the chase, with the peloton gradually closing in on the leaders. At one point, the gap between the two riders at the front and the pack was less than a minute, but shortly afterwards, Donnenwirth had to let his breakaway companion Van Mechelen go. However, the Dutchman would not make it to the finish line solo either.

That honor went to Vacek, with Strong playing a very important role in the final attack. The fast man finished second and secured the leader's jersey. Vacek is now just one second behind in the overall standings, while Oliver Knight of Cofidis is now third, 14 seconds behind. The fifth and final stage will be held on Wednesday.