Diego Uriarte has won stage four of the Ruta del Sol. He proved to be the strongest from a breakaway of six, which managed to stay ahead until the finish in Andalusia. Alan Jousseaume (TotalEnergies) and Connor Swift (INEOS Grenadiers) finished second and third, while Pavel Sivakov (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) retained the leader’s jersey.
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The fourth stage in Spain covered 194.3 kilometers, running from Córdoba to Alhaurín de la Torre. The profile was similar to Friday’s stage, where Alexander Kristoff won in a rare sprint finish for Uno-X. As a result, the Norwegian team faced the difficult task of controlling the race again on Saturday.
That didn’t work out, as the pace was relentless from the start. With many riders hoping to make the breakaway and go all the way to the finish, no break had formed even after 50 kilometers. It wasn’t until the final 100 kilometers that a group finally got away, but because the Mexican team Petrolike wasn’t part of it, they were forced to chase at the back.
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Six escapees ride away, Uriarte oustmarts them in the finale
Their chase failed, giving fourteen riders a huge opportunity for a stage win. Uno-X had Anders Halland Johannessen in the move, a strong contender, but the Norwegian still had to shake off thirteen others. That did not prove easy, because at fifteen kilometers from the line they attacked and Johannessen was not with them.
The decisive selection saw Callum Scotson, Connor Swift, Jousseaume, Sebastian Berwich, Diego Uriarte, and Danny van der Tuuk survive the final shuffle. Uriarte didn’t wait for a sprint, attacking inside the final kilometer and managing to hold off his rivals. Jousseaume and Swift completed the podium, while Sivakov’s leader’s jersey remained safe, as the breakaway riders were no threat to the overall classification.
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.