Stage 4: King Roglic Reclaims His Crown
The king reclaims his crown. The winner of the prior three editions of La Vuelta Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) followed the wheel of Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) in the final meters, then shed the whole bunch on the uphill finish. After another disappointing Tour de France, the Slovenian champ reminds everyone why he’s the elite of pro cycling. He is the new red jersey.
Stage 4Stage 4 introduced the first authentic slate of mountain climbs. Not quite the monster inclines of the second and third week, but the category-2, -3, and uphill finish was sufficient to drop the pure sprinters and more. Among those dropped, Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe), winner of stages 2 and 3. He still retains his green jersey with a shrinking lead in the points classification after Mads Pedersen’s strong second place finish.
Julius van den Berg cedes the polka dots jersey to Joan Bou Company (EE). The Euskaltel-Euskadi rider is likely a placeholder until Roglic and the big climbers meet the big mountains.
American Sepp Kuss (JV) holds second place overall after Stage 4, the highest-placed of his countrymen.
Tomorrow’s Stage 5 offers a series of category-2s and -3s with enough nooks and crannies to open the door for the breakaway. Will King of the Breakaways Thomas De Gendt look for a stage win?
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