Primož Roglič powered to victory on the steep summit finish of Pico Villuercas, clinching the red leader’s jersey in the process after a dramatic sprint in the fourth stage of the Vuelta a España. The Slovenian rider, already a three-time winner of the race, launched a late attack just metres from the line, narrowly edging out Lennert van Eetvelt, who had prematurely celebrated what he thought was a stage win.
Roglič, who has faced questions about his form following a back injury that forced him out of the Tour de France, appeared to quash any doubts with this performance. “The whole team did a great job throughout the day, and I’m happy I had the legs,” Roglič said after the race. “I didn’t have much choice [about attacking], I just had to finish things off.”
The gruelling 170.5-kilometre stage from Plasencia to Pico Villuercas was the first major test for the general classification contenders, featuring a final climb that included gradients of up to 20%. As the race hit the steepest section, a small group of seven riders broke away, with Roglič leading the charge. Van Eetvelt, thinking he had the win in hand, raised his arm in triumph too early, allowing Roglič to snatch victory in the final metres.
João Almeida finished third on the stage, while Enric Mas came in fourth, both managing to limit their time losses to Roglič. The Slovenian now leads Almeida by eight seconds overall, with Mas trailing by 32 seconds.
Sepp Kuss, the defending Vuelta champion, struggled on the final climb, crossing the line 28 seconds behind Roglič. Despite the setback, Kuss remained optimistic, saying, “It was super tough, the heat made it hard, and also the entry to the climb with such a big group meant it was quite nervous. I didn’t have the best of feelings, but then I saw I had [only] lost 20, 30 seconds, so I can be happy with that, actually.”
Kuss, who now sits 13th in the general classification, added that the heat had a significant impact on the stage. “It was pretty calm all day, I think everybody was saving a bit because if you go over the limit in this heat, you definitely feel it and everyone definitely did feel it in the end,” he explained.
The day also saw Wout van Aert relinquish the red jersey after two days in the lead. The Belgian, who finished well down the order, will now focus on the green points jersey, which he leads by six points over Kaden Groves.
Roglič, reflecting on the victory, noted the challenge posed by the brutal climb. “It’s just spectacular by itself, a concrete road, so steep – real Vuelta style,” he said. “It’s hard at such low speeds to make a big difference, but at the end, it’s always simple. If you have legs, it’s nice to do it, and if you don’t, then it’s harder and slower. Today I was lucky, I had the legs.”
The race continues on Wednesday with a relatively flat 177-kilometre stage to Seville, which is expected to favour the sprinters. However, with 17 stages still to come, including some of the toughest climbs the Vuelta has ever seen, Roglič’s rivals will have plenty of opportunities to challenge his lead.
Photo Credit: Unipublic/Sprint Cycling Agency2024 Vuelta a Espana Stage 4 result
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