Stage 4 of the Tour of Britain delivered the first genuine GC shake-up of the race, with Romain Grégoire powering to the win atop Burton Dassett and moving into the overall lead. A reduced bunch sprinted it out after a tense and punchy finale, with Julian Alaphilippe and Edoardo Zambanini rounding out the podium.
The 186.9km stage from Atherstone to Burton Dassett saw the peloton tackle three laps of a hilly finishing circuit, including three ascents of the 1km climb up to the country park. Although early breakaway attempts animated the day, it was always likely to come down to a final selection on the steep slopes.
An early move of four riders built a modest lead: Rory Townsend, Victor Vercouillie, Josh Golliker and Cedric Beullens. The quartet hovered at two minutes out front for much of the opening half, with Beullens scooping up the KOM points to strengthen his hold on the classification. Townsend and Golliker both took turns pushing the pace, but the peloton, led by Soudal Quick-Step and Groupama-FDJ, kept the leash tight.
As the race entered the final 50km, the gap fell quickly. The catch came just before the first climb of Burton Dassett, and from there, the fight for GC began. Remco Evenepoel lit the fuse with a stinging attack on the penultimate lap, drawing out AJ August, Bauke Mollema and Pavel Sivakov. The move briefly looked dangerous, but Bahrain Victorious and Picnic-PostNL were quick to close it down.
Andreas Leknessund attempted a long-range move at the base of the final ascent, but Ethan Hayter shut it down as the pace ramped up. Alaphilippe struck first in the sprint, choosing the left side and opening a gap, but it was Grégoire who timed it best. Launching off the right-hand wheel, he surged past the fading Frenchman in the final 50 metres to take his second win of the season.
Zambanini held on for third after a smart final kilometre, while Aurélien Paret-Peintre, Sam Watson, and Oscar Onley followed close behind.
Grégoire’s win and the accompanying bonus seconds saw him move into the red leader’s jersey, two seconds ahead of Matthew Brennan, who finished safely in the front group. Alaphilippe now sits third, four seconds back. Brennan retains the best young rider jersey, while Beullens keeps hold of the KOM classification despite being caught.
With stage 5 set to finish atop The Tumble, the fight for overall victory is far from over – but Grégoire has shown he’s more than capable of going the distance.
2025 Tour of Britain Men Stage 4 result
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Main photo credit: Getty
