Arnaud Démare (Groupama-FDJ) claimed his second Giro d’Italia stage win following his victory on Stage 10 to Modena last year. Today he pipped Peter Sagan (Bora – Hansgrohe) and Davide Ballerini (Deceuninck-Quick Step) on the finish line at Villafranca Tirrena, the Giro’s last stop in beautiful Sicily this year. João Almeida (Deceuninck-Quick Step) extended his lead by two seconds in the intermediate sprint where runner-up Jonathan Caicedo (EF Pro Cycling) challenged him.
The stage winner Arnaud Démare said: “After I crossed the finish line I was not sure I had won. I saw Ballerini celebrating, so I thought I was second and could not celebrate until my success was made official on the podium. I am super happy. It was a special finish, we wanted to keep the high speed at the front as Gaviria and Viviani were 25-30 seconds behind. In the final kilometer, teammate Miles Scotson accelerated very fast and tried to go solo, Cofidis had then to work catch him and I could save some precious energy for the final sprint. Today I had good legs but also some luck on my side.”
The Maglia Rosa João Almeida said: “When I saw Caicedo trying to go for the time bonus at the intermediate sprint, I decided to react and beat him to take the lead. In the end I am very happy it worked and that I can wear the Maglia Rosa another day. Tomorrow we have more climbs to tackle, I expect some riders to attack. I hope I can follow then and be in the GC lead again tomorrow evening.”
The Maglia Ciclamino Peter Sagan said: “When I crossed the line, I didn’t know if I’d won or if I was second or third. I did my best. In such a tight sprint, sometimes I’ve won, sometimes I’ve lost. Our tactic was to make the race very hard on the climb. I’m satisfied with the team. They’ve done a very good job. I’m in the Maglia Ciclamino now, but only by a few points. I just hope it’s going to continue like this.”
The Maglia Azzurra Jonathan Caicedo said: “The truth is that sprinting is not my speciality. But I was in a situation of getting the lead of a very important race so I tried my luck in the intermediate sprint. It didn’t quite work out but I’ll keep fighting for the Maglia Rosa. I’m very motivated.”
2020 Giro d’Italia: Stage 4 Results
- Arnaud Démare (Groupama – FDJ) – 140km in 3:22’13”, average speed 41.540km/h
- Peter Sagan (Bora – Hansgrohe) s.t.
- Davide Ballerini (Deceuninck – Quick – Step) s.t.
General Classification After Stage 4
- João Almeida (Deceuninck – Quick – Step)
- Jonathan Caicedo (EF Pro Cycling) at 2″
- Pello Bilbao (Bahrain – McLaren) at 39”
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