2023-07-26 18:29:33
Dutchwoman Yara Kastelijn won the 4th stage of the Tour de France alone on Wednesday July 26 in Rodez, where Belgian Lotte Kopecky kept her yellow jersey.
The puncher from the Fenix-Deceuninck team was more than a minute ahead of her compatriot Demi Vollering, one of the two favorites of this edition, who took eight seconds ahead of her great rival, the world champion Annemiek van Vleuten, 4th.
At 25, Kastelijn signed in Aveyron the first success of his career.
She was part of a group of 14 riders who broke away from the 20th kilometer of the longest stage of the event (177 km) from Cahors in the Lot.
This breakaway counted up to ten minutes in advance 65 kilometers from the line, allowing the Frenchwoman Audrey Cordon-Ragot to occupy for a few tens of kilometers the head of the virtual general classification.
But the strongest riders set off in the very hilly final of the stage, under the impetus in particular of Kopecky, very motivated by the idea of defending and keeping her yellow jersey.
And for the first time since the start in Clermont-Ferrand on Saturday, the two main candidates for final success tested themselves on the coasts of Aveyron, attacking each other in turn.
Vollering performed the right operation by grabbing second place (and the six bonus seconds accompanying it), two seconds ahead of Van Vleuten, who failed at the foot of the podium in the wheel of another Dutchwoman: Anouska Koster (3rd) .
Thursday, the route will be more favorable to sprinters from Onet-le-Château in Aveyron to Albi in Tarn, for 126 kilometers and only three listed climbs, the last 24 km from the finish line .
The women’s Tour de France ends on Sunday with a 22 km time trial in Pau, the day after the queen stage with the arrival at the top of the Tourmalet.
► The classification at the end of the 4th stage, Cahors-Rodez, Wednesday July 26
1. Yara Kastelijn (NED/Fenix-Deceuninck), lesson 177.1 km and 4 h 38:39
(average: 38.134 km/h)
2. Half Vollering (NED) at 1 minute 11 seconds.
3. Anouska Koster (NED) at 1:12s.
4. Annemiek van Vleuten (NED) à 1:13.
5. Elisa Longho Borghini (ITA) at 1:13.
6. Katarzyna Niewiadoma (POL) à 1:13.
7. Ashley Moolman-Pasio (RSA) à 1:13.
8. Celia Le Mouel (FRA) at 1:13.
9. Kathrin Hammes (GER) at 1:23.
10. Alice Arzuffi (ITA) at 1:23
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