Giro dItalia 2016 Stage 4: Ulissi solos to victory, Dumoulin pink jersey

Giro d’Italia 2016 Stage 4: Ulissi solos to victory, Dumoulin pink jersey

At 200 kilometres, stage 4 in the 2016 Giro d'Italia is played out between Catanzaro to Praia a Mare in the south of Italy. In the hilly finale Diego Ulissi soloes to victory, while Tom Dumoulin and Steven Kruijswijk power to second and third place after a late attack. Dumoulin regains the pink jersey. (Slideshow route/profile)

Results 4th stage Giro d’Italia

1. Diego Ulissi (ita)
2. Tom Dumoulin (nld) + 0.05
3. Steven Kruijswijk (nld) s.t.
4. Alejandro Valverde (spa) + 0.06
5. Gianluca Brambilla (ita) s.t.
6. Vincenzo Nibali (ita) s.t.
7. Ilnur Zakarin (rus) s.t.
8. Matteo Busato (ita) s.t.
9. Esteban Chaves (col) s.t.
10. Nicolas Roche (ita) s.t.

12. Rafal Majka (pol) s.t.
16. Rigoberto Uran (col) s.t.
20. Mikel Landa (spa) s.t.
30. Andrey Amador (crc) + 0.43

GC after stage 4
1. Tom Dumoulin (nld)
2. Bob Jungels (lux) + 0.20
3. Diego Ulissi (ita) s.t.
4. Steven Kruijwsijk (nld) + 0.24
5. Georg Preidler (aut) s.t.
6. Vincenzo Nibali (ita) + 0.26
7. Alejandro Valverde (spa) + 0.31
8. Jakob Fuglsang (den) + 0.35
9. Nicolas Roche (irl) + 0.37
10. Esteban Chaves (col) s.t.

11. Ilnur Zakarin (rus) + 0.39
12. Rigoberto Uran (col) + 0.40
13. Rafal Majka (pol) + 0.45
16. Mikel Landa (spa) + 0.47

Race report
It takes some time for a break to get clear, but with 15 kms done Boem, Rosskopf and Mohoric are off and Brändle chases them down. When Nippo-Vini Fantini starts to set the pace in the pack the gap goes down from 3 minutes to almost zero, but as soon as the escapees are almost reeled the lead balloons to around to 4 minutes.

Nicola Boem is the first to crest the Bonifati-climb, thus taking the KOM-lead, and while climbing to San Pietro the leaders are reeled in. The pace is high and Kittel is dropped. Cunego is the first to crest and the former Giro-winner is aligned with Boem. At the top Kittel is 1’30” down, but he re-joins shortly after the drop.

Bonnafond and Domont attack with 40 kms left. A group of seventeen riders chases them down and then Pieter Serry, Stefano Pirazzi, Alessandro De Marchi, Valerio Conti, David Lopéz and Tim Wellens break clear. Damiano Cunego re-joins them.

In the last 20 kms Movistar sets the pace in the peloton and Kittel is dropped again.

At the foot of the last climb the pack is half a minute down. Diego Ulissi did bridge over and he is the first to crest. For the other escapees the story is over, but the Italian powers to the win. In the last kilometre Tom Dumoulin and Steven Kruijswijk attack to finish in second and in third, 1 second ahead of a group with all other GC-favourites.