Tour de Romandie 2018 Stage 4: Fuglsang solos to victory, Roglic retains in lead

At merely 150 kilometres, the Queen Stage of the Tour de Romandie features 3,584 vertical metres. Primoz Roglic holds off an Egan Bernal attack on the last climb before Jakob Fuglsang strikes on descent. The Dane solos to victory and fourth place overall. Richie Porte still sits in third. (Slideshow route/profile)

Results 4th stage Tour de Romandie

1. Jakob Fuglsang (den)
2. Primoz Roglic (slo) 0.48
3. Egan Bernal (col) s.t.
4. Rui Costa (por) s.t.
5. Richie Porte (aus) s.t.
6. Rohan Dennis (aus) + 2.09
7. Pierre Latour (fra) s.t.
8. Jaime Roson (spa) s.t.
9. Emanuel Buchmann (ger) s.t.
10. Merhawi Kudus (eri) s.t.

GC after the 4th stage
1. Primoz Roglic (slo)
2. Egan Bernal (col) + 0.08
3. Richie Porte (aus) + 0.35
4. Jakob Fuglsang (den) + 1.16
5. Rui Costa (por) + 1.23
6. Steven Kruijswijk (nld) + 2.32
7. Rohan Dennis (aus) + 2.49
8. Pierre Latour (fra) s.t.
9. Emanuel Buchmann (ger) + 3.09
10. Daniel Martin (irl) + 3.12

Race report
Attacks are flying from the start. But nothing sticks because Roglic’ LottoNL-squad is controlling the race. Hugh Carthy is the first rider over the first KOM and on descent Thomas De Gendt, Mikel Nieve, Andrey Amador and Hermann Pernsteiner join him. Carthy reaches the second and third crest also ahead of De Gendt, who is the first over the fourth peak, thus cementing his KOM lead.

While heading for the last climb to Les Collons – 13.1 kilometres at 6.5% – Buchmann, Izagirre (Ion) and Martinez leave the peloton. Pernsteiner waits for his leader Izagirre and they tackle the climb 20 seconds after the leaders. De Gendt stops his efforts, while the chasers hook on with the front of the race. Pernsteiner can’t follow the pace.

Nieve and Buchmann are the last remaining leaders when Bernal accelerates 6 kms before the top and Roglic jumps to his wheel. They rejoin the two upfront before a number of other riders hook on.

Then Rui Costa strikes and Jakob Fuglsang tracks him down. Bernal speeds up once more with 2 kms to go to the top. Roglic goes after him to catch him. The two gobble up the leaders to head out together, but shortly after the top Porte and Costa rejoin. Fuglsang hooks on a little later.

The Dane attacks with 16 kms to go and puts almost 1 minute into the chasers. A margin that’s easily sufficient to seal the stage victory, while Roglic wins the group sprint ahead of Bernal, thus cementing his lead a little more.

Fuglsang jumps to fourth place overall and Kruijswijk drops to sixth.