Tour of Britain (st. 4)

Spaniard reinforces lead in KOM classification at Tour of Britain, comes up just 2k short to contest the win in Llanberis. Cavendish (OPQ) takes sprint as Rojas claims 5th

Freed from soaking rain that affected the race during its first three days, the Movistar Team riders taking part in the Tour of Britain rolled into Wales with a very lumpy stage four: 188km from Stoke-on-Trent to Llanberis with three categorized climbs in the last third of the parcours. Looking for the points in the KOM classification he’s leading since Monday, Ángel Madrazo entered for the second time into the early break and passed in first place across the first two climbs, Groes and Llansannan (both Cat-2).

With almost two minutes of advantage halfway into the last of the rated ascents, Pen-y-Pass (Cat-3), 12k from the finish, the Cantabrian made the attacks for victory and had chances until the last 1.5km, when the bunch, pulled by OPQS and Garmin, brought the group back. Cavendish (OPQ) was the eventuall winner into a sprint contested by the attacks from Dan Martin (GRS) and Nairo Quintana at the end of the last climb – José Joaquín Rojas came 5th into the ‘volata’. Thursday will bring the second stage of the British national tour through Wales, with two Cat-1 côtes in the finale of a 177-kilometer trek from Machynlleth to Caerphilly.

Picture (c): Tour of Britain 2013 – Larry Hickmott