Giro d'Italia (st. 4)

Portuguese allrounder -now 4th overall- gives his best into winning escape, as Dombrowski (UAD) takes win ahead of new Maglia Rosa holder De Marchi (ISN). Soler concedes 34" against top favourites in rainy final climb.

It was a brave fight until the very end from Nelson Oliveira (Movistar Team) to seek for glory at a demanding stage four in the Giro, the first mid-mountain route on this year’s race, over 187km in Emilia-Romagna with three categorized climbs, lots of little ascents and tough, wet conditions. Joe Dombrowski (UAD) took the day’s honours from Nelson’s break.

The American jumped across on the decisive Colle Passerino (Cat-2) from the group pursuing leaders Juul-Jensen (BEX) and Taaramäe (IWG), a G2 led by Oliveira, to notch up the victory ahead of new race leader Alessandro de Marchi (ISN). Both reached the finish with more than a minute over a leading echelon of favourites with Ciccone, Carthy, Landa, Bernal and Vlasov (APT), now the first main contender in the GC (7th).

Oliveira’s notable presence in the main move -8th over the finish line, almost 1′ behind the winner-, a big group of 25 riders leading all the way to the end, contrasted with the late struggle from Marc Soler, who finished 34″ away from the first GC group, which now leaves him 2’16” off De Marchi, 54″ behind Vlasov.

The ‘Corsa Rosa’ will head on Wednesday towards a new ‘volata’ in Cattolica (177km), prior to returning to the mountains on Thursday with the long, yet steady, Cat-2 climb to San Giacomo, in Ascoli Piceno.

Cover picture (c): BettiniPhoto