Tirreno-Adriatico stage 4: Tadej Pogačar punches to victory from reduced group

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) won stage 4 of the 2022 Tirreno-Adriatico riding away from a reduced bunch in the final meters.

In the closing 800m, the defending champion accelerated from a trimmed down group, which included Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma), Victor Lafay (Cofidis), and Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl).

While Richie Porte (Ineos Grenadiers) was the first to launch an attack on the uphill finale, he was overhauled by Pogačar and a fast-chasing Vingegaard.

“After the big day for the whole team, I said to myself that I was obliged to do it,” Pogačar said afterward.

American Quinn Simmons pulls on KOM jersey

After a long battle in the front of the race, Quinn Simmons (Trek-Segafredo) pulled on the mountains classification leader’s jersey at the end of the stage.

Simmons was the last man remaining of a 10-rider group that rode from the front that included Chris Hamilton (Team DSM), Lilian Calmejane (AG2R Citroën), Jasha Sütterlin (Bahrain-Victorious), Jhonatan Restrepo (Drone Hopper-Androni Giocattoli), Jonathan Caicedo (EF Education-EasyPost), Diego Rosa (Eolo-Kometa), Einer Rubio (Movistar), Warren Barguil (Arkéa-Samsic), and Tsgabu Grmay (BikeExchange–Jayco).

Simmons went clear from the fading break at 43km to go as he headed into the first of three circuits of a climb that would soon explode the race.

Behind him, Evenepoel and teammate Julian Alaphilippe pulled the race apart from the front of the chase, bringing along overnight race-leader Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers), and Pogačar.

Simmons’ tenacity paid off through 20km to go when he was finally brought back to the bunch, having already scored enough points to assume the lead of the KOM competition.

A short-lived attack by Valentin Ferron (TotalEnergies) strung out the peloton, and the pace to bring him back resulted in Olympic champion Richard Carapaz (Ineos Grenadiers) getting dropped.

Alaphilippe worked hard for Evenepoel, catapulting the Belgian rider to the front group inside the final four kilometers, as the uphill pace continued to bring riders to their knees.

Benjamin Thomas (TotalEnergies) tried to get away, but Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates), Miguel Ángel López (Astana-Qazaqstan), Giulio Ciccone (Trek-Segafredo), and Pogačar marked him.

With just 1.8km remaining, the cat and mouse games started, with stage winners and GC contenders marking each other until Porte launched a series of accelerations. He was followed by Ciccone and Pogačar.

With little more than 700m to go, Pogačar made his final move and went up the road for the win, and into the overall lead.

Vingegaard was tactical in his final attack, surging into second on the stage, while Evenepoel stayed in contact to finish fourth on the day, and assume second on the general classification.