Ben Tulett (Visma-Lease a Bike) gained stage 4 of the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali stage race in Italy, attacking alone on the ultimate climb to achieve sufficient time to grab the general race lead.
The British rider acquired away with the USA’s Magnus Sheffield (Ineos Grenadiers) and Mark Donovan (Q36.5 Pro Cycling) on the steep Valico Rio Chiè climb however completed alone to arrange total success on Friday’s stage.
Tulett completed 5 seconds forward of Igor Arrieta (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), with Donovan third at seven seconds. Sheffield, who began the day as race chief, reportedly crashed on the final descent and completed outdoors the highest 10.
Tulett now leads Donovan by 18 seconds, with Arrieta shifting to 3rd total at 23 seconds.
“Gutted for Magnus Sheffield who crashed within the closing kilometres of stage 4. The Grenadier had been nicely positioned over the day’s ultimate categorised climb. Happily he was capable of re-mount and end the stage,” the Ineos crew reported on X after the end.
Magnus Sheffield of Ineos Grenadiers (centre) lined up firstly of stage 4 within the chief’s jersey (Image credit score: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
How it unfolded
The 150.4km fourth stage looped across the city of Brisighella, overlaying the two.6km Monticino climb thrice earlier than a swap to a special circuit that included the climbs of Monticino and the Valico Rio Chiè, earlier than a rising end in Brisighella.
Paul Double (Team Jayco AlUla) was the primary to assault, eager to make amends for dropping time and any GC ambitions on stage 3. Other assaults got here and shortly a 13-rider group ultimately shaped and opened a two-minute hole.
In the transfer had been Pascal Eenkhoorn (Soudal-QuickStep), Paul Double (Jayco AlUla), Ugo Fabries (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Walter Calzoni (Q36.5 Pro Cycling), Davide Baldaccini (Team Solution Tech-Vini Fantini), Germán Darío Gómez (Team Polti VisitMalta), Martin Marcellusi (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè), Kamiel Eeman (Lotto), Adrien Maire (Unibet Tietema Rockets), Marc Cabedo (JCL Team UKYO), Luca Cretti (MBH Bank Ballan CSB) and Federico Guzzo (S.C. Padovani Polo Cherry Bank).
The Visma-Lease a Bike squad led the chase after the second climb of Monticino, and the hole was down to simply 45 seconds after 100km of racing. Mauri Vansevenant (Soudal-QuickStep) and Alberto Bettiol (XDS Astana Team) jumped throughout to the assault and shortly after Rafal Majka (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Jarno Widar (Lotto Development) joined them.
Majka, Widar and Vansevenant instantly went on the assault and opened a 25-second hole within the rolling hills close to Brisighella. However the race got here again collectively on the final assault of the steep Valico Rio Chiè climb.
Tulett led over the climb however Sheffield and Donovan had been initially with him, Sheffield attempting to defend his total race lead.
An absence of stay tv footage made it obscure precisely what occurred on the descent, however Tulett emerged within the ultimate kilometres to Brisighella and had time to have a good time his first win because the 2023 Tour of Norway. After a sequence of set-backs, the British climber is again to his finest.
