Moreno motors to hilltop stage win

Stage four at the Vuelta a Burgos featured another uphill finish and another finale dominated by Katusha. The Russian ProTeam set a fierce tempo in the closing kilometres which reduced the head of the peloton to an elite selection of general classification contenders.

Race leader Joaquím Rodríguez (Katusha) came to the fore with 500m remaining and lined out the front group with teammate Daniel Moreno and stage 1 winner Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) in his slipstream.

There was a moment of hesitation at 200m to go when Rodríguez eased up slightly and the group spread across the road, which provided Moreno the perfect opportunity to pounce. The Katusha rider gapped the front group to take the stage victory in Ciudad Romana de Clunia. Sanchez led in an elite 12-man selection one second later, edging out compatriot Pablo Lastras (Movistar) for second place.

Overnight leader Joaquím Rodríguez finished the day in sixth place and remains atop general classification with one stage remaining. The Katusha captain leads a pair of Movistar riders, David Lopez and Lastras, by seven and eight seconds respectively overall.

"I have to thank Joaquím for the big help he gave me in the crucial part of the stage," said Moreno "Without his help, I probably couldn't have won today. Tomorrow all of us will try to help our leader in order to defend his overall lead. If we manage to, this Vuelta a Burgos will be incredible for Katusha."

Four riders broke away early in the stage, Antonio Cabello (Andalucia Caja Granada), Rony Martias (Saur-Sojasun), Pascual Orengo (Burgos 2016-Castilla y León) and Mikel Bizkarra (Orbea Continental), but were swept up inside of 30km remaining to the finish.

The Vuelta a Burgos concludes on Sunday with a 155km stage in Areniscas de los Pinares.