As it happened: Domination on stage 4 of the Vuelta a España with a long-range solo move in Andorra

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of stage 4 of the Vuelta a España!

The race is soon set to get going again after the tumultuous events of Monday's stage 3, which was cut short by a massive hailstorm.

Tadej Pogačar was the favourite to extend his red jersey lead yesterday. Will he do so on today's mountainous romp through Andorra? Here's our stage preview.

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Here's a look at today's stage, meanwhile.

Racing gets underway in around half an hour.

We called up the hotel which sheltered the Vuelta peloton from the hailstorm yesterday.

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Much better conditions at the start today and all smiles in Andorra.

Three first-category climbs and over 2,800 metres of elevation are on the menu today. The climbing starts right from the off with the Port de Envalira – a 23.3km climb at a 5.1% average gradient.

Other major climbs on today's stage include the Collada de Beixalis (6.5km at 8.5%), the Col de Ordino (9.9km at 7%), and the La Comella (3.9km at 5.9%)

The riders are just rolling out to start the stage now.

A short 2.5km neutralised section to start the race today.

Tadej Pogačar back in the red jersey this morning.

104.8km to go

His UAE team are right to the front with Ivo Oliveira as the flag drops to start the stage.

Diego Uriarte (Equipo Kern Pharma) is the first attacker of the day

100km to go

Uriarte has been caught.

More attackers flow off the front, including Dutchman Koen Bouwman and Steven Kruijswijk.

Bouwman is in the polka dot jersey as KOM leader, of course.

A host of other riders have joined them in the move, including Sepp Kuss, Jack Haig, Pello Bilbao, and Mikel Landa.

UAE is bringing them back, however.

UAE and Pogačar at the start of today's stage.

97km to go

Pinarello-Q36.5 move to the front now.

Cian Uijdtdebroeks is dropped from the peloton early. He's still suffering from the injuries sustained in his stage 2 crash.

No breakaway currently.

93km to go

Wout van Aert and Matthew Brennan now among a host of riders on the attack.

Alexey Lutsenko, Finn Fisher-Black, Pablo Castrillo, Paul Double, Eddie Dunbar, Georg Steinhauser are among the group, too.

Visma actually have five riders in the move – Van Aert and Brennan plus Christophe Laporte, Ben Tulett, and Bruno Armirail!

13 riders out front in the move now. But just 20 seconds up on the peloton.

Brennan leading the way at the front.

89km to go

45 seconds between break and peloton.

A minute now as Visma lead the breakaway.

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Decathlon CMA CGM are chasing the breakaway, massed at the front of the peloton.

84km to go

Meanwhile, Wout van Aert drops back from the break after some heard work early on.

João Almeida has been dropped from the peloton already. A key man lost early on for Tadej Pogačar.

Decathlon continue to push on.

More riders drop from the break, but the strongest climbers remain, including Castrillo, Brennan, Dunbar, Hirt, Fortunato, and Sosa.

Now Brennan drops and it's just Tulett left up front for Visma.

The break is just 2km from the top of the climb now.

Just 25 seconds between break and peloton now.

Santiago Buitrago the latest to be dropped from the peloton.

It looks like there's only around 30 or so riders left in the peloton already.

10 left in the break as Double pushes on at the front.

80km to go

Over the top of the climb.

Lorenzo Fortunato beats Paul Double in a two-man sprint to the summit. 10 points for the Italian and he's now the virtual mountain classification leader.

Decathlon continue powering to the top at the front of the peloton. They have five men lined up in the lead while it looks like Pogačar only has two teammates with him.

A long descent now. 27km of downhill on the road to the next climb.

Eight riders left out front now as the peloton continues to close in.

67km to go

And now Decathlon has shut down the gap. The breakaway is caught.

Decathlon leading the peloton up the opening climb.

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Decathlon continue leading all the way down this long descent.

Onto the second climb of the day, the Collada de Beixalis (6.5km at 8.5%)

Decathlon led the way onto the climb but there's an attack straight away...

50km to go

It's Tadej Pogačar on the move.

Felix Gall goes with him, but not for long.

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Pogačar has 15 seconds on Gall already.

The group further back contains, among others, Roglič, Widar, Onley, Landa, Johannessen, Carapaz, Brennar, Skjelmose, and Tejada.

48km to go

Gall is back with the chasers.

Pogačar has made a minute in 3km.

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Enric Mas, Jay Vine also in the chase group.

45km to go

EF working in the chase group 1:35 down on Pogačar.

Over the top and Carapaz jumps ahead to grab six mountain points in second place.

Pogačar now at the bottom of the descent. The Col de Ordino (9.9km at 7%) is next up.

39km to go

1:40 now.

Around 17 riders in the chase group.

1:50 for Pogačar as he starts the Coll d'Ordino.

Pogačar solo at the front.

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Alpecin-Premier Tech rider Ramses Debruyne has attacked in the chase. He made our list of the promising youngsters to watch at this year's Vuelta.

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The Belgian isn't out front for long, though, and now Decathlon are massed on the front once again.

Gall now pushing it.

33km to go

Still two minutes to Pogačar.

Gall has Léo Bisiaux and Felix Mühlberger with him.

Gall goes again.

Oscar Onley follows Gall.

Decathlon and Gall have eaten away at Pogačar's advantage a little. It's down from 2:10 to just under two minutes.

Just under 6km to go to the top.

Roglič now attacks the chase group behind Gall and Onley.

Carapaz, Widar, Kuss, Mas, Mühlberger, Skjelmose left behind.

30km to go

Roglič has flown across the gap. He's up to Gall and Onley already!

Kuss and Mas now chasing in a duo.

Now 2:30 between Pogačar and the rest as attacks flow and stall behind.

The chase group – now with Mas and Kuss – are 20 seconds up on the rest.

The gap is growing and growing now.

A shot of the chase group not long ago.

28km to go

2:50 now for Pogačar.

15 seconds from Roglič, Mas, Kuss, Gall, Onley to Carapaz, Skjelmose, Widar, and Mühlberger.

Mas pushing on at the front and Gall battling to stay in touch now.

The others are working more at the front as Gall is struggling at the back.

Pogačar currently in red by a virtual 3:15 over Roglič.

26.5km to go

Pogačar over the top for another 10 points. That's 20 for the day and he's the new KOM leader.

The chasers are 2:50 down and Gall is hanging in there.

Mas attack!

Roglič now hanging on at the back.

The chasers head over the top all together. 25 seconds up on the Skjelmose-Carapaz-Widar group.

Pogačar and chasers are now on the long descent. He's 3:10 up the road.

Still just 20 or so seconds between the two chase groups.

Pogačar is well in the GC lead. He has the KOM jersey secured for the day. He has also extended his points lead with 20 at the intermediate sprint at Ordino.

18km to go

Just one climb left to go after this descent.

The final third-category climb of La Comella (3.9km at 5.9%) lies ahead.

Pogačar 4.5km from the start of the final climb.

Carapaz, Skjelmose, Widar, and Mühlberger have made it across the gap and now there's a nine-man chase group.

They lie 3:10 down on Pogačar now.

9km to go

Pogačar starts the final climb.

The man in red.

A reminder that this final climb is 3.9km at 5.9%.

Still 3:10 up the road.

At the top there'll be another three KOM points and six bonus seconds for Pogačar.

There'll be a nine-man battle for second place. Well eight really, with Mühlberger working for Gall.

Mühlberger is working at the front now. He's taken a few seconds off Pogačar's lead again.

Skjelmose is the first to drop from that chase group.

6km to go

Adam Yates, who lives in Andorra, is watching the action at the roadside. He ran alongside Pogačar, who slowed down to give him a fistbump.

2:55 the gap now.

Mühlberger still working away at the front.

A look at the lead chase group before they linked up with the quartet behind.

5km to go

Pogačar over the top and almost done with his another day of domination.

He carries 2:50 on the way down as he grabs those three KOM points and six bonus seconds.

Gall attacks again from the chase group.

Onley and Widar lead the chase.

Nobody dropped.

Kuss and Carapaz at the back.

Those two, plus the already dropped Skjelmose, rode the Tour de France last month, of course.

Gall, Roglič, Onley, Widar, and Mas did not.

3km to go

Carapaz dropped and now Onley pushes on towards the top.

Onley grabs four bonus seconds ahead of Gall, who takes two.

2:40 to Pogačar.

2km to go

The win is in the bag for Pogačar.

This will be his 37th Grand Tour stage win.

1km to go

Skjelmose 40 seconds behind the chase group.

Pogačar almost done.

Finish

Tadej Pogačar wins stage 4 of the Vuelta a España with his longest Grand Tour solo victory.

Six and four seconds up for grabs for second and third place at the finish.

The chase group, minus Carapaz and Skjelmose, race to the line now.

Gall leads it out with Widar behind him.

It's the 20-year-old Belgian who comes through to take second! The neo-pro is second on the fourth Grand Tour stage of his career.

Widar led the group across the line 2:39 down on Pogačar. He beat Gall into third place.

Here's the top on the stage.

Pogačar celebrates his stage victory.

The new GC standings after stage 4.

Here's what Pogačar said after the finish...

"I didn't have to do that. But the pace was super high already on the first climb, and then on the second climb, we were going basically all out from the bottom.

"When Jay [Vine] let me pass on the wheel of Decathlon, then I knew, 'OK, I don't want to be also isolated against all the GC riders, because they will all play against me'. I tried with an attack on the climb, and then just hoped that I could survive until the finish. When I saw that I could open the gap, I did it. It was pretty tough, but a beautiful day out there.

"Any gap is more than enough, but it's super good because now I can be calm and confident for the next days. We'll just keep going day by day and focus on each day after this, because it will be a little bit less stressful for sure.

"Not in a second have I ever thought that I would ride like this ever. I have such beautiful memories from the first time in Andorra. It was really, really beautiful, and it's one of my favourite moments of my career, so I will never forget that day.

"I will say you never know, but now it's a good gap, so we give our best to control it every day. But if it's uncontrollable, you can't control and we will have to fight. It's going to be tough, but we have a really strong team here, and we are ready."

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Oscar Onley tells TNT Sports after the stage that he was suffering stomach issues all night. A great ride from him today, considering that context.

Onley has raced into the white jersey as best young rider today. He leads Widar by 21 seconds.

Tadej Pogačar and his team lead all other classifications.

Here's a shot of Widar leading the chase group home.

Here's the race leader in red once again – Tadej Pogačar.

He's also in the green jersey with 82 points to Ethan Hayter's 37.

And he's in the polka dot jersey as leader of the mountain classification.

He has 23 points to Lorenzo Fortunato's 10.

Oscar Onley is in white, 21 seconds up on Jarno Widar, while Ramses Debruyne is in third place, 59 seconds down.

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That's all for us on the live report today. Keep checking back on Cyclingnews through the evening for more news and reaction, and come back tomorrow for more live reporting from stage 5 in Spain!