Criterium du Dauphine 2018: Stage 4

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The peloton is currently navigating the neutralised zone ahead of stage 4 of Criterium du Dauphine, the first of four consecutive summit finishes that will decide this race. The race gets underway officially at 11.50 local time. 

The general classification picture is as follows after yesterday's team time trial:

1 Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Team Sky 9:28:21
2 Gianni Moscon (Ita) Team Sky 0:00:03
3 Jonathan Castroviejo (Spa) Team Sky 0:00:09
4 Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky 0:00:21
5 Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC Racing Team 0:00:48
6 Damiano Caruso (Ita) BMC Racing Team 0:00:52
7 Joey Rosskopf (USA) BMC Racing Team 0:00:53
8 Daryl Impey (RSA) Mitchelton-Scott 0:00:54
9 Jens Keukeleire (Bel) Lotto Soudal 0:01:01
10 Bob Jungels (Lux) Quick-Step Floors 0:01:08
11 Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Quick-Step Floors 0:01:09
12 Laurens De Plus (Bel) Quick-Step Floors 0:01:16
13 Tiesj Benoot (Bel) Lotto Soudal
14 Adam Yates (GBr) Mitchelton-Scott 0:01:17
15 Lucas Hamilton (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott 0:01:19
16 Tao Geoghegan Hart (GBr) Team Sky 0:01:37
17 Fabio Felline (Ita) Trek-Segafredo 0:01:42
18 Tsgabu Grmay (Eth) Trek-Segafredo 0:01:45
19 Marc Soler (Spa) Movistar Team 0:01:51
20 Romain Bardet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:01:52

There are four non-starters on stage 4 of the Dauphine. Sunweb are down to just three riders as Roy Curvers and Johannes Fröhlinger have withdrawn, while Manuele Mori (UAE Team Emirates) and Floris De Tier (LottoNL-Jumbo) have also left the race.

Today's stage is a day of two parts. A flat opening gives way to more rugged terrain around the midway point. The first climb is the category 4 Col de Toutes Aures (2.5km at 5.1%) after 100km. That's a prelude to the day's main event, the hors categorie Col du Mont Noir (17.5km at 6.9%), the summit of which comes with 37km to go. The stage concludes with the short category 2 haul to the finish at Lans-en-Vercors (4.8km at 7.5%).

179km remaining from 181km

Meanwhile, the flag has dropped and stage 4 of the Criterium du Dauphine is formally underway. There is an immediate flurry of attacks.

170km remaining from 181km

It's been a decidedly brisk start to affairs since leaving Chazey-sur-Ain, but as yet none of the would-be escapees have succeeded in escaping the clutches of the peloton.

167km remaining from 181km

A group of seven riders attempted to forged clear, but their move was snuffed out even before it had a chance to ignite. The pace is still very, very high in these flat opening kilometres.

Geraint Thomas showed no ill effects from his prologue crash in yesterday's team time trial, where he was one of Sky's main engines. Our man in France Patrick Fletcher spoke to Thomas after the stage, and the Welshman maintains that Romain Bardet (20th at 1:52) will be a danger in the days to come despite his current deficit. “Bardet is obviously a good climber and he’ll be looking to get that time back over the next four days," Thomas said.There are certainly enough mountains to do that.” Read more here.

161km remaining from 181km

Twenty kilometres into the stage and still no break has formed off the front, as the pace remains blisteringly high.

The gaps provoked by yesterday's team time trial ought to have allowed some baroudeurs a little leeway to take an early foray up the road, but for now, the peloton is steadfastly refusing to let any moves go clear. 

151km remaining from 181km

A group of nine riders has opened a small gap over the peloton, but the pace has not yet relented and they will do well to get clear.

As anticipated, the nine-man move is quickly snuffed out. Letour.fr reports that the average speed through the opening 35km is 52.5kph... Some riders will surely pay a price for this pace come the Col du Mont Noir later in the afternoon.

Quick-Step Floors could only manage 5th in yesterday's team time trial, 1:01 behind Sky, but Liege-Bastogne-Liege winner Bob Jungels explained that they would be a different outfit come the early team time trial at the Tour next month. ""I think at the Tour we'll have a slightly different squad and we'll hopefully be closer," said Jungels, who was surrounded by a lot of youth in the Quick-Step team on Wednesday. "Of course, the young guys, the neo-pros, they've never done such a big TTT. I remember my first one, it was a tough one as well. So no regrets. We've proved our shape is good." Patrick Fletcher has more here.

135km remaining from 181km

Another attack is chased down instantly. This has been brutal fare so far, and the road hasn't even started climbing yet.

130km remaining from 181km

The peloton has clocked up over 50 kilometres in the first hour of racing. The race is already a quarter of an hour or so up on the fastest estimated schedule. And, hardly surprisingly at this pace, a break has yet to go clear.

The average speed after an hour of racing is 52.1kph.

126km remaining from 181km

The searing pace is starting to take its toll, as the peloton begins to split. A group of 14 riders opens a small gap, with yellow and blue jersey Michal Kwiatkowski (Sky) in the chasing group just behind.

125km remaining from 181km

The two front groups merge into one larger group of 33 riders, with Kwiatkowski safely aboard.

This 33-man group has opened a gap of 20 seconds over the fragmented peloton.

Romain Bardet is among the riders to have missed this split, and so AG2R La Mondiale are chasing furiously to shut the gap. Geraint Thomas, Dan Martin and Vincenzo Nibali have also missed the move. Ilnur Zakarin, Adam Yates and Marc Soler are all in the 33-man front group, but the gap is closing.

115km remaining from 181km

AG2R La Mondiale have pegged back the 33-man leading group, and all of the favourites are back together again at the head of the race.

There are still some riders scattered further behind, of course. Jos van Emden (LottoNL-Jumbo) was among the first riders to be dropped, and the Dutchman has abandoned the Dauphine.

105km remaining from 181km

After that frisson, the tension seems even higher in the peloton. A group of four riders attempt to drift clear and they are immediately shut down. The intensity is undimmed.

99km remaining from 181km

Dario Cataldo (Astana), Lukas Postlberger (Bora), Jens Keukeleire (Lotto Soudal) and Edvald Boasson Hagen (Dimension Data) attack and open a small gap over the peloton.

Luke Rowe (Sky) and the Trek-Segafredo duo of Gianluca Brambilla and Tom Skujins briefly give chase before they are pegged back by the bunch. The four leaders, meanwhile, have built up an advantage of 20 seconds.

Finally, the race is settling into some semblance of order as Cataldo, Postlberger, Boasson Hagen and Keukeleire stretch out their buffer towards the minute mark. Arnaud Courteille (Vital Concept) and Christian Odd Eiking (Wanty Gobert) are in the process of bridging across to the four leaders.

95km remaining from 181km

After a breathless start, our break has finally established itself. There are now eight riders at the front with a lead of 2:00 over the peloton: Dario Cataldo (Astana), Lukas Pöstlberger (Bora-Hansgrohe), Jens Keukeleire (Lotto Soudal), Edvald Boasson Hagen (Dimension Data), Odd Christian Eiking (Wanty-Groupe Gobert), Arnaud Courteille (Vital Concept), Simon Clarke (EF-Drapac) and Bryan Coquard (Vital Concept).

93km remaining from 181km

Team Sky lead the peloton at a slightly more relaxed pace, and the gap to the break is now 2:30.

85km remaining from 181km

Jens Keukeleire (Lotto Soudal) began the day in 9th overall, 1:01 behind Kwiatkowski, and the Belgian is the virtual race leader as the break extends its advantage to 2:50.

81km remaining from 181km

Cataldo, Keukeleire et al have extended their lead to 3:20 as they approach the first of the day's three climbs, the category 4 Col de Toutes Aures (2.5km at 5.1%).

The pace relented slightly in the second hour, but not by much - the average speed so far is still a striking 48.93kph.

78km remaining from 181km

Edvald Boasson Hagen (Dimension Data) leads the break over the Col de Toutes Aures. Their margin over the peloton has increased to 4:10.

Away from the Dauphine, Dimension Data have confirmed Mark Cavendish's build-up to the Tour de France. The Manxman is set to ride both the Tour of Slovenia and the new Adriatica Ionica Race this month to give him a block of racing miles ahead of La Grande Boucle. Read the full story here.

73km remaining from 181km

For the time being, the Sky-led peloton seems content to keep the break's lead at around the four-minute mark. We're around 15km or so from the base of the day's principal difficulty, the hors categorie Col du Mont Noir.

There are two Vital Concept riders in this front group, Bryan Coquard and Arnaud Courteille, but their young teammate Corentin Ermenault has become the second rider to abandon the race on today's stage following Jos van Emden's earlier departure.

AG2R La Mondiale are busily setting the pace in the main peloton on the approach to the Col du Mont Noir. Will Romain Bardet's fightback in the general classification start here?

58km remaining from 181km

A reminder of our break, which has 5:10 in hand on the approach to the Col du Mont Noir: Dario Cataldo (Astana), Lukas Pöstlberger (Bora-Hansgrohe), Jens Keukeleire (Lotto Soudal), Edvald Boasson Hagen (Dimension Data), Odd Christian Eiking (Wanty-Groupe Gobert), Arnaud Courteille (Vital Concept), Simon Clarke (EF-Drapac) and Bryan Coquard (Vital Concept).

54km remaining from 181km

As the road begins to climb in earnest, the peloton starts to make inroads into the break's lead. 4:25 the gap.

52km remaining from 181km

Bryan Coquard is the first rider to be dropped from the break. Eiking, meanwhile, has attacked and opened a small gap over his companions.

Team Sky have taken up the reins in the peloton on the Col du Mont Noir, and the gap to the break has dropped to 3:55. Their brisk pace is also whittling the bunch down considerably.

Eiking has established a lead of 15 seconds over the rest of the break as he makes his way up the Col du Mont Noir.

Ian Boswell (Katusha) attacks from the main peloton on the ascent of the Col du Mont Noir. Sky and AG2R still have strength in numbers at the head of the bunch.

Eiking extends his buffer to 45 seconds over the break as he makes his way towards the summit. Boswell is at 3:40, while the peloton of GC favoruites follows at 3:55.

Edward Ravasi (UAE-Team Emirates) has bridged across to Boswell, and the duo are riding strongly, 3:00 behind the lone leader Eiking.

47km remaining from 181km

With a little under 10km of the Col du Mont Noir to go, Eiking has 15 seconds in hand on Dario Cataldo. The rest of the break is at 45 seconds. Boswell and Ravasi are at 2:35 and the peloton is at 3:50.

Cataldo has joined Eiking at the head of the race. There has yet to be any movement from the main GC contenders, and the two leaders still have 3:05 in hand on the yellow jersey group.

44km remaining from 181km

Cataldo has now dropped Eiking and is climbing alone at the head of the race. He has 25 seconds in hand on Eiking, 1:13 on the rest of the break and 2:00 on Boswell and Ravasi.

The main peloton, meanwhile, is 3:38 behind Cataldo on the upper slopes of the Col du Mont Noir.

42km remaining from 181km

Sky have taken up the pace once again in the peloton and their deficit to Cataldo is dropping accordingly.

Cataldo has 35 seconds in hand on Eiking, 1:25 on the remnants of the break and 2:50 on the Sky-led peloton. There are still 50 or so riders in this yellow jersey group.

38km remaining from 181km

Cataldo approaches the summit of the Col du Mont Noir alone at the head of the race. The Italian will take the king of the mountains jersey this afternoon, but with a buffer of 2:50 over the peloton, he'll still retain hope of holding out for stage victory.

37km remaining from 181km

Cataldo crosses the summit and begins the twisting descent off the Col du Mont Noir. He has 1:28 in hand on Eiking and the chasers.

Tao Geoghegan Hart sets the pace at the head of the peloton as it reaches the summit, 2:45 down on Cataldo.

This is quite a treacherous descent. Mercifully, conditions are dry, but the road has been resurfaced in several places and there are bumps aplenty in among the hairpins.

32km remaining from 181km

Cataldo is not taking undue risks on this descent. He has 1:15 on the remnants of the break, but the Sky-led bunch has closed to within 2:28.

And now a few drops of rain are beginning to fall over the race... Fortunately, the worst of the descent is almost at an end...

27km remaining from 181km

The rain is falling steadily as the descent continues. Cataldo has 1:25 on his immediate chasers and 2:31 on the yellow jersey group.

23km remaining from 181km

The rainfall switches from steady to heavy, and the peloton adjusts its pace accordingly. Cataldo's lead on the yellow jersey group is back up to 3:05.

21km remaining from 181km

Cataldo has hit the valley at the base of the descent with a lead of 3:15 over the yellow jersey group. The Sky-led bunch is beginning to pick off the remnants of the early break. Postlberger has just been swept up.

19km remaining from 181km

The rain is coming down in torrents, and the road is awash with water. Cataldo maintains an advantage of 3:11 over the peloton, and 2:15 on his erstwhile companions. The Italian is giving himself more than a fighting chance of pulling off the win.

Jonathan Castroviejo and Tao Geoghegan Hart set the tempo at the head of the yellow jersey group, which still contains as many as 60 or 70 riders.

17km remaining from 181km

Cataldo is beginning to lose a little ground on the very false flat that leads towards our final climb, and his gap is down to 2:29 over the main peloton.

15km remaining from 181km

The Sky-led bunch is on the cusp of recapturing Ravasi, Boswell, Eiking and the day's earlier escapees. 2:30 the gap to Cataldo.

13km remaining from 181km

Cataldo, incidentally, is the virtual race leader, having begun the day in 35th overall, 2:15 down on Kwiatkowski.

12km remaining from 181km

The rain has abated and the race is back onto dry roads. Sky continue to wind up the pace in the main peloton, where all of the GC contenders are still present. We can except sparks to fly on the short climb to the finish, the category 2 ascent to Lans-en-Vercors (4.8km at 7.5%).

11km remaining from 181km

The peloton, now 2:16 down on Cataldo, shed itself of some bodies somewhere between the top of the last descent and the end of the thunderstorm, but the main contenders are, as far as we can decipher, all still in this group. Oliver Naesen sets the pace on the front for AG2R La Mondiale.

Nicolas Edet accelerates off the front for Cofidis and opens a small gap over the AG2R-led peloton. 2:10 the deficit to Cataldo.

10km remaining from 181km

Cataldo hits the final 10km with 1:48 in hand on Edet and 2:06 on the reduced bunch, which is being led by four riders from AG2R.

8km remaining from 181km

Oliver Naesen is putting in an impressive cameo in the service of Bardet here. The Belgian champion will have a pivotal role to play in the opening week of the Tour de France, but he has done well to survive over the HC climb today.

7km remaining from 181km

Cataldo still hasn't reached the final climb proper, but the road has been rising steadily over the past few kilometres. He has 1:58 in hand on the peloton, and a little less on Edet.

5km remaining from 181km

Cataldo is beginning to betray real signs of fatigue even before the climb begins, but he is resolutely maintaining his advantage over the chasers.

5km remaining from 181km

Cataldo begins the final ascent to Lans-en-Vercors with a lead of 1:30 on Edet and 1:55 on the yellow jersey group, which is now being led by Team Sky.

Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) moves up towards the head of the peloton as the climb begins.

4km remaining from 181km

Edet's foray off the front of the bunch comes to an end as he is pegged back by the bunch, which is led by Tao Geoghegan Hart. 1:30 the gap to Cataldo.

3km remaining from 181km

Rider after rider is being jettisoned out the back of the yellow jersey group, but no one as yet is willing to try to go off the front on the climb. 1:07 the deficit to Cataldo.

Geoghegan Hart, Kwiatkowski, Thomas and Gianni Moscon are lined up at the head of the yellow jersey group, which contains 30 riders or so. Warren Barguil shows signs of suffering in this group, but he is still hanging on.

2km remaining from 181km

Cataldo's lead drops inside a minute for the first time. Barguil is losing contact at the rear of the yellow jersey group.

2km remaining from 181km

Michael Valgren leads Pello Bilbao towards the head of the yellow jersey group on the climb. Geoghegan Hart still sets the tempo, but they are still 55 seconds down on Cataldo, who is suffering but still pedalling smoothly.

Valgren's work is done and he swings off after positing Bilbao just behind the Sky train. Bardet and Dan Martin are also well positioned, together with Nibali and Julian Alaphilippe.

1km remaining from 181km

Cataldo is bleeding time now, and his lead has dropped to 32 seconds. Still Geoghegan Hart leads the yellow jersey group, with Moscon, Kwiatkowski and Thomas on his wheel.

1km remaining from 181km

Guillaume Martin (Wanty-Groupe Gobert) accelerates from the yellow jersey group and sets out in pursuit of Cataldo.

1km remaining from 181km

Cataldo passes beneath the flamme rouge but if he looks over his shoulder, he will see the chasing group just behind him. Guillaume Martin is at 26 seconds, the rest of the group just behind him.

Pierre Latour accelerates in the yellow jersey group and his effort is going to see them catch Guillaume Martin.

As Guillaume Martin is brought back, his namesake Dan Martin accelerates with Thomas, Bardet and Alaphilippe on his wheel.

Dan Martin, Thomas, Bardet and Alaphilippe catch and pass Cataldo with 300 metres to go... Kwiatkowski has been dropped...

It's going to be a four-up sprint for the win... Julian Alaphilippe opens things up...

Julian Alaphilippe (Quick-Step Floors) wins stage 4 of Criterium du Dauphine.

Dan Martin (UAE-Team Emirates) places second in the sprint, ahead of Geraint Thomas (Sky) and Romain Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale).

The rest of the front group comes in a little under 10 seconds down. Kwiatkowski comes home 17 seconds behind, and will lose the yellow jersey this evening.

We await confirmation, but Gianni Moscon looks to be the new race leader.

Moscon placed 10th on the stage, 8 seconds down and will be the new yellow jersey, 6 seconds up on Kwiatkowski and Thomas.

Moscon placed 9th on the stage, 8 seconds down and will be the new yellow jersey, 6 seconds up on Kwiatkowski and Thomas.

Result:

1 Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Quick-Step Floors 4:26:58
2 Daniel Martin (Irl) UAE Team Emirates
3 Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky
4 Romain Bardet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
5 Pierre Latour (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:00:05
6 Adam Yates (GBr) Mitchelton-Scott 0:00:05
7 Emanuel Buchmann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:00:05
8 Guillaume Martin (Fra) Wanty-Groupe Gobert 0:00:08
9 Gianni Moscon (Ita) Team Sky 0:00:08
10 Tiesj Benoot (Bel) Lotto Soudal

General classification after stage 4:

1 Gianni Moscon (Ita) Team Sky 13:55:30
2 Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Team Sky 0:00:06
3 Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky 0:00:06
4 Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Quick-Step Floors 0:00:48
5 Damiano Caruso (Ita) BMC Racing Team 0:00:49
6 Bob Jungels (Lux) Quick-Step Floors 0:01:05
7 Adam Yates (GBr) Mitchelton-Scott 0:01:11
8 Tiesj Benoot (Bel) Lotto Soudal 0:01:13
9 Romain Bardet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:01:41
10 Marc Soler (Spa) Movistar Team 0:01:48

Julian Alaphilippe speaks: "Im super happy. The Dauphine is very high-level race and all the riders are in top shape. In a few weeks there will be the Tour de France so it is not easy to win. From today, the course is very difficult and today was the only day that I was able to go for the win. I told Bob Jungels that I wanted to do something today and I did it. My legs felt good all day and so I went full gas in the last five kilometres.

“My last race was Liege, so I’ve had a long break since then. I went to altitude camp for three weeks. The feelings were a bit weird after not racing for so long but we know why we’re here and we’re extremely motivated for the Tour. I’m going to try and help Bob until Sunday but I’m not going to give up anything myself either.

“I don’t want to be pessimistic but I don’t think that the course is good for me. I’m more of a puncheur, not a climber, and the course here is very hard. The goal here was to win a stage, so I’ve done my job. Hopefully Bob will do the rest.”

It was a cruel finale for Dario Cataldo, who even tried to latch onto the four-man train à grande vitesse as it swept by him in the last 350 metres. Exhausted, the Italian propped himself against a barrier just past the finish line when he rolled to a halt.

The Dauphine is Gianni Moscon's first race (no, the Hammer Series does not count) since Paris-Roubaix in April. The day after Paris-Roubaix, Moscon attended an 11-hour UCI disciplinary hearing in Geneva to discuss his clash with Sebastien Reichenbach at Tre Valli Varesine. Moscon is accused of deliberately causing Reichenbach to crash - the Groupama-FDJ rider sustained a broken elbow and pelvis in the incident - but as yet, verdict has not been made public. Reichenbach had previously highlighted Moscon's racial abuse of Kevin Reza at last year's Tour de Romandie. 

Gianni Moscon confessed to surprise at taking over the yellow jersey: "“It’s a surprise to find myself in this jersey, I didn’t expect to be in this situation. For the rest of the week, Geraint Thomas is our best chance. It was already the plan that I’d be there to help him. The jersey isn’t going to change my role in the team.”

Chris Froome is not on the Dauphine but is inevitably making headlines all the same. Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme has reiterated his calls for a resolution to Froome's salbutamol case ahead of the Tour. Asked if ASO would consider trying to exclude Froome of its own accord, Prudhomme told SBS: "David Lappartient said it multiple times, it is a decision that must be taken by the UCI. It is quite evident this is what we need. What people may be struggling to understand, cycling works like anything else. You can't imagine the World Cup not being done by FIFA. It's FIFA that makes the rules and makes sure that the rules are respected. We are the organisers of the… we don't make the rules." Read more here.

Result:

1 Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Quick-Step Floors 4:26:58
2 Daniel Martin (Irl) UAE Team Emirates
3 Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky
4 Romain Bardet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
5 Pierre Latour (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:00:05
6 Adam Yates (GBr) Mitchelton-Scott 0:00:05
7 Emanuel Buchmann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:00:05
8 Guillaume Martin (Fra) Wanty-Groupe Gobert 0:00:08
9 Gianni Moscon (Ita) Team Sky 0:00:08
10 Tiesj Benoot (Bel) Lotto Soudal

General classification after stage 4:

1 Gianni Moscon (Ita) Team Sky 13:55:30
2 Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Team Sky 0:00:06
3 Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky 0:00:06
4 Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Quick-Step Floors 0:00:48
5 Damiano Caruso (Ita) BMC Racing Team 0:00:49
6 Bob Jungels (Lux) Quick-Step Floors 0:01:05
7 Adam Yates (GBr) Mitchelton-Scott 0:01:11
8 Tiesj Benoot (Bel) Lotto Soudal 0:01:13
9 Romain Bardet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:01:41
10 Marc Soler (Spa) Movistar Team 0:01:48

Thanks for following our live coverage of stage 4 of Criterium du Dauphine. A full report, results and pictures are available here. We'll be back with more live coverage on Cyclingnews tomorrow and in the meantime, we'll have all the news and reaction from Lens-en-Vercors.