Criterium du Dauphine stage 4 - Live coverage

Hello and welcome to Cyclingnews' live coverage of stage 4 of the Critérium du Dauphiné

After three hilly opening stages, the battle for the overall title begins in earnest with this 31.9km time trial. Given the relative lack of mountains compared to previous editions, this lengthy TT is set to prove pivotal. 

Pre-race Primoz Roglic is expected to lay down foundations for overall victory by putting time into the purer climbers, while his teammate Wout van Aert is already in the overall lead and is among the favourite's for the stage win. However, while Van Aert has tried to win all three stages so far - and succeeded once - world time trial champion Filippo Ganna has been saving himself for today and starts as the hot favourite. 

We're off

Matthew Walls (Bora-Hansgrohe) is the first rider down the ramp. We're setting off in reverse order of the general classification, at intervals of one minute. 

This is the start area today

There aren't many big contenders among the early starters. Luke Durbridge (BikeExchange) at 13:25 can set a strong time but it's Ganna at 13:52 who acts as the reference point for this time trial.

For the full list of start times, click here.

A little bit more about today's course. It's pretty much flat, with the exception of a drag up to kilometre-21, but it's nothing that will really disrupt the rhythm. It's also not overly technical, so it's one for the big rouleurs. 

Here's a look at the map. Ignore the orange line.

We have two intermediate time checkpoints on today's course, the first after 11.6km and the second after 21km.

We have our first finisher. It's not Walls (who's heavily bandaged after crashes earlier in the week), but Dries Van Gestel (Total Energies), who posts a time of 38 minutes 56 seconds.

But Mathias Norsgaard (Movistar) swiftly bumps Van Gestel out of the hotseat and puts more than a minute into his time, raising the bar to 37:42.

Ganna starts his ride!

B&B Hotels' Miguel Heidemann goes four seconds quicker than Jorgenson, but Durbridge is nearing the finish and set for the hotseat.

Durbridge with the early benchmark

The Australian puts 1:13 into Heidemann and sets a new fastest time of 36:25.

Ganna going well

He's 19 seconds up on Durbridge after 11.6km

Ganna finds another 20 seconds on Durbridge at the second checkpoint. He could finish a minute up at this rate.

Ganna into the lead

The world champion stops the clock on 35:32. He takes 53 seconds out of Durbridge to move into the hotseat. Will he stay there all afternoon?

Frenchman Remi Cavagna (QuickStep-AlphaVinyl) is underway now. He's one of the few riders expected to be able to get close to Ganna today.

Here's Ganna on his way to the best time so far

Ganna's average speed?

53.865km/h

Cavagna doesn't look like he's going to trouble the world champion. He's half a minute down at the first checkpoint.

One of the top stories this week on Cyclingnews is about tennis. Well, it's really about clean sport and the grey areas between the letter of the law and the spirit of fair play. 

Pinot and Martin speak out against Nadal's injections

Jannik Steimle (QuickStep) is the third fastest rider so far but he's 1:40 down on Ganna.

Cavagna more than a minute down at the second checkpoint.

Cavagna finishes in fourth place so far, 1:52 down on Ganna.

Ethan Hayter starts

The young Brit missed out to Van Aert on the opening day but is also a very strong time triallist and could be a dark horse today.

Hayter is going strong. Not as strong as Ganna, but better than the rest. He's 30 seconds down on his teammate at the second checkpoint and nine seconds up on Durbridge.

A reminder of our running order

Critérium du Dauphiné stage 4 time trial start times

Time for the GC contenders

With only medium mountains so far, there's not much to separate the riders at the top of the overall standings, and there's a group of 20 riders who are all 23 seconds down on Van Aert, then a few whose deficit is a little less. Samuele Battistella is the first of that big group to set off but the first real contender is Jumbo-Visma co-leader Jonas Vingegaard.

Vingegaard has started well, 21 seconds down on Ganna at the first checkpoint after 11.6km

Tao Geoghegan Hart (Ineos) set off after Vingegaard and is 11 seconds slower at the first checkpoint.

Hayter is coming into the finish. He's not going to beat Ganna but he's going to go well quicker than anyone else.

35:49 for Hayter - 17 seconds down on Ganna and 36 seconds up on Durbridge. 

Hayter was 30 seconds down on Ganna at the second checkpoint and 17 seconds down at the finish, so he rode the final 10km quicker than the world champion. 

Vingegaard is almost a minute down on Ganna at the second checkpoint, although the real benchmark for him will be his GC rivals.

Geoghegan Hart is 18 seconds down on Vingegaard at the second checkpoint.

Wilco Kelderman and Enric Mas are several seconds down on Vingegaard at the first checkpoint, while Damiano Caruso goes a couple of seconds quicker.

Primoz Roglic is heading towards the start ramp. He's 8th overall so after him we have seven riders to take to the course

Mechanical for McNulty!

The US rider is fuming. He was in the GC mix but it could be falling apart here.

He stops, bangs his top tube, and the mechanic comes over and starts fumbling with the rear wheel. He can't get to grips with it, and it's decided a new bike is needed. Arms in the air from McNulty. Finally, he gets a new machine and gets on his way, but that will cost him dearly. 

McNulty has had a great season so far and is among the stronger TT riders of the overall contenders. That advantage has been wiped out here. 

Vingegaard comes to the finish. Fourth place so far, 1:11 down on Ganna's top time. 

Roglic, Vingegaard's co-leader here and at the Tour, is underway.

Vingegaard was the first pre-race favourite from this main GC pack, so he'll be our reference point for the time being. 

Spanish sensation Juan Ayuso (UAE) has started well, a second up on Vingegaard at the first checkpoint.

Mas is going well too, fifth at the second check, 11 seconds down on Vingegaard

Geoghegan Hart comes to the finish now.... fifth place so far. 1:31 down on Ganna, 19 seconds down on Vingegaard. A solid showing. 

Caruso has lost a little in the middle section, now a few seconds down on Vingegaard.

Ineos are having a good day. Michal Kwiatkowski has made it four riders in the top seven for them as it stands.

Mattia Cattaneo (QuickStep) has gone through the first checkpoint just 8 seconds down on Ganna.

Kelderman comes to the finish now. He rode the Giro so is squeezing out the form from that. He's 1:47 down on Ganna, 36 seconds down on Vingegaard, who's our GC reference at this stage.

McNulty is 1:14 down on Ganna at the first checkpoint, and nearly a minute down on Vingegaard. That bike change mess has proven costly.

Ben O'Connor (AG2R) has started strong, matching Vingegaard at the first check.

Victor Lafay (Cofidis), third overall, sets off. Only Gaudu and Van Aert to come now.

Cattaneo comes to the second checkpoint and he's lost a little time here. He's now 36 seconds down on Ganna and third fastest so far behind Hayter.

Gaudu is off

Roglic on a roll

He's down on Ganna at the first checkpoint, by seven seconds, but he's the fastest of the GC contenders so far.

And now Van Aert rolls down the ramp. He's the last starter. We're around 35 minutes from knowing the outcome of this stage.

Ayuso has slipped a little on the middle section, now trailing Vingegaard by nine seconds. 

Mas reaches the finish. 37:25 so far, which puts him 12th, 41 seconds behind Vingegaard

Caruso comes home now. Can he finish off a strong ride? 

He can. He places fifth so far, the second best of the GC riders - 13 seconds down on Vingegaard and 5 seconds up on Geoghegan Hart. 

Caruso's teammate Jack Haig is 30 seconds down on Vingegaard at the second check.

McNulty is losing two minutes to Ganna and one minute on GC at the second checkpoint. A reminder that he had a costly mechanical early on.

Roglic springs out of the saddle as he looks to up the temp on a drag towards the second checkpoint.

Ben O'Connor hits the second checkpoint and he's doing one of the best TTs of his career so far. He's 17 seconds down on Vingegaard there but one second up on Geoghegan Hart.

Cattaneo comes to the finish and he's going to make it onto the provisional podium. 3rd so far, 39 seconds down on Ganna.

Roglic hits the second checkpoint. He has the third fastest time so far, slipping to 36 seconds down on Ganna and below Hayter, too.  But he's the best of the GC contenders, 22 seconds up on Vingegaard.

Gaudu has started strongly, considering this is not his discipline. 25 seconds down on Ganna's time after 11.6km, which is 18 seconds down on Roglic but not far off Vingegaard.

Van Aert flying

Fastest at the first checkpoint!

The race leader posts 12:37 after 11.6km. That's a full 11 seconds quicker than the world champion and clubhouse leader Filippo Ganna.

Ayuso hits the line with a time of 37:06, 36 seconds down on Vingegaard.

Roglic catches Stef Cras, who started two minutes ahead.

Matteo Jorgenson is on a solid ride in the white jersey, just down on Geoghegan Hart at the second check. 

McNulty comes to the finish and puts and end to a bruising day. 2:21 down on Ganna, 1:09 down on Vingegaard. 

Ben O'Connor finishes 1:46 down on Ganna's time, losing 34 seconds to Vingegaard. He suffered on the latter part of that course.

The provisional order of GC riders from the finishers so far is as follows:

Vingegaard, Caruso, Geoghegan Hart, Ayuso, O'Connor, Kelderman, Mas, Haig

But here comes Roglic...!

What's it going to be for the pre-race favourite?

36:14, fourth place so far, 42 seconds down on Ganna.

Roglic is some way off the stage win - and 25 seconds down on Hayter - but he's a full 30 seconds up on teammate Vingegaard and the quickest of the pre-race GC men so far. 

Van Aert losing time!

He's now 11 seconds down on Ganna at the second checkpoint. He was, remember, 11 seconds up at the first. So he has lost 22 seconds in the middle section.

Gaudu passed through that checkpoint 1:33 down on Ganna, so just under a minute down on Roglic.

It starts to rain, and this could hamper the last riders out on course.

Jorgenson hits the line...and takes a place in the provisional top 10. He's just behind Ayuso and Geoghegan Hart, but nearly a minute down on Roglic.

Van Aert can see Gaudu up a head on a long straight section of road. He set off two minutes behind the Frenchman, who is now also catching his two-minute man, Lafay. 

3km to go for Van Aert. He's bearing down on Lafay and he may even catch Gaudu by the finish.

1.7km to go and Van Aert breezes past Lafay.

Van Aert has a kilometre to go and over a minute in hand. It's going to be close, but the yellow jersey has recovered and is back in with a shout of the stage win.

Here he comes! He's on the tail of Gaudu as he enters the final 200m

Gaudu hangs on

Van Aert finishes two seconds down on Ganna!

Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) wins stage 4 of the Critérium du Dauphiné

Wow. What a finish. Van Aert was pipped by Gaudu to the line for the second day in a row, albeit gaining almost two minutes on the Frenchman on the day. He was also pipped by Ganna to the stage win, coming good again on the last part of the course but still falling two seconds short. 

What a ride from Van Aert, who misses out on the win again but extends his overall lead. He says he's not here for GC but he has put 40 seconds into Roglic and is now around a minute up on his leader. It's a striking margin but he's still unlikely to defend that in the mountains this weekend. 

Results

You should be able to see the stage results in the box below, and also the new overall standings, if you click on the GC tab. 

Roglic wasn't at his absolute best but he still puts himself in a commanding position, 56 seconds down on teammate and race leader Van Aert, with Cattaneo in between at 53 seconds. 

Behind Roglic is his own teammate Vingegaard, the next best of the GC contenders, tied on time with Hayter, who won't be in overall contention come the weekend. Caruso fared well, while Geoghegan Hart, Ayuso and Jorgenson all produced solid rides to make themselves the only riders within a minute of Roglic overall. O'Connor, Kelderman, and Mas are gathered close a little further back. 

The stage winner

Let's hear from Van Aert

"It's a time trial and it's always honest. Only two seconds, it's not a lot but still it's a difference. I got beat by the world champion - I like to win but I have to accept it and I'm happy with my performance.

"I think I did a really good start, [I was] really on the limit in the corners in the start - maybe that's why I had an advantage on Filippo in the first split. Then in the second part I thought I did a good pace but apparently he was a lot faster. Eventually I could find my rhythm again and had a nice spot in front of me with two guys I was catching, Gaudu and Lafay, that was a little advantage to try and get them. 

In the end I just came up short. It was quite an honest TT and I lost it. He's the best time triallist in the world if he's only two seconds ahead of you on quite a long TT it says something about your shape. I'm really pleased with how it's going, it's been a really good Dauphine for me - I have this nice jersey and will try to enjoy it the next couple of days."

Full report, results, and photos can be found here