Linus Gerdemann (Milram) and Matti Breschel (Saxo Bank) follow the path set by Philippe Gilbert (Silence-Lotto)(Image credit: Sirotti)
Kim Kirchen (Columbia-HTC) made launched an unsuccesful attack inside the final 15km of the stage(Image credit: Sirotti)
There were some bleary eyes in the bunch today. There was no real respite for the riders from the sodden conditions.(Image credit: Sirotti)
An Astana rider pushes ontowards the finish of stage four, the longest of this year's Vuelta.(Image credit: Sirotti)
Alexandr Kolobnev (Saxo Bank)(Image credit: Sirotti)
The peloton stayed rugged up for most of the stage today(Image credit: Sirotti)
Garmin-Slipstream's Dan Martin had a tough day. He was one of a number of riders to crash during the Vulta's stage four to Liege(Image credit: Sirotti)
Vacansoleil were active throughout the Vuelta's fourth stage.(Image credit: Sirotti)
Julian Dean (Garmin) leads Tom Leezer (Rabobank)(Image credit: Sirotti)
Some grim faces on a day of grim weather at the Vuelta(Image credit: Sirotti)
Martijn Maaskant (Garmin) did a huge amount of work on the front of the peloton today(Image credit: Sirotti)
Greipel (Columbia-HTC) wins the wet'n'wild stage into Liege after somehow missing the crash that took out most of the peloton just 2km from the stage finish(Image credit: Sirotti)
André Greipel on the podium for winning the Vuelta's fourth stage in Liège, Belgium.(Image credit: Sirotti)
André Greipel won the second straight stage at the Vuelta for Columbia-HTC.(Image credit: Sirotti)
Stage winner André Greipel (Columbia-HTC) celebrates his stage win with a bit of champagne.(Image credit: Sirotti)
Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank) remains in the overall lead, but crashed heavily with 2.5km remaining.(Image credit: Sirotti)
Lars Boom settles into the crimson jersey for leading the mountains classification.(Image credit: Sirotti)
Lars Boom (Rabobank) leads the mountains classification.(Image credit: Sirotti)
André Greipel (Columbia-HTC) is the new points leader at the Vuelta.(Image credit: Sirotti)
Marco Velo (Quick Step) finishes in Liège, one of three Quick Step riders to miss the carnage 2.5km before.(Image credit: Sirotti)
Matteo Tosatto (Quick Step) crosses the finish, one of the six riders who managed to avoid the crash at 2.5km to go.(Image credit: Sirotti)
Adam Hansen could crack a smile on the finish line knowing his teammate Greipel finished first.(Image credit: Sirotti)
Their faces say it all...rain and a crash-marred stage make for unhappy riders at the finish line.(Image credit: Sirotti)
Oscar Freire (Rabobank) talks to Leonardo Duque (Cofidis) after the finish line.(Image credit: Sirotti)
Points leader Tom Boonen crossed the finish line and would surrender the jersey to stage winner André Greipel.(Image credit: Sirotti)
Race leader Fabian Cancellara crossed the finish line after being involved in the massive pileup at the end of the stage.(Image credit: Sirotti)
Germany's André Greipel (Columbia-HTC) outsprints Belgium's Wouter Weylandt (Quick Step) to win the Vuelta's fourth stage.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
A glum Tom Boonen (Quick Step) after the Vuelta's stage four finish in Liège.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
André Greipel (Columbia-HTC) wins the Vuelta's stage four while his German teammates Bert Grabsch and Marcel Sieberg celebrate the victory.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
The break of the day which included Dominik Roels (Milram), Sergey Lagutin (Vacansoleil), Javier Ramirez Abeja (Andalucía - Cajasur) and Lars Boom (Rabobank).(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Ezequiel Mosquera (Xacobeo Galicia) is escorted to the finish after the crash.(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
The riders his the Cauberg for the first time.(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
The break stayed away for a considerable time in challenging conditions.(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
Kurt-Asle Arvesen (Saxo Bank) grabs some sustenance later in the stage.(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
Cadel Evans (r) rides next to Bram Tankink as the peloton heads for Liège.(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
Tom Boonen (Quick Step) checks who will be finishing with him.(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
Tom Boonen has a bite to eat as the field passes through the feed zone.(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
Overall leader Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank) goes through the feed zone after 118km.(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
Columbia-HTC winds it up with two kilometres to go.(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
Garmin-Slipstream had more bad luck during the wet stage from Venlo.(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
André Greipel rides the Cauberg for the first time during the stage.(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
Chris Horner (Astana) before the crash ended his Vuelta.(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
The field rolled home in dribs and drabs after the big crash.(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
The Euskaltel-Euskadi boys limp home after the crash.(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
A wet, miserable day in Holland and Belgium wasn't what the doctor ordered.(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
Karsten Kroon (Saxo Bank) was active in the closing kilometres of the stage.(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
The peloton passes the 118km mark... only 107km to go.(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
Dominik Roels leads the break after 118km.(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
Euskaltel-Euskadi's Sammy Sanchez rolls in after the finish.(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
The Saxo Bank boys wind down after a hectic finale.(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
Stuart O'Grady (Saxo Bank) did a lot of work in the wet today.(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
Marcel Sieburg looks back to see where André Greipel is positioned.(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
Maarten Wynants and Bram Tankink (r) debrief after the stage.(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
The Xacobeo Galicia crew was kept busy in the terrible weather.(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
Swiss Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank) remains race leader of the Vuelta a España.(Image credit: Lavuelta.com)
The early escape lead by Lars Boom (Rabobank)(Image credit: Lavuelta.com)
Kim Kirchen (Columbia-HTC) rides in Vuelta a España stage four.(Image credit: Lavuelta.com)
Martijn Maaskant (Garmin-Slipstream) leads the group.(Image credit: Lavuelta.com)
Ireland's Daniel Martin (Garmin-Slipstream) rides in Vuelta a España stage four.(Image credit: Lavuelta.com)
Maciej Bodnar (Liquigas) leads the race.(Image credit: Lavuelta.com)
Javier Ramírez (Andalucía-Cajasur) leads the escape group in Vuelta a España's stage to Liège, Belgium(Image credit: Lavuelta.com)
Javier Ramírez (Andalucía-Cajasur) and Dominik Roels (Milram)(Image credit: Lavuelta.com)
Spanish fans welcome the Vuelta a España in Belgium(Image credit: Lavuelta.com)
Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne), r, rides next to teammate Joaquím Rodríguez.(Image credit: Lavuelta.com)
Lieuwe Westra (Vacansoleil) on the attack(Image credit: Lavuelta.com)
The Vuelta a España passes a windmill in The Netherlands.(Image credit: Lavuelta.com)
Christian Meier (Garmin-Slipstream) leads up the Cauberg in Valkenburg in Vuelta a España stage four.(Image credit: Lavuelta.com)
The riders climb the Cauberg in Valkenburg in Vuelta a España stage four.(Image credit: Lavuelta.com)
Julian Dean gives Garmin-Slipstream teammate Tyler Farrar his wheel.(Image credit: Lavuelta.com)
Chris Horner (Astana) in pain after stage four, he fractured his wrist in a crash with 2.5 kilometres to race.(Image credit: Lavuelta.com)
Philippe Gilbert (Silence-Lotto), r, attacks with Kim Kirchen (Columbia-HTC), l.(Image credit: Lavuelta.com)
German André Greipel (Columbia-HTC) wins stage four of the Vuelta a España in Liège, Belgium.(Image credit: Lavuelta.com)
He may have missed out on the stage win yesterday but Columbia-HTC's André Greipel made amends with an emphatic victory in the iconic Belgian city of Liège today, although not in the manner he may have envisioned. Rather than triumph in a bunch gallop, the German won a small sprint ahead of Quick Step's Wouter Weylandts and Columbia-HTC teammates Bert Grabsch and Marcel Sieberg.
On a day befitting a trip into Belgian territory there was constant rain, the inevitable - and regular - crashes, plus the anticipated attacks from those with aspirations of a win in the final 15 kilometres. The major punctuation mark of the last three kilometres was a massive crash, the biggest of the day's spills that cleaned up overall leader Fabian Cancellara and half the peloton, although the Swiss rider maintained his advantage on general classification due to the timing of the accident.
Whilst Greg Henderson was the beneficiary of confusion in yesterday's finale, fortune smiled on Greipel today as he was one of a half-dozen riders who avoided the carnage and fought for stage honours. He demonstrated why he is one of the strongest sprinters in this year's race with a convincing sprint that followed one of the biggest crashes of the season. His Columbia-HTC train kept him out of trouble, the team's positioning vital in avoiding the mishap that ruled out many of the contenders in Liège.
Get off the brakes!
Today's break check: the five kilometre mark. The 'lucky' four who got to spend most of the 225 kilometres off the front of the peloton? Javier Ramirez Abeja (Andalucía - Cajasur), Lars Boom (Rabobank), Dominik Roels (Milram) and Sergey Lagutin (Vacansoleil). The escape held a maximum advantage in excess of 14 minutes before it was time for it to be gradually absorbed back into the peloton.
Two ascensions of the Cauberg were good for Boom who took mountains points on home turf. In the future it's likely we'll be seeing the Dutchman fighting for honours in the Amstel Gold Race on the same climb, although today's stage was all about getting to Liège with a suitable compliment of points for his efforts. He did just that and will wear the crimson climber's jersey when the race resumes on Thursday.
Back in the pack there was more bad luck for Garmin-Slipstream - this time it was Svein Tuft who joined Julian Dean on the deck in the wet conditions, the accident not seriously hindering the chances of the American squad. In front of the peloton, Lagutin and Roels came down on the approach to a roundabout; no harm done, although it guaranteed a spike in the Uzbekistan national champion's heart rate.
As the speed of the main group increased the crashes flowed - Jose Angel Gomez Marchante (Cervélo TestTeam), David Lopez Garcia (Xacobeo Galicia), Daniel Martin (Garmin-Slipstream) and Jakob Fuglsang (Saxo Bank) all came down, the latter quite awkwardly in a collision with a heavy truck trailer parked on the side of the road. The young Dane was able to continue with some help from teammate Stuart O'Grady - fortunate, given the hopes placed on the 24-year-old who has a propensity for delivering great climbing performances.
Liège, here we come!
As the break hit the Mont Theux, the gap had dwindled to just 2:35 whilst the peloton looked like it was building momentum and motivation for the task at hand - i.e. - battle the elements and the escapees to deliver the sprinters to the finish. The question remained, however: would the fast men be thwarted?
Heading into the final 35 kilometres of the stage only two men remained off the front of the peloton - Roels and Ramirez decided it was time to thrash it out away from their break companions as Boom, his day's points gathering done, opted for a soft pedal back to the bunch and possibly some work in getting Oscar Freire to the finish in prime position. Lagutin figured it was all academic at this point and followed suit, undoubtedly relishing the appeal of a rest day tomorrow.
Johnny Hoogerland tried his luck within the final 30 kilometres of the stage, although nothing came of the sortie from one of yesterday's escapees. Another breakaway rider and Hoogerland's teammate, Lieuwe Westra, also hit out and quickly gained some time off the front of the peloton. He caught Roels and Ramirez in a last-ditch attempt at gaining the upper hand over the main bunch.
As the remnants of the break made its way into the city centre of Liège, stage two winner Gerald Ciolek found himself getting up off the ground, the victim of another crash. Like those spills before his, the German was able to continue without paying too much for the misfortune. While Milram's sprinter went down the chances of the escape went in a similar direction, the Saint-Nicolas climb putting paid to the likelihood of it staying away.
This tricky climb signaled the final 15 kilometres of the 225-kilometre journey from Venlo and the starting point for the real attacks from those with Classics pedigree - the likes of Kim Kirchen and Philippe Gilbert made their presence known at the head of proceedings. It preceded a stinging foray by Lampre's Enrico Gasparotto which never really looked like sticking.
Gasparotto's capture began the machinations from Rabobank, Milram, Garmin-Slipstream, Liquigas, Columbia-HTC and Quick Step, but suddenly there was a touch of wheels and carnage at a roundabout with less than three kilometres remaining. It left just the latter two squads represented in the final two kilometres of racing while the clean up continued behind. Columbia-HTC can thank itself for missing the crash with its train ensuring Greipel would be in a position to win.
Rest days and retirements
Disappointing news for the Silence-Lotto squad, with Charly Wegelius the first rider to abandon the Vuelta. It was hoped he would be a key ally of Cadel Evans in the mountains, although two Grand Tours and a miserably wet day took their toll on the Brit. Bad luck for Astana also, as the unfortunate incident near the finish may have signaled the end of Chris Horner's race, the American wincing in pain whilst receiving treatment. Tomorrow's rest day, an early one in a Grand Tour, will undoubtedly be well received by the peloton.