Vuelta a Espana stage 4 Live - The race hits the Basque hills

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the fourth stage of the 2022 Vuelta a España!

Today's stage is the first one in Spain after three in the Netherlands. You can read the reports on each of the opening stages below.

Jumbo-Visma win team time trial in Utrecht to put Gesink in first lead at Vuelta a España

Sam Bennett wins mass sprint to secure stage 2 victory at Vuelta a España

Sam Bennett wins two in a row on stage 3 at Vuelta a España

The start of stage 4 is just under 20 minutes away.

A look at the map of today's stage, which will see the riders race through the Basque Country.

Sam Bennett has won the first two road stages of the race but today won't be a day for the Irish sprinter. The stage brings the first second-category climb of the race as well as an uphill finish to test the puncheurs and GC men.

After the longest stage of the race on Sunday in Breda, today's race is one of the shortest road stages of the Vuelta. At 152.5km it's the shortest one this week.

Jumbo-Visma's Edoardo Affini is in the race lead today. The time triallist is unlikely to still be in red this evening, however. His teammates Sam Oomen, Primož Roglič and Sepp Kuss are prime candidates to take over.

Bennett is in green while Ineos' Ethan Hayter wears white.

EF rider Julius van den Berg is in polka dots as the top climber so far having grabbed three points over the two fourth-category climbs in the Netherlands.

180 riders start today's stage as they roll through the neutral zone. Only Steff Cras (Lotto Soudal) and Michael Woods (Israel-Premier Tech) failed to make it to Spain.

Today the Vuelta visits the Basque Country for the first time since the 2020 race. Back then, Roglič and Marc Soler took stage wins in Arrate and Lekunberri as Irún hosted the race start.

There are plenty of home representatives for Basque fans to cheer over the next few days. Euskaltel-Euskadi hail from the region, while Movistar and Equipo Kern Pharma are based in Navarre, which is part of the historic Basque region.

Home riders include Mikel Landa (Bahrain Victorious), Ander Okamika (Burgos-BH), and the Euskaltel quartet of Mikel Bizkarra, Gotzón Martín, Xabier Azparren, and Mikel Iturria.

150km to go

The riders have finished the neutral zone, the flag has dropped, and the race is underway!

Attacks are flying to start the stage. Alexey Lutsenko (Astana Qazaqstan) and Alessandro De Marchi (Israel-Premier Tech) are among the men on the move.

KOM leader Van den Berg is also on the attack along with Jetse Bol (Burgos-BH) and Xabier Azparren (Euskaltel-Euskadi).

The advantage for De Marchi and Lutsenko is only around 10 seconds at the moment.

143km to go

It's mostly flat terrain here early on. The first climb of the day doesn't come until the 61km mark.

James Shaw (EF Education-EasyPost), Jarrad Drizners (Lotto Soudal), Ander Okamika (Burgos-BH) and Joan Bou (Euskaltel-Euskadi) are among the latest wave of attackers.

40 seconds for Lutsenko and De Marchi currently.

137km to go

The chasers have now made it up to Lutsenko and De Marchi and the peloton has knocked off the pace. It looks like these six riders will form the break of the day.

Two minutes for the breakaway now.

Alexey Lutsenko (Astana Qazaqstan), Alessandro De Marchi (Israel-Premier Tech), James Shaw (EF Education-EasyPost), Jarrad Drizners (Lotto Soudal), Ander Okamika (Burgos-BH) and Joan Bou (Euskaltel-Euskadi) are up the road.

Bora-Hansgrohe, who have won two stages so far with Sam Bennett, control the peloton for the moment.

Lutsenko and De Marchi have both won stages at Vuelta before. 

Lutsenko triumphed from the break at the uphill finish in Alcossebre in 2017. De Marchi has three breakaway stage wins to his name, making up half of his career palmarès, with victories at Alcaudete in 2014, Fuente del Chivo in 2015, and Ribeira Sacra. Luintra in 2018.

130km to go

Jumbo-Visma are also working at the head of the peloton now. They have the overall race lead and occupy the top six spots on GC after winning the opening TTT in Utrecht, of course.

With the breakaway's lead, Lutsenko is now in the virtual red jersey. He lay just 46 seconds away from the race lead at the start of the day.

122km to go

2:30 for the leaders at the moment.

'The enthusiasm is back' says Wout van Aert as World Championships build-up begins

Belgian looking for freshness in light race load ahead of Worlds road race

The gap for the break is up to three minutes now. No worries for the peloton so long from the finish.

105km to go

The situation is quiet at the moment as the break races along 2:30 up on the peloton. They're not getting much leeway from the peloton today.

The break ride into the final 100km of the day and approach the second-category climb of the Puerto de Opakua (5km at 6.9%).

A 46.9kph average speed so far. It's been a quick one.

92km to go

The breakaway riders are on the climb now. No change in the situation up front as the six men remain all together.

Bou leads the way over the top after a battle among the breakaway. Five points for the Euskaltel rider and he's now in the lead of the mountain classification!

3:05 for the break now after that upping of the pace on the climb. Jumbo-Visma and Bora-Hansgrohe remain in control in the peloton.

The speed remains high as the riders zip along the rolling roads following the first hill of the stage.

77km to go

2:05 between the break and peloton now. Jumbo and Bora are pushing the pace.

There are some splits in the peloton due to the hard pace put on at the moment as the riders tackle some small hills.

Jumbo-Visma putting on the pace.

Some riders, including Domenico Pozzovivo, get back into the peloton following the splits.

A minute between the peloton and a group of dropped riders which includes KOM jersey holder Julius van den Berg.

67km to go

1:40 between break and peloton.

The gap between the peloton and break is coming down again now. The men up front have just 1:05 on the chase. 

Van den Berg's dropped group a further 1:10 back.

60km to go

The peloton is all strung out in one long line here. Bora and Jumbo still doing the work.

QuickStep-AlphaVinyl have now sent a man up front to join in with Bora and Jumbo.

As the riders race over some hilly ground, the break has split in two.

Lutsenko, Shaw and De Marchi have opened up a small gap.

52km to go

1:15 to the peloton now as Drizners, Bou, and Okamika are dropped from the break.

Just this trio left out front now after that split.

Alexey Lutsenko (Astana Qazaqstan), Alessandro De Marchi (Israel-Premier Tech), James Shaw (EF Education-EasyPost)

Rémi Cavagna is working on the front of the peloton with Bora and Jumbo at the moment.

44km to go

Just 44 seconds left for the leading trio now.

De Marchi leading the breakaway.

Down to 20 seconds now. Not long left for the break.

The riders are a couple of kilometres away from the intermediate sprint now. Bora will be hoping Bennett can pick up some points here if the catch is made before it.

37km to go

The gap is up to 30 seconds now. Arkéa-Samsic have moved up in the peloton.

Now the pace has upped once again and the peloton are closing in on the breakaway trio.

35km to go

It's come down very quickly but the break will just make it to the sprint.

Shaw led the way over the sprint while Bennett sprinted against Pedersen just a couple of second behind.

It's all back together now after the breakaway trio were caught.

Sam Bennett puts his hand up with a problem. He gets a bike change and drops out the rear of the peloton. Teammate Ryan Mullen is with him.

Meanwhile Ineos Grenadiers are up front in the peloton now. Jumbo-Visma and Bahrain Victorious are also up there.

They're heading uphill now though it isn't a categorised climb.

Bennett took fifth place at the sprint, by the way. Pedersen beat him to fourth, grabbing an extra three points. Bennett is still secure in green by some distance, though.

30km to go

Inside the final 30km of the stage now and it's full gas to the uphill finish.

A third-category hill left to come at 14.5km to go.

With no break to catch and nobody chasing back on at the moment there's little drama on the run to the final climb of the day here.

24km to go

The peloton are racing towards the Puerto de Herrera, though.

 It's 7.3km in length with an average gradient of 4.8% and peaks at 14.5km to go.

A very high pace as Jumbo, Ineos, FDJ lead the way at the front.

Rider fall out of the rear of the peloton as they hit the climb

Trek and Jumbo lead it.

More and more riders drop with the high pace at the front. Lutsenko and Gesink among them.

Red jersey Affini is also dropped. It's likely to be one of his teammates Kuss, Roglič, or Oomen in red tonight.

Juan Ayuso and Sergio Higuita at the rear of the peloton.

20km to go

Still around 50 riders left in there at the moment.

Hayter is on the back of the peloton too.

Jumbo-Visma are in control of the peloton now as they hit the final few kilometres of the climb. All the GC names are just staying safe and in touch at the front.

16km to go

Around 40 men left in the peloton now.

Julian Alaphilippe puts in an attack at the top!

Roglič joins him and several other riders also come across at the top.

There were three bonus seconds on offer at the top.

Relegation Watch: Nairo Quintana's potential lost points could reshape WorldTour battle

Arkéa-Samsic could be dragged back into danger as latest update sees more progress for Lotto Soudal and more worries for Israel-Premier Tech

Roglič took the three bonus seconds at the top there. Now a quick descent.

A crash on the way down for Vojtech Repa (Equipo Kern Pharma) who runs into the grass hillside. He has some cuts on his face and is getting checked over by the race doctor.

10km to go

Evenepoel leading the way down now.

Only around 25 men in the lead group now but more riders are coming back after splits on the top of the hill.

Now several riders are jumping at the front as the group hits the bottom of the descent.

Astana on the move here but it's not going to work.

A quick blast towards the final uphill finish.

6km to go

Now it's all back together as the riders race towards the finish.

Ineos take to the front.

5km to go

Trek and Jumbo also up there.

Now the road starts to kick up and the riders hit the narrow roads in the town of Navaridas.

4km to go

Jumbo, DSM, BikeExchange on the front as the riders head back into the countryside.

Confirmation coming through that Roglič took three bonus seconds on that last classified climb. Alaphilippe took two and Jay Vine took one.

3km to go

Movistar also up front here.

Around 40 riders left in the group.

Movistar with three on the front as the riders approach the final kilometre.

1km to go

Final kilometre for the group now! Movistar still lead.

Roglič moves up to the front.

The gradient bites now.

Roglič to the front with 700m to go.

More riders jumping through but no big moves. Chaves, O'Connor, Valverde.

Hayter is up there, too. Carapaz as well.

Trek-Segafredo at the front now.

A lead-out for Pedersen.

Roglič against Pedersen to the line!

Roglič jumped up the inside and passed Pedersen on the final ramp.

He went long but Pedersen had no answer.

And it's victory for Primož Roglič. He takes red with it.

Enric Mas took third place.

Sivakov fifth, O'Connor sixth, Evenepoel eighth, Hindley 10th.

Roglič won that with some ease in the end. He put several bike lengths into Pedersen there.

Roglič celebrates his victory in Laguardia.

That's the 10th stage win of Roglič's Vuelta career.

Yates, Chaves, Higuita, Carapaz, Landa, Almeida, Urán, Carthy, López all on the wrong side of a seven-second split at the finish line.

Mas, Sivakov, O'Connor, Evenepoel, Kelderman, Hindley, Geoghegan Hart, Kuss finish with the same time as Roglič.

Roglič and Kuss are at the top of the GC standings, by the way. 13 seconds separate the pair.

Hayter is next at 26 seconds. 17 more men lie within a minute of the lead.

Here's a look at our report for stage 4

A look at that dash to the finish.

Roglič in red on the podium.

"The plan was to take the lead today. Today was my turn. Throughout the day the pace was very high, it was a very fast and hard stage. In the end I had the legs and I was able to prove it."

Elsewhere, Sam Bennett retains the points jersey and Ethan Hayter stays in white while Joan Bou of Euskaltel-Euskadi takes over the polka dot mountain jersey.

Check out the current GC standings after stage 4 here