As it happened: Groves powers to victory on Vuelta a España stage 4 as Evenepoel holds onto red

Hello and welcome to our Live coverage of stage 4 of La Vuelta a España 2023.

The first day of mountains are behind us with the general classification starting to take shape. 

Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) has the red jersey but how is he feeling after his tumble just after winning yesterday's stage?

Will there be even more drama to add to what has been an enthralling first three stages of the final Grand Tour of the season.

Apparently there has already been more drama. With four men arrested for allegedly planning on sabotaging the race by pouring 400 litres of cooking oil on the riders.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the local police said: "With this mechanism they intended to sabotage yesterday's stage of La Vuelta. Two drums with 400 litres of liquid that they intended to throw on the road as the peloton passed four people arrested red-handed in Lleida."

The jerseys going into stage four are:

Red - Remco Evenepoel (SOQ) BEL
Green - Andrea Vendrame (ACT) ITA
Polka dots - Remco Evenepoel (SOQ) BEL, worn by Eduardo Sepúlveda (LTD) ARG
White - Remco Evenepoel (SOQ) BEL, worn by Lenny Martinez (GFC) FRA

GC top 10 going into stage four:

1. Remco Evenepoel (SOQ) BEL 8:43'11"
2. Enric Mas (MOV) ESP +5"
3. Lenny Martinez (GFC) FRA +11"
4. Jonas Vingegaard (TJV) DEN +31"
5. Aleksandr Vlasov (BOH) +33"
6. Cian Uijtdebroeks (BOH) BEL S.T.
7. Romain Bardet (DSM) FRA +35"
8. Santiago Buitrago (TBV) COL S.T.
9. Wilco Kelderman (TJV) NED +37"
10. Primož Roglič (TJV) SLO S.T.

Today is a big opportunity for the sprinters at the race. 

All of them made it well within the time limit yesterday with the vast majority finishing together in the grupetto.

The main favourites for today are:

Kaden Groves (ADC) AUS
Bryan Coquard (COF) FRA
Sebastian Molano (UAD) COL
Alberto Dainese (DSM) ITA
Milan Menten (LTD) BEL
Edward Theuns (LTK) BEL
Marijn van den Berg (EFE) NED
Hugo Hofstetter (ARK) FRA

However! This might not be as simple as the peloton controlling the race. The two climbs in the second half of the stage could cause problems for the fast men.

If a strong breakaway can get away then they can definitely hammer home their advantage on the ascents. 

Alto de Belltall (9.3km at an average gradient of 3.7%)
Coll de Lilla (5.2km at an average gradient of 4.9%)

The summit of the final climb comes with 30km to go. 

Race start

We are racing! 

Immediately there were attacks and three riders get away. 

They are:

Eduardo Sepúlveda (LTD) ARG
Ander Okamika (BBH) ESP
David González (CJR) ESP

They have a gap of 1'20" on the peloton. 

This break looks to have gone. The gap is already over two minutes. Perfect for the sprinters teams and ideal for Sepúlveda as now he can potentially take the polka dot jersey our right. 

The best placed rider in the break is Sepúlveda. But the Argentinian is almost 10 minutes down on Evenepoel at the start of today.

160km to go, gap at 2'14"

The race seems to have settled with the sprinters teams, mainly Alpecin-Deceuninck, pinning the break to just over two minutes. 

Team dsm-firmenich join Alpecin-Deceuninck on the front for their Italian sprinter, Alberto Dainese. 

Dainese showed solid form at the recent Arctic Race of Norway, where he sprinted to victory on the opening stage. He also took a stage of the Giro d'Italia this year. 

Colombian star Nairo Quintana was at the start in Andorra la Vella today and was seen chatting to the bosses of both UAE Team Emirates and Movistar. 

The former Giro and Vuelta winner was dropped by Arkéa Samsic after he was found to have taken Tramadol. He also had all his UCI points removed from the 2022 Tour de France.

Since then, the climber has been linked to almost every European and South American team going. With almost all coming out and denying he has signed for them. Except for Colombian team, Medellín - EPM, who publicly offered him a contract. He refused and they signed Miguel Ángel López instead, who has since been suspended from racing.  

The first 45 minutes of racing have been fast with the average speed sticking to around 50kph (30mph). The break are not hanging around, but the peloton are not letting them off the leash. 

It was a tough day for Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) yesterday with the Welshman losing over 45" on Evenepoel. Read what he had to say after the stage by clicking the link below...

'Legless' Geraint Thomas rues tough day at the Vuelta a España

140km to go, gap coming down

The pace has changed in the race with the gap between the break of Sepúlveda, Okamika and González and the peloton dipping to under two minutes. 

Are they losing their legs or are they trying to deliberately slow the peloton down to save energy for the upcoming climbs later in the stage.

The kilometres are being ticked off so quickly today. The riders have done the first 50km of the race in just under an hour. 

The gap is continuing to gradually close. It is now at 1'48" between the bunch and the trio of riders up the road.  

The current temperature is a very pleasant 24 degrees Celsius with a wind now dropping to 7kph. It was at around 20kph earlier but has slipped away as the day has gone on. 

Some red touches to Evenepoel's bike today... 

120km to go, 1'48" gap

The peloton are not giving anything away at all today. But this could come back to bike them if teams with no sprinters decide to attack on the two climbs of today in the second half of the stage.  

The sunshine is blazing down on the riders today with
Intermarché-Circus-Wanty joining Alpecin-Deceuninck and Team dsm-firmenich on the front of the peloton. Temperature jumping up to 26 degrees C and is said to hit 30 later today. 

It is the classic view of La Vuelta with the scorched landscape, wide road and baking sunshine. 

Meanwhile, at the back of the bunch, Primož Roglič has been at the car needing some tweaks to his bike and a chat. He is now being guided back to the front by teammates Attila Valter and Sepp Kuss.

My favourite Tweet yesterday was from Egan Bernal where he posted these pictures of him and Geraint Thomas with the caption "Like old times with The Boss Geraint Thomas"

A very special day for 20-year-old Grand Tour debutant, Lenny Martinez of Groupama-FDJ, who wears the white jersey for Remco Evenepoel today.

100km to go, 1'14"

Gap continues to be closed. Almost hitting the minute mark between the break and the bunch. 

Break and peloton now well over the halfway point of the stage. Just Jimmy Janssens (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Romain Combaud (Team dsm-firmenich) leading the peloton. Gap to the break is now 1'17".

Soudal-QuickStep are sat immediately behind the leading duo in the peloton with Evenepoel in seventh wheel.

A reminder of the breakaway rider:

Eduardo Sepúlveda (LTD) ARG
Ander Okamika (BBH) ESP
David González (CJR) ESP

They now have 1'32" gap on the peloton as it stands. 

80km to go, gap going out again

With just the two riders on the front of the peloton, the gap to the break has gone back out to 1'49".

The peloton really did respond to the breakaway pushing the pace as they took a minute out of them in the last 10km. We're around 10km away from the first KoM of the day, the Alto de Belltall.

There is a block crosswind all the way to the line now at about 14kph. It isn't strong enough to create echelons, though. 

Alpecin-Deceuninck have brought the entire team to the front with Kaden Groves being looked after by the newly crowned mountain bike short-track world champion, Sam Gaze. 

Lotto-Dstny, EF Education-EasyPost, UAE Team Emirates and Jumbo-Visma have also moved up. 

We are climbing! The Alto de Belltall. 9.3km with an average gradient of 3.7%.

60km to go, 1'16" gap

The peloton have just let the gap drift out a little bit but they still have the leading trio well under control.

Remco Evenepoel well protected by his Soudal-QuickStep squad. He was very isolated on the final climb yesterday. Will the strength in depth from Jumbo-Visma and UAE Team Emirates prove to be too much in the end for the Belgian champion?

KoM sprint (Alto de Belltall)

Eduardo Sepúlveda (LTD) ARG 3pts
David González (CJR) ESP 2pts
Ander Okamika (BBH) ESP 1pt

The new KoM standings (Top 3)

1. Eduardo Sepúlveda (LTD) ARG 13pts
2. Remco Evenepoel (SOQ) BEL 10pts
3. Matteo Sobrero (JAY) ITA 6pts

50km to go, 57" gap

Gap dips under a minute. 

Like every single road stage we have had so far, Team dsm-firmenich's Chris Hamilton is on the front of the bunch hammering the pace for his sprinter, Dainese. 

The gap dips under 30" now. The team cars and neutral service are taken out of the gap. It looks like the break will not make it to the KoM sprint on the next climb. 

Onto the Coll de Lilla. The second of the Cat3 climbs today. But this is a harder average gradient. However, it is much shorter. Just 5.2km long with the average gradient just under 5%. Just 34" between the break and the peloton. 

Pace change. Alpecin-Deceuninck move to the front again with multiple other teams trying to swamp them as they head onto the gradients of the Coll de Lilla. 

A real outsider for today has just been moved up towards the front by his Caja Rural teammates. And that is the Venezuelan champion, Orluis Aular. With the small incline to the line, it could suit his credentials more than one of the purer sprinters. 

KoM spirnt (Coll de Lilla)

Eduardo Sepúlveda (LTD) ARG 3pts
Ander Okamika (BBH) ESP 2pts
David González (CJR) ESP 1pt

30km to go, 18" gap

The break make it over the final climb. However, they are not going to be out front for too much longer. 

Eduardo Sepúlveda sits up from the breakaway and leaves Okamika and González out front to battle for the most combative prize.

Sepúlveda caught by the peloton who are really flying now. Multiple teams swarming around the front of the bunch as they all try and take control. 

AG2R-Citroen move up for Vendrame and the intermediate sprint.

Intermediate sprint

Ander Okamika (BBH) ESP 20pts
David González (CJR) ESP 17pts
Marijn van den Berg (EFE) NED 15pts
Andrea Vendrame (ACT) ITA 13pts
Sebastian Molano (UAD) COL 10pts

Breakaway caught. 

Ineos Grenadiers move to the front with the entire team. Filippo Ganna and Kim Heiduk could have a good go at this finish. 

10km to go

Ineos Grenadiers still leading with Ganna on the front, so he will not be going for the finish. So many roundabouts to contend with in this final today. 

Ganna and Heiduk focusing on keeping their GC riders as safe as possible instead of looking for their own results which is understandable. Omar Fraile joins them at the front now too. 

Soudal-QuickStep, Bahrain Victorious, Jumbo-Visma, UAE Team Emirates, Movistar and Jayco-AlUla all on the front now. 

5km to go

Now the sprinters teams move back up to challenge the GC teams are the positioning for the finish clashes with the GC riders keeping riders up to the front for the 3km rule. 

Elie Gesbert (ARK) has been dropped. Not looking great for him so far in this race. 

Crash including Coquard and Buitrago

Several riders down including Bryan Coquard and Santiago Buitrago who both stay on the ground. And this is outside the 3km rule. 

Dylan van Baarle leads the peloton but it is Milan Menten's Lotto-Dstny men who are on his wheel as the roundabouts stretch the peloton right out. 

UAE Team Emirates fly to the front for Sebastian Molano as well as Lidl-Trek for Edward Theuns. 

Flamme Rouge! 

Alpecin-Deceuninck have the most riders with Groves perfectly places. Van den Berg following him along with Molano. 

500m to go. Aular, Menten, Hostetter and Askey all moving up too. 

Crash

Marijn van den Berg 

Sebastian Molano launched first but Kaden Groves wins stage four of La Vuelta a España! 

It looked like he almost gave up but Molano started to fade and Groves summoned something deep within him to pass the Colombian to take the stage. 

Stage 4 top 10

1. Kaden Groves (ADC) AUS 4:05'41"
2. Sebastian Molano (UAD) COL
3. Edward Theuns (LTK) BEL
4. Milan Menten (LTD) BEL
5. Dries Van Gestel (TEN) BEL
6. Orluis Aular (CJR) VEN
7. Hugo Page (ICW) FRA
8. Lewis Askey (GFC) GBR
9. Sean Flynn (DSM) GBR all S.T.
10. Andrea Vendrame (ACT) ITA +6"

A fine victory from the Australian sprinter.

As it stands, Evenepoel, Vlasov, Mas and Vingegaard all gain four seconds on Ayuso, Roglič, Arensman, Martinez, Almeida, Thomas and the rest of the GC contenders. 

Provisional GC after stage 4

1. Remco Evenepoel (SOQ) BEL 12:48'58"
2. Enric Mas (MOV) ESP +5"
3. Lenny Martinez (GFC) FRA +15"
4. Jonas Vingegaard (TJV) DEN +31"
5. Aleksandr Vlasov (BOH) +33"
6. Cian Uijtdebroeks (BOH) BEL +37"
7. Romain Bardet (DSM) FRA +39"
8. Primož Roglič (TJV) SLO +41"
9. Juan Ayuso (UAD) ESP +42"
10. Marc Soler (UAD) ESP +46"

This may change with timing corrections. 

Read the full race report of today's stage by clicking the link below...

Vuelta a España stage 4: Kaden Groves powers to sprint victory in Tarragona

Thanks to Groves' points that he took today and on stage two where he came second behind Kron, he takes the lead in the green jersey standings ahead of Vendrame with his 75pts to the Italian's 62pts. 

Looking towards tomorrow's stage, the profile is very similar to today. 

Saying that, the climbs are a little tougher. The last climb does top out further from the finish, though. Maybe a larger break can for a bigger gap than today. 

But Alpecin-Deceuninck have shown that they have the best man for this sort of stage. 

Kaden Groves back on the top step at a Grand Tour with another stage win added to the list. 

Another day in red awaits for Remco Evenepoel

A new look and another visit to the podium for Kaden Groves.

Evenepoel keeps hold of white. Much like today, Lenny Martinez will continue to wear the jersey on his behalf.

And finally, Eduardo Sepúlveda takes the polka dot jersey off of Evenepoel's shoulders as he takes a three point lead on the Belgian. 

And that bring our live to a close. Thank you very much for following the race with us. Hopefully you join us on Cyclingnews again for another live blog as we follow stage 5 of La Vuelta España 2023. But until then, goodbye!