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Vuelta a San Juan Internacional 2019: Stage 4

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 Hello and welcome to our live coverage of stage 4 of the Vuelta a San Juan. Today's stage runs 185.8km from San José de Jáchal - Valle Fértil to Villa San Agustín.

An early start for the race today (it's around 11am local time), and despite the big lump in the middle of the profile, it should be one for the sprinters.

After yesterday's time trial, Deceuninck-Quick Step rider Iljo Keisse was ejected from the race by organisers after feigning a sexual act behind a waitress in a bar.

Deceuninck-Quick Step man and stage 1 winner Fernando Gaviria will be the favourite for victory today. 

Today's stage officially starts at 11:05am local time, so 20 minutes away. The neutralised start should be coming up right about now, while tv coverage will get underway in ten minutes.

UAE Team Emirates man and stage 1 winner Fernando Gaviria will be the favourite for victory today. 

UAE Team Emirates man and stage 1 winner Fernando Gaviria will be the favourite for victory today. 

UAE Team Emirates man and stage 1 winner Fernando Gaviria will be the favourite for victory today. 

Live television coverage should be starting soon on Eurosport Player.

Today's route has two intermediate sprints, coming 36km and 146km into the stage.

Stage 4 is underway now.

The peloton has left San José de Jáchal but we're still waiting for live pictures.

Deceuninck-Quick Step have two wins in three days so far, both courtesty of Julian Alaphilippe, while youngster Remco Evenepoel took his first ever podium finish as a professional in yesterday's time trial. 

In the meantime, you can check out our new Cyclingnews Women's Edition Podcast. The first episode is available today, and features interviews with CCC-Liv rider Ashley Moolman-Pasio and Trek-Segafredo DS Ina Yoko Teutenberg.

178km remaining from 185km

178km remaining from 185km

178km remaining from 185km

Here's a look at the finish of today's stage. It's all flat, with two turns in the final kilometre. It shouldn't pose too much trouble for the sprinters.

Still no live pictures, but there is a breakaway up the road now.

The first intermediate sprint of the day is coming up soon, to be contested by the six men in the break.

Finally we have some live pictures. Asociacion Civil Mardan are working on the front of the peloton having missed out on the break. Julien Vermote (Dimension Data) and Petr Vakoc (Deceuninck-Quick Step) are up there too.

150km remaining from 185km

The entire Asociacion Civil Mardan team is up there at the head of the strung-out peloton. Four minutes is a big gap to bring back, though.

The first on-screen time check shows a gap to the peloton is now 8:45, so the Argentine team's efforts will be in vain.

Vermote and Vakoc are still there, rotating back and forth with the men in orange. Vakoc is riding for race leader Julian Alaphilippe, as well as Deceuninck-Quick Step sprinter Alvaro Hodeg, while Vermote is working on behalf of Dimension Data sprinter Mark Cavendish.

145km remaining from 185km

The riders are currently passing through Ischigualasto Provincial Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its rock formations and fossil beds.

Some interesting kits in the break today, from the orange of Municipalidad de Rawson Somos Todos to the bright red and yellow of Agrupacion Virgen De Fatima and the ill-advised all-white getup of the Uruguay national team.

Laureano Rosas (Asociacion Civil Mardan) shows off a tattoo on his bicep for the camera. It's unclear what exactly it was.

Fernando Gaviria is having a chat with his ex-leadout man Maximiliano Richeze in the peloton. Not much going on at the moment as we await the first climb of the day.

115km remaining from 185km

Here's a reminder of the mountain classification standings as we near the first climb of the day.

110km remaining from 185km

The gap from the break to the peloton is now down to 5:15.

There has been a crash in the peloton. It looks like two Lotto-Soudal riders were involved, as well as a rider from Neri Sottoli.

100km remaining from 185km

94km remaining from 185km

Zamora and Cesar Paredes are alone out front now, with 6km remaining until the third and final climb of the day.

Navarro was third over the climb, actually. Mendez took fourth. Navarro is with the two leaders now.

This is the Peruvian national team's debut at the Vuelta a San Juan and they have a very pleasing kit - red and white with mini triangles dotted over the jersey.

Tiesj Benoot has some blood on his arm. He must've been one of the Lotto riders to hit the deck earlier.

83km remaining from 185km

It's a downhill run all the way to the finish now.

83km remaining from 185km

76km remaining from 185km

The updated mountain classification standings after today's climbs...

The updated mountain classification standings after today's climbs...

64km remaining from 185km

63km remaining from 185km

Bora, UAE, Quick Step and Asociacion Civil Mardan are working at the front of the peloton, with the Argentine team well-represented at the front all day long so far.

We're around 15km from the final intermediate sprint of the day now. The gap is down to 1:25.

The riders are on a long, straight stretch of road and the peloton almost have the break in their sights.

47km remaining from 185km

44km remaining from 185km

Meanwhile, the peloton have eased off the pace a bit, letting the gap go back up to almost two minutes. They didn't want to make the catch too early, it seems.

Correction: With a bike throw at the line, Zamora snuck ahead of Paredes at the intermediate sprint.

 

38km remaining from 185km

The gap is still up around the two-minute mark. Pawel Poljanski (Bora-Hansgrohe) is at the front of the peloton.

30km remaining from 185km

The physical gap between the peloton and break doesn't look much different, but the peloton look to be be upping the pace now as we edge closer to the finish.

26km remaining from 185km

24km remaining from 185km

165km remaining from 185km

17km remaining from 185km

14km remaining from 185km

13km remaining from 185km

Meanwhile, the Brazilian national team have taken up the pacemaking at the head of the peloton.

11km remaining from 185km

...And the peloton manage to pass through without any problems. They did have to slow down quite considerably though.

10km remaining from 185km

9km remaining from 185km

UAE Team Emirates have sent a man up front.

6km remaining from 185km

5km remaining from 185km

4km remaining from 185km

2km remaining from 185km

The break has been caught. So close yet so far for the duo.

1km remaining from 185km

Alaphilippe is leading the peloton, working in the leader's jersey for Alvaro Hodeg.

Richeze is leading out Hodeg. Consonni launches for Gaviria!

Gaviria fights off Sagan for the win! The Slovak was on the wrong side of Gaviria and looked to have the momentum to get past, but just missed out at the line.

Gaviria beat Sagan, while Hodeg took third.

It's Gaviria's second win of the race, second of the season and second for his new team, UAE Team Emirates.

Here's the top ten on the stage.

We're waiting for the updated general classification, but Gaviria won't have taken the race lead back from Julian Alaphilippe.

And here's the updated GC after today's stage. Alaphilippe retains the race lead, 8 seconds ahead of Gaviria, while Conti lies in third at 22 seconds.

It's a rest day tomorrow, but the climbers will be coming out to play on Friday. The summit finish of the Alto Colorado lies in wait.

That's all from us today, so we'll see you on Friday.

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