Stage 4: SISTERON>ORCIÈRES-MERLETTE
The profile doesn’t look that bad compared to some other days, but the riders had four climbs to deal with in additional the final category 1 to reach the finish line at the top.
Six riders went into the breakaway at the beginning of the day. The peloton gave them a maximum lead of around four minutes, but kept them in check as the main contenders had eyes on the stage finish. Tiesj Benoot had a spectacular crash with 25km to go, flipping over the barrier along the descent, his bike seat broken off. He came out relatively unscathed, hopped on his spare, and caught up with the breakaway quickly.
Krists Neilands took the lead by himself on the penultimate climb but was reeled in by the peloton at the bottom of the final climb of the day.
A pack of about 40 riders quickly made their way up the steep climb, many with hopes of a stage win. Ultimately Primoz Roglic won the day.
Julian Alaphilippe kept his yellow jersey another day. Sam Bennett is tied on points with Peter Sagan who will wear the green jersey again. And the King of the Mountains leader remains Benoit Cosnefroy.
