Adam Yates earned a fine victory on Saturday’s queen stage of the Tour de Romandie, his second win for new team UAE-Emirates. For the fifth day in a row, the Tour de Romandie had a new leader, one who also won the stage, Juan Ayuso handing the yellow jersey to teammate Yates the day after the Spaniard pulled it on with a time trial victory. Yates now leads American Matteo Jorgenson by 19 seconds with one day to go.
The Course
There were five categorized climbs spread out across Saturday’s 161.6 km, but the key ascent was the summit finish of Thyon 2000, an HC-rated brute of 20.9 km at 7.6 percent. It was a wet day and quite dreary on the final climb.
#TDR2023🇨🇭 Stage 4 is now rolling, and it’s a demanding day in the saddle ahead for the boys.
Three Cat.1 climbs on the menu today… 😬 pic.twitter.com/MviuiYogtR
— Team Jayco AlUla (@GreenEDGEteam) April 29, 2023
Five escapees skipped clear early on the stage, and one of them, Trek-Segafredo’s Julien Bernard, spent the day consolidating his King of the Mountain lead.
The fugitives were in dribs and drabs by the foot of Thyon 2000 with the peloton 1:37 back, Ayuso’s UAE-Emirates wielding the whip hand. Soon Christophe Juul-Jensen was the last breakaway standing, Thomas de Gendt close behind him. Juul-Jensen received reinforcements as the field drew closer.
With two chaps still in the breakaway, Jayco-AlUla went to the front of the bunch with 12.5 km to go. The Australian team didn’t have anyone in the GC top-15. The fugitives were absorbed.
Suddenly, under DSM’s impetus, there was a split in the peloton and Ayuso wasn’t accounted for. Yates was there, as was second place Jorgenson. From this group Romain Bardet attacked with 6.6 km to go.
ATTAQUE DE ROMAIN BARDET! 🔥#TDR2023 pic.twitter.com/iW89XxDeVW
— Team DSM (@TeamDSM) April 29, 2023
After Yates, Jorgenson and a few others found the Frenchmans again, Bardet once more tried unsuccessfully to fly the coop. Yates made a surge inside 4 km to go and forced a gap. Thibaut Pinot lit out after Yates with 2 km to climb. It was desperate stuff inside the red kite, but Yates hung on.
The categorized climbs of Sunday’s concluding are limited to Cat. 2 and 3 and positioned in the middle of the route.
2023 Tour de Romandie Stage 4
1) Adam Yates (Great Britain/UAE-Emirates) 4:40:41
2) Thibaut Pinot (France/Groupama-FDJ) +0:07
3) Damiano Caruso (Italy/Bahrain-Victorious) +0:19
2023 Tour de Romandie GC
1) Adam Yates (Great…
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