Vuelta a España stage 4 LIVE – The riders tackle the final climb of the day

1. Sean Quinn (EF Education-EasyPost) 5pts
2. Joel Nicolau (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) 3pts
3. Louis Vervaeke (Soudal-QuickStep) 1pt

That means Nicolau will wear polka dots tomorrow!

2025-08-26T11:57:50.524Z

Quinn leads over the climb with 35″ on the chasers and 2’45” back to the peloton.

Sean Quinn (EF Education-EasyPost)

The former American champion and most combative rider of yesterday goes clear just before the summit of the climb. He has 20″ on the chasers.

The riders near the top of the Lautaret. There is a lot of downhill to come after this before a long flat section to the finish in Voiron.

2025-08-26T11:51:20.634Z

Three minutes split the break and bunch.

🏁 – 133 km | Stage 4️⃣ – Etapa 4️⃣ | #LaVuelta25
🚴‍♂️ The breakaway of 5 men is still out front as the riders make their way up Lautaret
⛰ Los 5 escapados, Aparicio, Nicolau, Vervaeke, Quinn y Benneu, ya suben Lautaret
⏱️ + 3’05” Peloton
#VueltaLIVE

And handle it they are as Lidl-Trek have brought the gap to the break down to two minutes with the largest climb of the day about to start, the 13.8km long category two climb of the Col du Lautaret. Average gradients are a steady 4.3% but it goes higher than 2000 metres above sea level.

2025-08-26T11:23:28.528Z

Giulio Ciccone of Lidl-Trek spoke to La Vuelta’s media team before the stage about his team’s performance and today suiting Pedersen…

“I think until now we did a good performance as a team, and we would like to continue like this. We missed victory, but we still have many occasions and we continue like this. The first 80 km will be very fast and hard I think, with these two long climbs. Then, it will be a long downhill and flat. On paper, it’s a good stage for Pedersen. We’ll see during the stage if we can handle it.”

2025-08-26T11:18:06.536Z

The pace in the peloton has been dramatically upped by Lidl-Trek and a minute is immediately sliced off the gap to the break.

Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal-QuickStep)

Shock abandon after the Frenchman moved into the top 10 yesterday. His team announce that he leaves due to illness.

The gap has grown again to almost three and a half minutes between the peloton and the breakaway.

2025-08-26T11:04:02.713Z

The race now descends to Briançon. A place that now has a rare accolade of being able to say it has hosted all three Grand Tours with the Tour de France being a regular but also the Giro d’Italia has visited before as well.

2025-08-26T11:00:09.115Z

It is all to play for in the battle for red today with a huge chance for Gaudu to take it from Vingegaard.

❤️ The battle for Red is close in time. Now the placement on the stage will decide 👀 Who will wear it at the end of the day?
❤️ La lucha por La Roja está que arde. El 𝑝𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑜́𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑟𝑜, decisivo 👀
#LaVuelta25

1. Louis Vervaeke (Soudal-QuickStep) 5pts
2. Joel Nicolau (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) 3pts
3. Sean Quinn (EF Education-EasyPost) 1pt

Nicolau misses out on going level on points with KoM leader, Alessandro Verre (Arkea-B&B Hotels).

The riders are about to go over the top of the Montgenévre climb.

2025-08-26T10:47:46.975Z

The peloton is being controlled by the expected teams of Lidl-Trek and Alpecin-Deceuninck as they try and set up their sprinters, Mads Pedersen and Jasper Philipsen.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2025-08-26T10:45:25.715Z

The race is in it’s final few kilometres on Italian soil before going into France.

Carlos García Pierna (Burgos-Burpellet-BH)

The Spanish rider has had to step off the bike as he can go no further. He is the fourth rider to leave the race after Guillaume Martin (Groupama-FDJ), Axel Zingle (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Jorge Arcas (Movistar) left yesterday.

2025-08-26T10:33:52.728Z

The break are working well together but their advantage is decreasing with 2’45” now splitting them and the peloton.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2025-08-26T10:31:42.626Z

The riders are about to start the second climb of the day, the Montgenévre. This is a category 2 climb that is 8.3km long and has an average gradient of 6.1%. There are 5, 3 and 1 point(s) available at the top. Also, as they go over the top, they will enter France.

The gap has stabilised between the breakaway and the peloton at 3’15”.

🏁 – 183 km | Stage 4️⃣ – Etapa 4️⃣
5️⃣ riders are in the break at the head of the race!
¡5️⃣ corredores en cabeza de carrera!
🇧🇪 Louis Vervaeke
🇪🇸 Mario Aparicio
🇪🇸 Joel Nicolau
🇺🇸 Sean Quinn
🇧🇪 Kamiel Bonneu
⏱️3’11” Peloton
#LaVuelta25 #VueltaLIVE

1. Joel Nicolau (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) 3pts
2. Louis Vervaeke (Soudal-QuickStep) 2pts
3. Mario Aparicio (Burgos-Burpellet-BH) 1pt

2025-08-26T10:03:41.042Z

Leaders:

Louis Vervaeke (Soudal-QuickStep)
Mario Aparicio (Burgos-Burpellet-BH)
Sean Quinn (EF Education-EasyPost)
Kamiel Bonneu (Inetermarche-Wanty)
Joel Nicolau (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA)

They have 30″ on the chasing pack.

2025-08-26T10:00:52.280Z

A new move comes again as a likely dash for the KoM points at the top of the Exilles climb. There are 3, 2 and 1 point(s) available.

2025-08-26T09:59:48.220Z

That move is also brought back as the race nears the top of the Exilles climb.

2025-08-26T09:57:58.965Z

A new move goes clear with a small gap on the pursuing bunch.

2025-08-26T09:57:23.255Z

That attack by Van der Lee is successful only in a sense that it has dragged the whole break back into the peloton’s clutches and the fight starts over again.

2025-08-26T09:56:40.934Z

Another attack in the peloton…

Jardi van der Lee (EF Education-EasyPost)

The Dutch rider has his teammate, Nururkar, up the road already but they are looking to get another rider to the front. He crashed yesterday with XDS-Astana’s Harold Lopez but appears unaffected.

2025-08-26T09:54:54.140Z

Nururkar bridges to the four leaders making it five in front with a gap of 25″ on the peloton.

The few KMs are ticked off as the race is climbing in the Italian Alps as they head to the French border.

2025-08-26T09:53:42.507Z

One rider in the chase is young Briti, Lukas Nururkar (EF Education-EasyPost). He is about equidistant between the peloton and break at 8″ in both directions.

2025-08-26T09:51:25.358Z

The peloton don’t seem too happy to let the four man break go just yet with around 15 to 20 seconds between the them.

2025-08-26T09:49:20.691Z

Onto the first climb of the day, the 5.6km long category 3 Exilles climb which has an average gradient of 5.6%.

Jonas Gregaard (Lotto)
Kelland O’Brien (Jayco-AlUla)
Joel Nicolau (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA)
Simone Petilli (Intermarche-Wanty)

They have 10″ on the peloton at the moment.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The start is given and the racing begins on stage four of La Vuelta 2025!

💥 Here is the real start of stage 4️⃣, and the action starts immediately!
💪 ¡Salida lanzada de la etapa 4️⃣… que empieza con ataque !
👋 Grupo Empresa Enfersa-Fertiberia Avilés | #LaVuelta25 #VueltaLIVE

The riders begin the roll out of Susa and head for the Alps with a 6.1km long neutralized section.

2025-08-26T09:25:38.848Z

In the past, this would not have been a day for the sprinters but the sport has changed and now sprinters are much more versatile and capable of getting over some huge climbs in pursuit of victory.

2025-08-26T09:24:47.843Z

After the Lautaret, though, there is a very long descent that takes the riders from around 130km to go to around 50km to go and aside from one little lump, it is almost entirely flat after that to Voiron.

2025-08-26T09:22:47.459Z

After that there is a descent for the riders to recuperate and maybe relax before more false flat heading to the Col du Lautaret, the highest point of the day at just over 2000 metres. The category two climb is 13.8km long and has an average gradient of 4.3%.

2025-08-26T09:21:09.563Z

After the Exilles the road doesn’t really descent much as they tackle false flat to the next climb, the category two Montgenévre where the race enters France with the 8.3km climb having an average gradient of 6.1% and a peak altitude of over 1800 metres.

2025-08-26T09:19:41.695Z

The start of the first climb today comes after just 4km with the category three Exilles climb. 5.6km with an average gradient of 5.6%.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2025-08-26T09:17:06.907Z

Neutral start is due in just 10 minutes.

2025-08-26T09:16:51.933Z

The riders are signed on and ready to go on the fourth stage of the 2025 La Vuelta with the stage starting in Susa and heading over 206.7km to Voiron.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2025-08-26T09:10:44.771Z

The jerseys today:

Red, GC – Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike)
Green, Points – Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike)*
Polka dots, KoM – Alessandro Verre (Arkea-B&B Hotels)
White, U25 – Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)

*Worn by – Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek)

2025-08-26T09:07:45.969Z

The race leaves Italian soil today just before the top of the second climb on the stage, the Montgenévre. Then the race has it’s one and only day in France before finally making it to Spain tomorrow.

However, more international visits await with Andorra and Portugal also on the menu in the next three weeks.

2025-08-26T09:04:18.214Z

Vingegaard took part in yesterday’s uphill sprint and took third but was also up there in the intermediate sprint as the Danish star looks for bonus seconds and his top shape…