After the Bulgarian triple-header, Team Visma | Lease a Bike had to continue on Italian soil without Wilco Kelderman. The 35-year-old Dutchman was still suffering too much from the effects of his crash last Saturday. In Italy, the remaining seven riders in yellow and black quickly took control of the peloton during the fourth stage. Six riders went on the attack early, after which all eyes turned to Cozzo Tunno (14.4 km at 5.9%), the only categorized climb of the day.

With around fifty kilometers still remaining after the summit, the climb ultimately proved decisive. Several sprinters were dropped, leaving a reduced peloton to battle for the stage victory in Cosenza. Thanks to strong work from Belgians Timo Kielich and Tim Rex on the climb, the Dutch squad was well represented in the front group with five riders, but did not contest the sprint for the stage win. The victory went to Jhonatan Narváez.

Sports director Marc Reef describes it as a strong first day in Italy. “Before the stage, we had clearly identified staying out of trouble as the main objective today. The wind at the start made things nervous, and the pace was high right from the beginning. That’s why we made sure Jonas was well positioned near the front on the climb and the following descent. Timo and Tim played a huge role in that and really put in a lot of work.”

“We stayed attentive on the climb and still had five riders in the front group. It’s unfortunate that Jonas didn’t manage to take any bonus seconds at the intermediate sprint, but the most important thing today was crossing the finish line safely in the front group. We achieved that, and we can be very satisfied with it”, Reef concludes. Tomorrow, the peloton faces another stage featuring serious climbing.