On stage four, the peloton headed into Normandy for a hilly ride between Amiens and Rouen. A relatively calm opening phase saw four riders form the early breakaway. Their effort was reeled in on the Côte de Belbeuf, around thirty kilometres from the finish. The short climbs and twisting roads caused the nervosity to increase in the bunch.  

Team Visma | Lease a Bike remained alert in the peloton. Team leader Vingegaard once again received excellent support from his teammates. The race came to life on the Côte de la Grand’Mare – the penultimate climb of the day. A heavily reduced peloton reached the top. Among them, an impressive Victor Campenaerts set the pace towards the Rampe Saint-Hilaire, the final ascent. There, Pogačar launched his attack. Vingegaard appeared to be in trouble for a moment but managed to latch onto the world champion’s wheel. The two headed into the descent, only to see the chasers – including Jorgenson and yellow jersey wearer Van der Poel – close the gap shortly after. 

A lead group of seven riders tackled the final kilometres. Remco Evenepoel and Jorgenson both attempted a late attack, but a sprint finish proved inevitable. Pogačar emerged victorious, ahead of Van der Poel and Vingegaard. In the general classification, Vingegaard and Jorgenson now occupy third and fourth place respectively, with tomorrow’s time trial looming.  

“It was a brutally tough finish", Vingegaard reflected afterward. “The short climbs came one after another, which made it really hard. When Pogačar accelerated on the Rampe Saint-Hilaire, I was able to follow well. At one point, I had to let him go briefly, but I saw that he was also struggling to maintain the pace. I managed to recover quickly and close the gap.”  

“I’m satisfied with this result again,” he added. “The guys rode incredibly well today. It’s a shame I couldn’t just get past Van der Poel in the sprint, but I’m happy with another third place. I’ll give it everything in tomorrow’s time trial. We’ll see what’s possible.”  

Head of Racing Grischa Niermann: “The guys executed the plan to perfection. It was impressive how Jonas managed to follow Pogačar’s attack. It was right on the limit, but that was the case for everyone at that moment. Today made it clear once again how difficult it is to stay with those two when they accelerate. I’m proud of how we raced as a team. We can approach the next stages with confidence.”