The Movistar team dominated the mountain stage up to the ski resort of La Molina in the Volta a Catalunya, with Alejandro Valverde winning the stage and taking back the overall race lead.
Egan Bernal (Team Sky) and Pierre Latour (AG2R La Mondiale) were the only two able to respond when Valverde, Nairo Quintana and Marc Soler forced the selection in the final seven kilometres of the stage. Bernal bravely tried to attack the trio and eventually distanced Soler but then Quintana and Valverde worked him over, with the veteran Spaniard jumping past his younger rival to win the stage.
Quintana finished six seconds back with Latour fighting to hold on for fourth place at 23 seconds. Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) brought home the chase but was 53 seconds behind.
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Valverde now leads Bernal by 19 seconds in the general classification, with Quintana moving up to third at 26 seconds after overnight leader Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Soudal) finished well behind the leaders.
Pinot, Dan Martin (UAE Team Emirates), George Bennett and Steven Kruijswijk (LottoNL-Jumbo), Simon Yates, Hugh Carthy (EF Education Frist-Drapac) and Ben Hermans (Israel Cycling Project) are now all more than a minute behind in the overall classification.
"It was very hard, very cold day. The team rode like ten men, they controlled the race the whole time. Soler and Quintana made it very easy for me, all I had to do was finish," Valverde said, showing respect to young rival Bernal but happy to have won for a seventh time this season.
From the sun to the snow
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest Race Results http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/volta-ciclista-a-catalunya-2018/stage-4/results
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