Evenepoel wins on the decisive day and takes the leader's jersey in the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana

After a time trial where he shone but it didn't help him in the classification, as the times were not counted due to the inclement weather, Remco Evenepoel put on a true exhibition in the fourth stage of the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana to practically seal the race.

Evenepoel wins on the decisive day and takes the leader's jersey in the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana

The fourth stage of the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana met expectations and decisively marked the development of the race. The route, filled with demanding climbs, led to an intense day from the very first moments, with a large breakaway forming on the initial slopes of the Coll de Rates.

A group composed of riders such as Julien Bernard, Steff Cras, Luke Askey, Tomáš Otruba, Filippo Nencini, and Carlos García Pierna managed to open a gap in the first kilometers, taking advantage of the broken terrain. However, the margin was never definitive, especially when the peloton faced the descent of Rates and headed towards the Alto del Miserat, the hardest climb of this edition.

There, the Red Bull – BORA team entered the scene, progressively hardening the race. The strong pace imposed considerably reduced the breakaway's advantage and caused the first significant splits among the sprinters, including the leader of the points classification, Biniam Girmay.

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Meanwhile, the breakaway began to fragment on the slopes of the Alto del Sorells, although some riders managed to regroup further ahead. In the main group, the tension was constant, with the leader's team controlling the situation and not allowing distant attacks before the final climbs.

 

 

 

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The Alto de la Fustera raised the demands again, with a direct battle between the German team and UAE Team Emirates, which tried to select the race thinking of a possible favorable finish for João Almeida. By that time, the breakaway was already riding with a minimal lead, and the outcome was reserved for the final wall.

It was at the Puig de la Llorença, about 15 kilometers from the finish, when Remco Evenepoel launched the decisive attack. The Belgian accelerated forcefully, opened up a gap in just a few meters, and no one could keep up with his pace. From that moment on, victory was sealed, with a solo finish after an extremely selective end in the Cumbre del Sol area and the subsequent descent towards Teulada-Moraira.

After crossing the finish line, Evenepoel highlighted the role of his team on a key day: “I really feel all the support, and that makes a big difference,” explained the Belgian, emphasizing the collective work that allowed him to face the attack in the best conditions.

With this victory, the Belgian champion not only took the queen stage but also took the lead in the general classification, confirming the good functioning of his new sports environment and adding another victory to his palmarès at the start of the season.