Vuelta a España stage 4: Fabio Jakobsen maneuvers around Arnaud Démare in final meters for win

Fabio Jakobsen (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) won stage 4 of the 2021 Vuelta a España coming around Arnaud Démare (Groupama-FDJ) right before the finish line.

After bringing back an all-day three-man breakaway with 15 kilometers to go, Démare and his French team did the majority of the pacemaking, but it was Jacobsen who most benefitted most.

“It’s a dream come true. After my fall, it was a journey difficult to return. A lot of people believed in me, it’s kinda their victory,” said Jakobsen referring to his near-death crash — and subsequent recovery — of a year ago. “I’m happy I’m here. It took a lot of time and a lot of effort by a lot of people. This is also their victory.”

Jakobsen assumed the lead in the sprinter’s competition, while race leader Rein Taaramäe (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux) held onto the overall lead by a 25-second margin, despite crashing with 2km to go.

How it happened

The mostly flat, 163.9km route from El Burgo de Osma to Molina de Aragón was the first of two consecutive stages for sprinters sandwiched between climbing stages.

A three-man break of Joan Bou (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Carlos Canal and Angel Madrazo (Burgos-BH), were off the front at 100km to go with a 4:32 gap.

Over the following 25km the advantage shrunk to 2:20, and continued to steadily decline.

Madrazo was the first to launch after the intermediate sprint at 63km to go, but Bou was able to get his wheel ahead at the last possible moment.

With 50km remaining, the gap was down to just 65 seconds, and this fell to fewer than 40 seconds inside of 30km. With the peloton breathing down their necks, the reinvigorated threesome extended their gap once again, yo-yoing between 30 and 60 seconds over the successive 10km.

But on a flat stage, sprinters’ teams were looking to set up the fastmen for the win.

With 15km remaining, Alpecin-Fenix, Deceuninck-Quick-Step, and Groupama-FDJ were on the front of the peloton and driving the pace, and brought the main group to the breakaway. After the three on the front fist-bumped, they dropped into the big bunch.

Movistar Team massed at the front at 9km to go to keep their GC riders safe, while Jumbo-Visma brought Primož Roglič to the front and Ineos Grenadiers did the same for Egan Bernal before the 3km to go marker.

And then, nearly under the 2km to go banner, race-leader Taaramäe took a tumble but was quickly back on his bike.

“I don’t really know how I crashed,” said Taaramäe. “I was very nervous and at one moment, on the right inside, I went down but I’m all right. I don’t have many injuries. I’m a little bit burned.”

Meanwhile, the sprint trains of Groupama-FDJ and Deceuninck-Quick-Step were at the front of the final 1,500 meters, flanked by the Alpecin-Fenix squad.

Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Fenix) was the first to launch his final sprint, and Démare responded and chased after Philipsen.

With a nearly-too-late kick, Jakobsen came around Démare right at the line to take the stage win, just a year after crashing out at the Tour of Poland with gruesome injuries.

What’s to come

Stage 5, 184.4km from Tarancón to Albacete, offers less elevation change than stage 4, and is sure to be one for the sprinters — Jakobsen, Philipsen, and Démare — if they and their teams can navigate the expected winds.