It was the day when they were expected to shine but today's queen stage ended up as one to forget for Trek leaders Frank Schleck and Robert Kiserlovski. Having lost time on GC, the American team has not set its sights on stage wins.

Day four of the Tour of the Basque Country was a relatively short 151-kilometer stage, but with five categorized climbs and the final climb topping out with a mere two kilometers to go, it was expected to be a pivotal stage in the six day race. However, by the finish the GC favorites rolled across together, resulting in no big shifts to the general classification.

For Trek Factory Racing the day began with ill-luck and things never seemed to improve, explained director Josu Larrazabal.

“Matthew [Busche] had a little crash, he’s okay it was not bad, but he lost the chance to be in a break. Bob [Jungels] broke his rear derailleur and we had to change his bike.  We started the day like this,” said Larrazabal. “Movistar was always jumping to make Saxo work so it made the day hard - a very fast day. 

"Then in the final, it was not a good last climb for us. Fränk [Schleck] was not on a good day, and these short, explosive climbs, and short stages, aren’t made for Robert [Kiserlovski]. He is here without pressure; overall his shape is good. He’s all right, and looking good for the Giro.”

Five riders attacked late in the race and at the top of the penultimate climb, with 20 kilometers remaining, they had 35 seconds in hand; however, it was a matter of time before they were caught.  Before the base of the last category one climb to the finish the breakaway was all but over, and while the top GC contenders kept a close eye on each other, Wout Poels (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) attacked off the front and soloed to the win. A group of 13 containing the favorites sprinted in moments later.

Robert Kiserlovski came across the line in 24th  place (+51”) and despite losing time moved up to 20th spot in the GC (+1’46”).

“It simply was not our day,” added Larrazabal. “Sometimes that happens, that's cycling. So all we can do is put this behind us and go into tomorrow to play to win. We will put all our energy into getting into a break tomorrow; it is another hard day. Our focus will be on getting a stage win.”