Rui Costa and Rafael Valls were the captains of Lampre-Merida in the 4th stage of Paris-Nice. The scenario of the important test was the final climb, 10 km at 6,5%, on which the top climbers battled for the victory.

Team Sky set a high pace that decimated the bunch and at 3km to go Spilak and Fuglsang replied to an attack by Thomas. Van Garderen and Porte chased them while Rui Costa and Valls set their own rythm  that allowed them to limit the gap to the head of the race.

In  the final kilometer, Porte attacked and with the team mate Thomas next to him, he won the stage.

Costa and Valls crossed the finish line in 6th and 9th position in a 5 rider group (Aru, Gallopin and Spilak the other members) at 24″ from Porte.

The team is now represented by two riders in the top ten of the overall classification that is led by Kwiatkowski: Rui Costa is 7th at 41″ and Valls is 10th at 51″.

“The result of today's stage is good for me. The stage was long and we faced the first climbs of the race," Rui Costa explained. "For me, this stage was the first European mountains race I faced this year, because before today I only rode on climbs in Oman, so I judge my performance as satisfying and I’m also happy that Valls is in a great shape too."