Nathan Haas took his first win for Dimension Data when he emerged as the strongest in a typical puncheur finale on stage 4 of the Vuelta a Burgos. After a great lead-out from his team, he easily held Jempy Drucker (BMC) and Patrick Bevin (Cannondale) off to take his first win since the 2014 Japan Cup while a split in the finale allowed Gianni Meersman (Etixx-QuickStep) to take the overall lead.

 

We have gathered several reactions.

 

Nathan Haas: I only ask for support when I know that I can win

Nathan Haas put the icing on the cake for Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka during stage 4 of the Vuelta a Burgos, powering to the victory in Lerma ahead of Jean-Pierre Drucker (BMC Racing) and Patrick Bevin (Cannondale-Drapac). Jacques Janse van Rensburg pulled on the King of the Mountains jersey after another day in the break.

 

Starting in Aranda de Duero, Jacques Janse van Rensburg showed once again he is coming into some great form by making the early break of the day on stage 4 of the Vuelta a Burgos. The South African was joined by 4 other riders and the quintet proceeded to ride their way to a 3-minute lead over the peloton.

 

The 145km stage was up and down all day with 2 cat 3 climbs in the middle portion of the stage. Janse van Rensburg was first over the earlier cat 3 and then on the final cat 3 climb that peaked with 31km to go, Janse van Rensburg attacked the break along with Lluis Mas (Caja Rural). By going over the top of the final climb first, the South African climber took the overall lead in the King of the Mountains competition.

 

With the jersey secured, Janse van Rensburg pushed on with Mas but the peloton made sure the duo was caught with 15km to go. The finish in Lerma was technical and the final 700m went up a narrow 7% gradient cobbled climb. It was a stage we had targeted with Haas during the pre-race planning and so once the break was caught, the 6 remaining riders moved Haas to the head of the peloton. It was a fantastic display of teamwork by the African Team.

 

Being at the head of the race coming into Lerma was vital as some crosswinds saw a front split of 20 riders go clear. Haas was well placed in the front split with 2 teammates and even though they were brought back with 1.5km to go, the African Team riders put in a big acceleration to ensure Haas took the all-important left hand corner with 800m to go in the first 3 positions. From this point Haas showed his strength and class, powering up the cobbled road with nobody able to hold his wheel and taking a fine win for the African Team.

 

Nathan Haas said:

“Vuelta a Burgos has been a fantastic opportunity for us, the group that is going to the Vuelta a Espana, to come together and really create a good energy. I've always been a firm believer that teamwork makes wins happen, it doesn't happen purely because someone is good or strong. It happens because the whole team is together and doing exactly what they need to. The last 3 days we have had some absolutely fantastic moments and we've also had some misfortune, which is probably why we hadn't had a victory yet this week. Today the team committed for me, which is a responsibility I take very seriously. I don't ask to lead a race unless I think I can win it. So a huge thanks to the guys for believing in me and I think the way we are working here is really exciting coming into the Vuelta a Espana. I think we will see something pretty exciting in the next month.

 

”It is a very important win because I have had very difficult with numerous health problems. The team has worked very well today. I need to sprint very hard and I managed to enter the last corner in second position.”

 

Sports director Alex Sans Vega added:
 

“It is great day for the team here at the Vuelta a Burgos. From the first day we arrived at Burgos Nathan already had it in his head to go for the stage today, it was his big goal. He achieved it after some really great teamwork from all the guys. Every day the team has been riding well but today was really superb. Jacques was in the breakaway and he won enough points to take the lead in the King of the Mountains competition. In the final crosswind, Katusha really set the race on fire but the guys were in the front and able to deliver Nathan to the last corner in the best position. It was a great effort by the guys and then Nathan did his job in the final. We are super happy, and it is great motivation for the team going to the Vuelta a Espana.”

 

Jempy Drucker: I hoped that Haas would crack

Jempy Drucker showed his sprinting consistency on stage 4 of Vuelta a Burgos to cross the line in second place, for the third time in the four stages.

 

The short 145km stage featured a tricky uphill cobbled run into the finish, before which the peloton had split slightly, leaving a small group to battle for the stage win.

 

Drucker came up the incline on stage winner Nathan Haas' wheel but was unable to overtake him in the final meters of the race.

 

Loïc Vliegen claimed his first top ten result of the race, crossing the line in 7th place, with Samuel Sánchez following behind in 12th.

 

Drucker's three podium finishes see him retain his second place in the Sprint Classification going into the final stage, which sees the first summit finish and will likely shake up the General Classification.

 

Jempy Drucker said:

 

"It was the same like the last days. The guys did again a great job and it's pretty cool to have their belief and support for me. Again, Daniel Oss did a good lead out and put me into first position for the final section, the final 400 meters. I knew it was a bit long so I started at 80 or 90 percent just to have a little bit of reserve. Nathan Haas flew next to me, he had much more speed so I couldn't react directly. I hoped that he would maybe crack a bit on the final kick with 100 meters to go, but he just kept going and I couldn't accelerate anymore. My legs were running empty so it was again second place.

 

"There was a little path where you could ride without cobblestones, it's not the real cobbles like in Belgium. But it was still bumpy and pretty rough roads. I haven't seen the results yet but there are for sure a few gaps and that also explains how hard the final was."

 

Sports director Max Sciandri added:

 

"We're trying every day. The plan again today was to go all in for Jempy Drucker with Loïc Vliegen as a back up but we wanted to concentrate on one rider. It's a shame Jempy didn't get the win because he's been trying so hard every day and you can see with his three second places that he has the form and the consistency. Daniel Oss hasn't raced since the Giro d'Italia and his condition is getting better every day and he's been doing great lead outs for Jempy.

 

"The team has been working well and now we are at the final day tomorrow which will be one for the GC guys. Samuel Sanchez and Ben Hermans will be our guys for the stage, and we'll hopefully have someone in the breakaway. It all comes down to stage 5."

 

Crosswind split costs Danny Van Poppel power for uphill sprint in Burgos

Danny van Poppel continued his impressive and consistent run at the Vuelta a Burgos with fourth place on stage four.

 

The day was decided by a steep, narrow and uneven climb up to Lerma, with Van Poppel battling it out among the sprinters and puncheurs.

 

The Dutchman had been supported admirably by his team-mates across the 145-kilometre test, with Team Sky forming a united front at the head of the peloton when needed.

 

Van Poppel found himself in the perfect postion late on as the race split in the crosswinds, but on the final climb it was Nathan Haas (Dimension Data) who emerged victorious. 

 

The Aussie held off Jempy Drucker (BMC Racing) and Patrick Bevin (Cannondale-Drapac) at the line, while Van Poppel found himself ideally placed to climb the GC into 10th overall, four seconds back on new leader Gianni Meersman (Etixx - Quick-Step). Fourth was also enough to ensure Van Poppel retained his grip on the green points jersey.

 

TeamSky.com caught up with Sport Director Dario Cioni after the stage to get the lowdown on some late echelons and the role they played at the finish.

 

He explained: "It was a really fast last 10-15km and then we had a section in the wind. Both Danny and Pete (Kennaugh) made it into a select group that got away. Unluckily that move was caught, but when an echelon goes you never know whether it's going to make it and stay clear to the finish. The guys put in a pretty big effort to be in that group and probably the riders behind had a slightly easier run-in. Danny managed to get fourth though despite that which is a really good result.

 

"It was a really difficult finish where you had to be well positioned when the riders headed through the arch. It was a hard one to pace too because you could gamble and go early, or be patient with the danger that someone sits up in front of you and you can't pass."

 

The five-day event culminates on Saturday with a day in the mountains and the traditional Lagunas de Neila summit finish. On the decider Cioni added: "Everyone is ready to give it a go. For a lot of people it's a test of the legs to see how they are going. There are some really good climbers here so it should be a good battle. It's already been a very successful week up to now and it would be good to finish it with another result tomorrow."
 

Katusha splits the peloton in Burgos crosswinds

It was another sprint finish for stage 4 in the 38th Vuelta a Burgos, but this time was uphill in the old part of Lerma. Team KATUSHA’s Alexey Tsatevich was up for the challenge, sprinting in for fifth place on the 145 km stage beginning in Aranda de Duero.

 

”It was a stage with some difficulties in the final. When we came on the circuit, there was a strong cross wind. We were active and inside the last 10 km we tried to do something - we attacked in the wind and created a group of 20 riders. It was a good try, but around 2 km to go the peloton came back together. The last km was quite hard with a narrow road and uphill sections. Tiago Machado helped Alexey Tsatevich to get a good position and Alexey finished 5th. All the GC guys finished with the same time, so our leaders Machado and Mamykin are still in the mix before tomorrow decisive stage. We will try our best tomorrow. Let's see what happens,” said team director Xavier Florencio.

 

KATUSHA’s Tiago Machado and Matvey Mamykin are both 11-seconds off the lead. Mamykin also leads the best young rider competition by 23-seconds.

 

Gianni Meersman: The leader’s jersey makes up for the disappointment

On the 300-m long climb which averaged 6%, Gianni Meersman bagged another individual top 10 – his third of this edition – and garnered a trip to the podium, where he was rewarded for his consistency and grit with the leader's jersey. Part of the small group which came home with a three-second advantage over the bunch, Meersman became the first Belgian rider since 2009 to climb to first spot in the Vuelta a Burgos GC.

 

"The last 20 kilometers were nervous, as we had echelons and at one point only 25 guys were left at the front. A group bridged across in the last kilometers and it all became hectic, and this made it impossible to hold onto your position. I came sixth and thanks to that gap I took the leader's jersey at the end of the day. This makes up a little bit for the disappointment of not getting a stage win", said Gianni Meersman, who is joined in the top 10 by three Etixx – Quick-Step teammates: Gianluca Brambilla, David De La Cruz and Pieter Serry.

 

"The last 20 kilometers were very stressful for the wind and even though the team worked well, we lost each other in the last kilometer. I aimed for the win but a poor position after the final turn made it impossible. Tomorrow I will work for Gianluca Brambilla and David de la Cruz.”

 

Consistent Zico Waeytens with another top 10 in Burgos

It was the third top 10 finish for Zico Waeytens this week as he took ninth place in the tough uphill drag to the finish line.

 

Unfortunately during the feed zone today, Lars van der Haar had to abandon the race due to pain in his knee.

 

Zico Waeytens said: “I felt good all day and the team did a great job in keeping me in the first placings in the peloton as the chances for crosswinds were quite high. Indeed in the finale, the peloton split and I was in the first echelon. It’s a shame that the bunch came back together. I sprinted to 9th and it is my third top ten finish this week. That shows that my shape is good and I look forward to the next goals for the rest of the season.”

 

Coach Morten Bennekou commented: “We didn’t manage to join the breakaway today and therefore we lost the King of the mountain jersey. In the finale, Katusha made the race really tough and they split the peloton in the crosswinds. Zico was right up there and in the mix when it happened. Unfortunately, Katusha stopped with 2km to go and the bunch was all back together. On the final cobblestone section in the sprint finish, Zico took 9th place. It’s a shame that Katusha didn’t continue because he would have had a really good chance to be on the podium.”

 

ONE in the top 10 in Burgos

On the approach to the final climb, ONE’s John Ebsen was brought down in a heavy crash, battered and bruised the Danish rider picked himself up to complete the stage.

 

Cresting the top of the climb, Steele Von Hoff, Yanto Barker and Sebastian Lander worked as a unit to protect and position Karol Domagalski with 25km to go.

 

10km to go and Team Katusha took over on the front, putting the peloton in the gutter as they forced the pace once more. The tempo split the entire race to pieces, leaving a group of around 20 riders including Domagalski with a small advantage on the small but main peloton behind.

 

Recognition must go to Yanto Barker, Steele Von Hoff and Sebastian Lander as they worked selflessly to position Domagalski and give him the best possible advantage in the closing stages of the race.

 

Only 3km to go and everything was back together as Karol Domagalski fought to position himself on the chaotic run into the finish.

 

A rush to the final left hand bend with 400m to go, Domagalski surged forward on the uphill pave to the finish line. Opening up his sprint he lost a bit of momentum as his back wheel slipped on the round Spanish cobble stones but exerting every ounce of power available he crossed the line in 10th place with Nathan Haas (Dimension Data) taking victory.

 

Attentive Alberto Contador shows strength in Burgos crosswinds

Despite a profile that looked like it would yield a fairly straight forward stage, the fourth day at the Vuelta a Burgos ended in a hectic uphill sprint after the race broke apart in crosswinds on the approach to the finish.

The stage got underway with a five rider break moving clear and building an advantage that only ever reached around three minutes, with the chasing peloton conscious of the short length of the stage, and also aware of the windy conditions throughout. After the day’s two categorised climbs had been tackled, the peloton gradually reeled the escape back in, finally making the catch to the remaining two out front with 8km to go.

 

From this point things started to get nervous at the front of the bunch as the pace continued to rise and the looming potential threat of crosswinds suddenly appeared, with a select group of about 20 riders breaking clear with 5km left to race.

 Well positioned and aware of the danger, Alberto Contador was right at the front of the action, never looking in difficulty and showing both strength and awareness of the situation. Despite a big push to stay clear, the junction was made by the chasing peloton in the final kilometres before the race turned a sharp left onto the narrow cobblestone streets which led to the finish.

 

With 400m to the line, and such narrow roads to move up on, the race was only going to be decided by those who came through the final corner at the front of the race. Having slipped back slightly, Contador made sure that no time was lost finishing just outside the top 10, in 13th place.

 

After the stage, Sport Director Ivan Basso gave his verdict on the day.

 

“It was a very good day for us today with a strong showing from the team. The stage was a very hard all day – all the second part of the race there was a lot of wind so the team had to work hard all day. For us it was important for two things, first to arrive tonight in a good situation, and also to test the processes as a team for those that will go from here to the Vuelta.

 “The riders were committed today, and the guys rode in the way that our team does. The most important sign from today was that when the big acceleration came at the end, Alberto was in the front, and already with only four days racing in the legs after injury – this makes us happy.

 

“Tomorrow, we still carry on with a low profile – we can’t forget his injury in the recent period and tomorrow we will again focus on doing our best. Again I want to say thanks to the guys today – we split the team in two blocks, one for the first part of the race, then other guys for the end. When you have a windy day, it’s trouble for all the stage and they were ready."

 

Simon Yates ready to fight for overall victory in Burgos

Clasica de Ordizia winner Simon Yates finished with the leaders on stage four of theVuelta a Burgos today after ORICA-BikeExchange teammate Amets Txurruka led the days early breakaway.

 

23-year-old Briton Yates has enjoyed a run of good from of late and on today’s steep and technical finish he again showed that he is right up there with the best climbers in the world.

 

Nathan Haas (Dimension-Data) won the stage from the elite group of riders that broke clear in the final kilometre to contest the cobbled finale with Yates crossing the line just three seconds behind.

 

Spanish climber Txurruka animated the breakaway alongside four companions for over 100kilometres before the move was eventually reeled in with only 30kilometres to go.

 

Yates is ten seconds down on the general classification in 21st place going into tomorrow's fifth and final stage.

 

Sport director Dave McPartland praised the team’s performance and highlighted how tight the fight for the overall is.

 

“Our objective for today’s stage was to not lose any time and to try and finish at the front of the race,” said McPartland. “Thankfully we managed to achieve that and Simon (Yates) did very well to finish with the leaders on a very tough finale.

 

“Mitch Docker stayed with Simon up until the final few hundred metres and his role proved to be important with the cross winds splitting the bunch in the final kilometres.

 

“The general classification is very tight and for sure we are going to see a major shake-up tomorrow, the last stage is going to be very, very difficult with seven categorised climbs to contend with.

 

“I’m happy with our position with only one day to go and Simon and the team can take a lot of confidence into tomorrow's stage.

 

“There will definitely be an elite selection that contests the finale and we will be looking to support Simon as best we can, certainly we have the capacity to get a result, but it will be a tough day all the same.”

 

Movistar save the day after missing out in the crosswinds

On the eve of Saturday's climbing showdown, stage four of the Vuelta a Burgos brought a much shorter route than on Thursday: just 145km between the wineyard towns of Aranda de Duero and Lerma, finishing with a short, steep kick on cobbles (350m at 7% gradient). However,strong winds blowing all over the route took command at a key moment, with less than 10km to go, and caused a split in the front group, which initially left behind the Movistar Team riders. A hard, late pull by several squads brought pretty much all together before the last kilometer, which allowed the Blues making it back to the fore.

 

As the wear and tear of a tremendous pursuit effort put its mark on the José Luis Jaimerena-led group, the final slope - not used in the race since Iván Gutiérrez won Burgos' TT in 2006 - took the Blues out of contention for the sprint, with Rubén Fernández in 16th spot as best of the Blues. Nathan Haas (DDD) claimed the day's honours as Gianni Meersman (EQS) 'stole' the jersey from Dmitriy Gruzdev's (AST) hands due to a three-second split, with only seven from the sprinters unaffected. GC-wise, the Movistar Team keeps 5-6-7 with José Joaquín Rojas, Rubén Fernández and Gorka Izagirre.

 

Things will be decided tomorrow at a 163km trek starting at Caleruega and covering no less than seven ascents: Cerro (Cat-3), Vilviestre (Cat-3), Collado (Cat-2, two passages, with a final 2km at 6%), Cargadero (Cat-2), Pasil de Rozavientos (Cat-1) and the 'Hors Categorie' Lagunas de Neila, with sections of even 17% into the last kilometer.

 

Michele Scarponi: The form is good and I will try to win the queen stage

"I know the final climb,” said Michele Scarponi on the eve of the “queen stage” of the Vuelta a Burgos. “Last year I finished second and the sensations are good.

 

"It 'a tough stage with many ascents and anything can happen. Certainly Dario Cataldo and I are in a good shape and we will try to win. "

 

In the overall standings, Dmitri Gruzdev is second with the same time as the leader, followed by his two teammates Cataldo and Scarponi. Astana Pro Team confirmed its first place in the team standings.

 

"There is no tactic to do,” said sports director Giuseppe Martinelli. “The last climb to be repeated twice (7 km long with a maximum gradient of 12%) will tell who is the strongest. Surely our riders are good and will be protagonists.”