There was nothing to lose for the Austrian National Champion in stage four after a less than stellar stage three yesterday at the Volta a Catalunya. Today Riccardo Zoidl executed the team plan to near perfection as he jumped into the day’s five-man escape group early on and together with Tom Danielson (Cannondale-Garmin) held off the GC favorites until less than five kilometers to go on the Molina summit finish.

It was the toughest day by far in the Volta a Catalunya. The peloton tackled four Pyrenean ascents in the 188.4-kilometer stage four, three that were rated first category, plus the penultimate 21-kilometer hors categorie la Creuta climb.

“Yesterday I lost time so I knew I could be allowed to be in a breakaway today,” Zoidl explained to TFR.com. “At first they did not give us too much lead, only 14-15 seconds, but finally we had seven minutes. On the second climb I heard that Astana was pulling and closing and I thought they would catch us.

"Then on the long climb there was just me and Danielson and we held a distance of around one and a half minutes. Here I had a little crisis, but by the top I felt better again. With 4k to go they caught us, and then I stayed with the leaders but couldn’t hang anymore with 2k to go; I was empty. In the end I was not too far from the winner.  It was very hard. Maybe if they would have given us more advantage on the long climb I could go for a stage win, but when the gap is always 1-2 minutes you have to ride hard in front.”

Riccardo Zoidl and Tom Danielson proved easily to be the strongest of the breakaway group; by the 21-kilometer la Creuta they shed all their breakaway compatriots and held a minute’s gap over the top. With a long descent leading immediately into the final Molina climb the pair preserved a dwindling advantage until finally the GC battle, at full-throttle, shoved them aside with just over four kilometers to go.

Riccardo Zoidl pushed on to finish in 25th place (+1’22”).   It was a day he needed, explained director Alain Gallopin.

“The objective today was to have Riccardo in the break; that was our plan,” said Gallopin. “We were disappointed after the result of yesterday. I know Haimar [Zubeldia] is planning to be at top form for Pays Basque and right now is progressing well towards that goal, but Riccardo needs to bring more right now. I told him he has nothing to lose and to try something today. If they had given more space to the break it was possible to win the stage today.

“I think we showed our value today.  And Riccardo deserves this; he’s a nice guy, a good guy, and a very strong rider, but he often expends too much energy in the peloton.  He has a problem to gain more confidence, and being with Danielson, who is a specialist of a long breakaway and a good climber, he showed good things today that should help him.”

Tejay van Garderen (BMC) won atop Molina, making amends for a terrifying crash on the descent after the category-two climb yesterday. Richie Porte (Sky) sprinted in seconds later for second place ahead of Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) in third.

Bart De Clercq (Lotto Soudal) is the new leader of the race as Europcar’s Pierre Rolland fell off the pace on the penultimate climb. De Clercq leads Porte by 21 seconds.