Cyclingflash
Tom Crabbe now wins in Ruta del Sol, late attack by Laporte and Wellens fails

Tom Crabbe now wins in Ruta del Sol, late attack by Laporte and Wellens fails

Tom Crabbe took the penultimate stage of the Ruta del Sol. In Pozoblanco, he stayed ahead of Søren Waerenskjold, securing his second win of the season. He had previously won at the Ster van Bessèges. A late attack by Tim Wellens, Christophe Laporte, and Marcin Budzinski was caught two kilometers from the finish.

What kind of stage was on the program?
The fourth stage of the Ruta del Sol was once again for the sprinters. On Saturday, 166 kilometers were covered from Montoro to Pozoblanco. Only in the first forty kilometers was there a climb—eight kilometers at four percent—but otherwise, the day offered little excitement.

Who was in the early breakaway?
Luca Cretti and Geoffrey Bouchard formed the early break in the fourth stage, but they were caught with 27 kilometers remaining.

How did the finale unfold?
The finale began with the golden kilometer, where Romain Grégoire took five bonus seconds and Tom Pidcock had to settle for two seconds. Shortly after, Visma | Lease a Bike quickly took control. With Victor Campenaerts leading, the team did well until Tim Wellens attacked just under ten kilometers from the finish, with Christophe Laporte and Marcin Budzinski on his wheel.

The three looked set to contest the win in Pozoblanco, but they were caught two kilometers from the line. Visma | Lease a Bike then reestablished themselves at the front of the peloton, this time led by Axel Zingle. The Frenchman launched the sprint but was overtaken by the incredibly strong 20-year-old Crabbe.