🏅 @AurelienParetP - @AG2RCITROENTEAM wins stage 4 of the Giro d'Italia 2023! . 🏅 @AurelienParetP - @AG2RCITROENTEAM vince la tappa 4 del Giro d'Italia 2023! #Giro #GirodItalia @LeFrecce
Aurélien Paret-Peintre takes breakaway stage win as Andreas Leknessund moves into the Maglia Rosa at the Giro d'Italia
CyclingTuesday, 09 May 2023 at 17:07
Aurélien Paret-Peintre took victory from the breakaway on stage 4 of the Giro d'Italia after a chaotic first 100kms of racing. Andreas Leknessund however, second on the stage took the overall lead of the race.
Stage 4 of the Giro d'Italia was the first day in the mountains. With the riders going up to Lago Laceno, the GC contenders will be expected to be very sharp in the final, and breakaway specialists will have had an eye on the day as well.
Getting into that breakaway didn't prove to be an easy task however. On a wet, damp day a franticly stressful start to the stage saw a number of the main GC riders put into pressure at various points.
With Soudal - Quick-Step either unable or unwilling to try and control things the incessant pace at the front of the race as the battle to break free commenced was causing utter chaos behind.
Thibaut Pinot made his presence known at the top of the first categorised climb, picking up maximum points and increasing his lead in the King of the Mountains classification.
Finally after around 80kms of racing in the legs a seven-rider group managed to get an advantage over the peloton containing most notably Andreas Leknessund who sat just 1:40 behind Remco Evenepoel in the general classification so if the Soudal - Quick-Step man did indeed hope to lend out the Maglia Rosa for a few days Leknessund was well placed to benefit.
As the race began to settle down, the advantage of the lead group stretched out up to four minutes.
Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier took maximum points on the second classified climb of the day meaning he was right on the shoulder of Pinot in the overall King of the Mountains standings.
With 20km to go the breakaway's lead over the peloton was 5:13 although with one final categorised climb before the finish line it was by no means a forgone conclusion the stage winner would come from the leading group.
Leknessund took the maximum of three bonus seconds on offer at the intermediate sprint, perhaps giving away his intention to take the Maglia Rosa.
With 10km to go, that time gap had dropped to 4:19. The cohesion between the leaders was still good though with no one making an attack just yet.
Nicola Conci was the first to make his move and immediately Warren Barguil began to look in trouble, dropping out the back of the breakaway.
Conci soon found himself caught and as the gap to the peloton dropped below 3:00, Leknessund decided to make his move with Ghebreigzabhier and Aurélien Paret-Peintre following him.
Paret-Peintre and Leknessund had rode clear on their own as they reached the top of the climb. With 3km to go the line it looked as if the stage win would go to one of the them.
The INEOS Grenadiers lead peloton though was closing the gap meaning the Maglia Rosa was hanging in the balance for Leknessund.
In the battle for the stage win it was the AG2R Citroen Team rider who launched his sprint first and Leknessund couldn't match him having to settle for second.
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