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PREVIEW | Volta a Catalunya 2024 stage 4 - Ethan Hayter and Bryan Coquard headline race's sole bunch sprint finish
CyclingThursday, 21 March 2024 at 10:45
Stage 4 of the Volta a Catalunya is the flattest of the week and will be the most suited day to the sprinters. Into Lleida, we can expect the likes of Ethan Hayter, Bryan Coquard and Marijn van den Berg to fight for the stage win.
Stage 4 into Lleida should be the only regular bunch sprint. A day that is overall not too hard honestly, it has an overall downhill profile, starting at over 700 meters of altitude and finishing close to sea level. Hence we can expect a fast day, only with a small climb in the first half as an obstacle.
Stage 4: Sort - Lleida, 169.2 kilometers
The riders head into Lleida, after 169 kilometers. It is a regular bunch sprint into the city center, which will not be overly technical. It should be a furious and fast finale, with a right-hander with 1.8 kilometers to go, and a series of roundabout set to stretch the peloton right after. The final kilometer will have nothing to note however and there will still be time to reorganize before the sprint to the line.
The Weather
Map Volta a Catalunya 2024 stage 4
Small southern breeze and quite a bit of heat. It won't be crucial however, the riders find a pleasant day on the bike, more similar to what we find during the winter.
The Favourites
This is a sprinter field that is incredibly modest. It reminds me of the Vuelta a España last year where only a few fast men were present, and this allowed for some surprises and some outsiders to really get a good outcome from a race they wouldn't ordinarily in. We've got no overwhelming favourite here, but instead a few strong sprinters that each have their own weak point.
Bryan Coquard and Marijn van den Berg are the biggest favourites for me, although both are riders who prefer the hilly terrain. Coquard is a lightweight who may not love such a fast finale but he does pack a strong punch. No team here actually has a strong leadout, expect a lot of confusion towards the end.
The only two pure sprinters at the start here are Arne Marit and Emils Liepins, but arguably they stand quite far behind some of the leading sprinters of the peloton. They could benefit from this finale however, with no doubt. Ethan Hayter at his best is a strong contender but he has serious problems with positioning and I do fear for his chances on this day. Orluis Aular and Ivan García Cortina bring some chances for the Spanish teams who are looking for a win.
Aside from those, as I do not expect a breakaway or late attack to succeed, we have a few riders who aren't exactly sprinters but may try to get in the mix because of the lack of fast men. We could see Axel Laurance, Dorian Godon, Ide Schelling, Cyril Barthe and Jacopo Mosca also trying to finish within the best.
Prediction Volta a Catalunya 2024 stage 4:
*** Marijn van den Berg, Bryan Coquard
** Emils Liepins, Arne Marit
* Orluis Aular, Ivan García Cortina, Axel Laurance, Jacopo Mosca
Pick: Marijn van den Berg
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