Nacer Bouhanni wins stage 4 of Volta a Catalunya

Nacer Bouhanni has won the fourth stage of the Volta a Catalunya. The Cofidis rider crossed the line well ahead of Davide Cimolai (FDJ) and Daryl Impey (Orica-Scott).

Organisers were forced to alter the 194 kilometre route from La Seu d’Urgell to Igualada, with snow having fallen across a mountainous part of the course.

Although a number of ascents were removed when the stage was reduced to 134km, the sprinters still faced a difficult challenge if they were to battle for a stage win, with several climbs remaining.

Dario Cataldo and Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) attempted attacks inside the final 18km, while Romain Bardet (AG2R) and Daniel Martin (Quick-Step Floors) also tried to escape on the ascent.

Their efforts also proved unsuccessful though, as did a potentially strong move on the descent which featured Chris Froome and Alejandro Valverde. The speed on the final climb had removed several sprinters from contention, Andre Greipel, but Bouhanni was among those to survive.  He would seize his chance in the final metres, with the Cofidis rider sprinting past Davide Cimolai (FDJ) to gain revenge for his stage one defeat.

Volta a Catalunya 2017 – stge 4 results (La Seu d’Urgeil – Igualada):

General classification after stage 4: