Deceuninck-Quick Step rider Elia Viviani has claimed his first stage victory at the Tour de France. Stage Four took place on the relatively flat 213.5km route between Reims and Nancy and it was Italian Viviani that emerged from what was a bunched sprint finish, as he edged out UAE Team Emirates rider Alexander Kristoff and Lotto-Soudal’s Caleb Ewan.
The 30-year-old, who won Olympic gold in the omnium back in 2016, is riding in just his second Tour and he was delighted to register his first stage success after previously claiming a combined eight stage victories in the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana. “It means a lot,” Viviani said. “Probably I can’t believe it still. It was a big goal of the year.
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We missed the first chance and put the yellow on. “I’m pretty happy. I was missing this win. I won in the Giro and the Vuelta and now in the Tour de France, that means a lot to me.” Viviani’s team-mate, Julian Alaphilippe, has retained the yellow jersey at the top of the general classification standings following Tuesday’s action and he remains 20 seconds clear of Team Jumbo-Visma rider Wout van Aert. Defending champion Geraint Thomas is a further 25 seconds behind the leader, with the Team Ineos rider remaining in seventh place after stage four.
