Defending champion Tadej Pogacar outsprinted Mathieu van der Poel and Jonas Vingegaard as he claimed his 100th professional victory on stage four of the Tour de France.
The result means that the Slovenian moves level on time with Dutch rider at the top of the general classification with Van der Poel retaining the leader’s yellow jersey on count-back.
With five categorised climbs in the final 50km of the 174.2km route into Rouen, all the main favourites were involved in a series of attacks that split the race open and delivered a compelling finale.
However, Pogacar, delivered a show of strength on another classics-style stage to surge away from Van der Poel in an uphill dash to the finish having initially distanced all his rivals, bar Danish rival Vingegaard, on the short but punishing climb up the Rampe Saint-Hilaire, five kilometres out.
“I hope today that everyone was on the limit. I tried with an attack on the second last climb and last climb and Jonas [Vingegaard] followed me and everything came together,” Pogacar said.
“Joao [Almeida] did such an amazing job to lead me out to the end even if everyone was attacking. I am super proud of the team today. Amazing. It was such a nice victory.
“To win at the Tour is incredible, in this jersey even more and to have 100 victories is amazing.
“With so many good riders in the final, you’re always a bit on the edge and nervous about what’s going to happen. You get this adrenaline and it’s pure racing and I enjoy it.”
It is the 18th time Pogacar, 26, has won a stage in cycling’s greatest race as he goes for a fourth Tour triumph.
Meanwhile, Scotland’s Oscar Onley, 22, who is featuring in only his second Tour, produced a superb ride despite being delayed by a late crash to finish fourth among the elite GC riders, to move up to seventh in the overall race.
On Wednesday the riders tackle the first of two individual time trials on a 33km course around Caen, on a stage that Remco Evenepoel has been tipped to triumph in.
The 25-year-old Belgian world and Olympic champion in the discipline is currently almost a minute down on Pogacar in the GC race.
