Tour de Romandie 2021: Woods wins Queen Stage to take race lead

image: Cor VosThe Queen Stage of the Tour de Romandie is played out in horrible weather conditions. Michael Woods outsprints Geraint Thomas in Thyon 2000. In a dramatic finale the Welshman hits the deck and he finishes in third, while Woods moves into the overall race lead. (Slideshow route/profile)

Results 4th stage Tour de Romandie 2021

1. Michael Woods (can)
2. Ben O’Connor (aus) + 0.17
3. Geraint Thomas (gbr) + 0.21
4. Lucas Hamilton (aus) + 0.34
5. Fausto Masnada (ita) + 0.37
6. Richie Porte (aus) + 0.42
7. Ion Izagirre (spa) s.t.
8. Damiano Caruso (ita) + 0.52
9. Marc Soler (spa) + 0.53
10. Thymen Arensman (nld) + 1.57

GC after stage 4
1. Michael Woods (can)
2. Geraint Thomas (gbr) + 0.11
3. Ben O’Connor (aus) + 0.21
4. Marc Soler (spa) + 0.33
5. Richie Porte (aus) + 0.36
6. Fausto Masnada (ita) + 0.45
7. Ion Izagirre (spa) + 0.48
8. Lucas Hamilton (aus) + 0.49
9. Damiano Caruso (ita) + 1.58
10. Wilco Kelderman (nld) + 2.03

Race report
After 30 kilometres of hard racing Kobe Goossens, Mads Würtz Schmidt and Josef Cerny jump off the front, while Matthew Holmes, Magnus Cort, Simone Petilli and Simon Pellaud track then down. The seven carve out a lead of 6 minutes.

The gap falls below 4 minutes on the penultimate climbs before it extends back to in the neutralised descent. The leaders tackle the finish climb 5.30 minutes ahead of the main group.

Cort distances his only remaining rival, Petilli, with 9 kilometres to go, while Kelderman and Porte drop back in the GC group inside the last 6 kilometres. Moments later Hamilton goes after Cort and Woods, O’Connor and Masnada track him down.

Woods pushes on alone to gobble up both Petilli and Cort. Meanwhile, Thomas rejoins the other chasers. The Welshman bridges across to Woods on his own.

In the remaining 2 kilometres Thomas pulls at the front before Woods opens the sprint to Thyon 2000. Thomas comes clawing back though and when he rises from the saddle for a final push his hand slips from his handlebar and he hits the deck.

While Woods takes the win, O’Connor overhauls Thomas to finish in second. With a trying time trial in Fribourg remaining, Woods is the new GC leader, 11 seconds ahead of Thomas.

Another interesting read: route Queen Stage 2021 Tour de Romandie.