Tour of the Basque Country 2021: Izagirre wins six-up sprint, McNulty new leader

image: Cor VosIon Izagirre takes the 4th stage of the Itzulia Basque Country. The Basque wins a six-up sprint ahead of Pello Bilbao and Brandon McNulty. The young American moves into the overall race lead. (Slideshow route/profile)

Results 4th stage 2021 Itzulia Basque Country

1. Ion Izagirre (spa)
2. Pello Bilbao (spa) s.t.
3. Brandon McNulty (usa) s.t.
4. Jonas Vingegaard (den) s.t.
5. Emanuel Buchmann (ger) s.t.
6. Esteban Chaves (col) + 0.02
7. Patrick Bevin (nzl) + 0.49
8. James Knox (gbr) s.t.
9. Quiten Hermans (bel) s.t.
10. Alejandro Valverde (spa) s.t.

GC after stage 4
1. Brandon McNulty (usa)
2. Primoz Roglic (slo) + 0.23
3. Jonas Vingegaard (den) + 0.28
4. Pello Bilbao (spa) + 0.36
5. Tadej Pogacar (slo) + 0.43
6. Adam Yates (gbr) + 1.02
7. Emanuel Buchmann (ger) + 1.07
8. Alejandro Valverde (spa) + 1.13
9. Ion Izagirre (spa) + 1.15
10. Mikel Landa (spa) + 1.23

Race report
Despite several attacks the pack remains bunched until Roglic, Carapaz, Fraile, Osorio and Burgadeau give it a go after 90 kilometres. The first two sit up and are replaced by Schelling, Cepeda and Hirschi. The six push on towards the Alkiza climb, but again, the break does not last.

Guillaume Martin and Ben O’Connor are next. They are accompanied by Jefferson Cepeda and Juan Pedro López, and the quartet opens a gap of 3 minutes.

On the Jaizkibel López and O’Connor head out together before the peloton overhauls the attackers on the early slopes of the Erlaitz.

Landa strikes on the climb, while McNulty and Chaves rejoin the Basque. The Colombian can’t follow the pace when the other two distance the GC group. Yet, Vingegaard brings his leader Roglic back to the wheel of the attackers just before the summit.

The Dane neutralizes another McNulty attack before Chaves strikes with Bilbao in his wheel. McNulty, Vingegaard, Buchmann and Izagirre track the two down and the six enter the descent with a 22 seconds lead.

On the flat run-in to the line the six leaders extend the gap to 50 seconds before Chaves attacks inside the final kilometre. First McNulty and then Buchmann bring the Colombian back, while the sprint comes down to two Basques. Izagirre outguns Bilbao in a millimetre sprint, and McNulty sprints to third place.

The American takes a time of 4 seconds and moves into the overall race lead, as Roglic crosses the line 49 seconds later. The Slovene drops to second place, 23 seconds behind McNulty, while his super domestique Vingegaard moves up to third.

Another interesting read: route 4th stage Tour of the Basque Country.