As it happened: Chaotic Tirreno-Adriatico stage 4 ends in bunch sprint despite crosswinds

Hello and welcome to the CyclingNews live report of stage four at Tirreno-Adriatico 2025.

Today's stage is a bit shorter than the monster length of yesterday's stage. Today the riders are covering 190km between Norcia and Trasacco with two categorised climbs along the way as well as several little lumps before the final 55km on flat roads to the finish. 

Yesterday's stage was horrific for the riders with rain for almost the entire 239km of racing. Read about some of the reactions with the link below...

>>> 'I just want to have a hot shower' - Tirreno-Adriatico peloton suffers for seven hours in cold and rain 

It was a good day for Tom Pidcock (Q36.5) on stage three as the Yorkshireman continues his form from Strade Bianche with another second place, this time behind Andrea Vendrame (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale)...

>>> 'I found an opening, but I was a little far back' - Tom Pidcock impresses in sprint four days after Strade Bianche battle with Pogačar 

The length and terrain of yesterday's stage, even the weather felt a lot like Milan-Sanremo with both Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) and Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) heavily involved in the attack on the final climb...

>>> Ganna and Van der Poel play Milan-San Remo cat and mouse in cold and wet six-hour Tirreno-Adriatico stage 

Neutral zone

The riders have started the neutralised zone after sign on was completed. The rain is continuing from yesterday, unfortunately for the riders. 

190km to go

Racing begins on stage four of Tirreno-Adriatico 2025! 

Attack

Manuele Tarozzi (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizane)

The new leader of the mountain standings took the maximum points on the final climb yesterday taking 15 very important points that put him 9 points clear of former green jersey wearer, Davide Bais (Polti-VisitMalta).

And straight onto the first climb of the day they go. The 14.3km long Forca della Civita that has an average gradient of 4.1%. 

Tarozzi has seemingly been caught but there are multiple attacks in the peloton as a breakaway tries to form. 

The attacks continue with the likes of Pepijn Reinderink (Soudal-QuickStep) and Jonas Rutsch (Intermarche-Wanty) being involved in the moves.

Peloton currently still all together. 

The peloton is very stretch out on this first climb of the day but no reports of any riders being distanced yet. 

Attack!

Roger Adrià (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe)
Mark Donovan (Q36.5)

They have a small gap over the peloton of around 20". 

Riders are now starting to lose touch at the back of the peloton. 

Adrià has dropped Donovan in the break. The breakaway is still trying to form. 

KoM Sprint (Forca della Civita)

1. Roger Adrià (ESP) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe 5pts
2. Mark Donovan (GBR) Q36.5 3pts
3. Manuele Tarozzi (ITA) VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizane 2pts
4. Kamiel Bonneu (BEL) Intermarche-Wanty 1pt

Those two points for Tarozzi means that the VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizane man will be in the green mountains jersey again tomorrow as he extends his gap over Polti-VisitMalta's Davide Bais to 11 points. 

170km to go

Current situation reported to be happening...

Leader:

Roger Adrià (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe)

Chase +6":

Mark Donovan (Q36.5) 

Peloton +22"

The race is over the first climb and the small kicker not long after it and have now just begun the descent down to Antrodoco where they will start an uncategorised climb.

Adrià and Donovan both caught. 

Attack!

Valentin Ferron (Cofidis)
Gijs Leemreize (Picnic-PostNL)

One attack caught and another one goes. Another strong duo goes up the road. Ferron won the GP La Marseillaise earlier this year but has had a few recent DNFs and Leemreize has had multiple Grand Tour stage top tens and podiums at the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España. 

Counter attack

Mirco Maestri (Polti-VisitMalta) launches into the gap to try and join the leading duo. He really is one of the many kings of the breakaway in the Italian ProTeam squads. 

New breakaway

Valentin Ferron (Cofidis)
Gijs Leemreize (Picnic-PostNL)
Mirco Maestri (Polti-VisitMalta)
Dries De Bondt (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale)
Rui Costa (EF Education-EasyPost)
Lucas Hamilton (Ineos Grenadiers)
Damien Howson (Q36.5)
Rui Oliveira (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)
Fredrik Dversnes (Uno-X Mobility)
Jonas Koch (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe)

This new group of ten riders has just over 10" on the chasing peloton. This could possibly be a day for the breakaway if they get the right composition and it is clear that multiple teams think that too. 

Abandon

Lorenzo Conforti (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizane)

He was in the break yesterday and won two KoM sprints and sat in third place in that competition. 

The carnage continues but the 10 riders are still just about clear of the peloton for now...

140km to go

The 10 rider break has been caught and so the attacks immediately kick off yet again as the race nears the bottom of the descent. 

A new five man group forms:

Jonas Rutsch (Intermarche-Wanty)
Jorge Arcas (Movistar)
Mirco Maestri (Polti-VisitMalta)
Gijs Leemreiz (Picnic-PostNL)
William Blume Levy (Uno-X Mobility)

The gap to this five man break is growing and is now at 40". Will this finally be the break forming and getting a good gap?

130km to go

The riders have reached the bottom of the descent with the leading five riders holding a gap of 48" over the peloton as the races heads onto an uncategorised climb to Sella di Corno. 

There's been a big update on the time gap and it has rocketed. We have our breakaway! They now have a gap of 3'25" on the peloton. 

Break of the day:

Jonas Rutsch (Intermarche-Wanty)
Jorge Arcas (Movistar)
Mirco Maestri (Polti-VisitMalta)
Gijs Leemreiz (Picnic-PostNL)
William Blume Levy (Uno-X Mobility)

120km to go

As the riders near the top of the uncategorised climb to Sella di Corno, the gap has stretch even further to 5'45" between the break and the peloton with the race really settling down into the day. 

Breakaway times on GC:

Jonas Rutsch (Intermarche-Wanty) +1'52"
Mirco Maestri (Polti-VisitMalta) +2'38"
Gijs Leemreiz (Picnic-PostNL) +3'07"
Jorge Arcas (Movistar) +6'22"
William Blume Levy (Uno-X Mobility) +9'33"

Making Rutsch comfortably the virtual GC leader on the road at the moment. 

100km to go

The breakaway have continued to extend their advantage with the gap now at over six minutes to the peloton after two hours of racing. 

There's just under 10km to go until the riders start the second and final categorised climb of the day, the 12.4km long Valico La Crocetta which has an average gradient of 5.6%. 

UAE Team Emirates-XRG have come to the front of the peloton and have started to reduce the gap to the breakaway. Maybe they have some plans on the upcoming Valico La Crocetta. 

The riders have started the next climb of the day, the Valico La Crocetta. 

The rain has stopped!!

Dropped from peloton

Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek)
Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco-AlUla)
Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease a Bike)

It is looking like it will not be a day for the sprinters at all!

Cofidis have dropped a few riders out of the back of the peloton as Bryan Coquard has lost touch. He is in a group with Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek), Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease a Bike) and, I think, Paul Magnier (Soudal-QuickStep). 

Interestingly, Visma-Lease a Bike join UAE Team Emirates-XRG on the front of the peloton as the gap to the break drops under four minutes for the first time in a while with 92km to the finish and 6km to the top of the climb. 

Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X Mobility) who finished last yesterday on his 25th birthday has just been dropped. He has been followed out of the back of the bunch by Sam Bennett (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale).

90km to go

This is now looking like a race of three groups. The breakaway, the chasing peloton led by Visma-Lease a Bike and UAE Team Emirates-XRG and the sprinters group led by a few Cofidis riders

Cofidis have done extremely well and have got Bryan Coquard back onto the back of the peloton. 

Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease a Bike) also in the peloton and looking comfortable now. Which explains why his teammates, Steven Kruijswijk and Cian Uijtdebroeks are working on the front of the peloton. 

After his teammate, Søren Wærenskjold, was distanced the other fast man for Uno-X Mobility, Magnus Cort, is struggling and really feeling the cold. 

Into the final kilometre of the Valico La Crocetta climb. 

KoM (Valico La Crocetta)

1. Mirco Maestri (ITA) Polti-VisitMalta 5pts
2. Gijs Leemreize (NED) Picnic-PostNL 3pts
3. Jorge Arcas (ESP) Movistar 2pts
4. William Blume Levy (DEN) Uno-X Mobility 1pt

The sun is out but it is also raining. A classic spring weather moment as they go into the snow line on this climb. Riders trying to put jackets on for the descent which may be difficult in these cold conditions. 

Q36.5, Soudal-QuickStep, EF Education-EasyPost, Ineos Grenadiers, Bahrain Victorious and UAE Team Emirates-XRG leading the peloton over the top of the climb as the gap to the break drops to three minutes. 

80km to go

Bahrain Victorious are trying to split the race as the wind is up. Possible echelons incoming. Exactly this happened the last time the race came to this road. Ineos Grenadiers take over as they go through the bizarrely placed feed zone. 

Splits in peloton

Alex Aranburu (Cofidis) one of the riders caught out. Magnus Cort (Uno-X Mobility) also in the group. Several groups along the road as the pace is rocketing. 

So far it appears that Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers), Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious), Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious) and Pidcock (Q36.5) are all in the first part of the peloton as the group is growing now the descent begins and the wind eases on the fast and twisting road. 

Milan (Lidl-Trek) and Groenewegen (Jayco-AlUla) are over nine minutes behind the peloton. 

Ineos Grenadiers and UAE Team Emirates-XRG are pushing very hard in the front split of the peloton with Connor Swift, Brandon Rivera, Filippo Ganna and Domen Novak giving their all.

50" between the two main splits in the peloton with Groupama-FDJ missing out in as they lead the chase as Romain Gregoire missed the split. Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) also involved in that split. 

The lead split now riding through and off in a chain gang as some extremely strong riders push hard. Mattia Cattaneo (Soudal-QuickStep) and Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) joining the workforce at the front. 

70km to go

Breakaway have just over two minutes on the first split then another 50" back to the next group. About another 20" to the third split then nine minutes back to the group of Milan and Groenewegen. 

About 30 riders in this front part of the peloton led by Ineos Grenadiers, Bahrain Victorious, Movistar and UAE Team Emirates-XRG. 

The second part of the peloton rejoins the first part. One more big group still about a minute behind but the peloton has swollen significantly. 

Ineos Grenadiers are still pushing hard despite the peloton growing. Maybe to try and give as good a chance as possible for Filippo Ganna in a reduced sprint. 

Bryan Coquard (Cofidis), Magnus Cort (Uno-X Mobility) and Dan McLay (Visma-Lease a Bike) are caught in the group still out of the back of the peloton. 

Paul Magnier and Mikel Landa are also caught out in the second group for Soudal-QuickStep but Bahrain Victorious now on the front of the peloton but the pace is dropping as the race is now facing a headwind. 

Derek Gee (Israel-Premier Tech) is another big name who has been caught out in this split with a few of his teammates working hard to pull that group back to the peloton again. 

Intermediate sprint (Ovindoli)

1. Jonas Rutsch (GER) Intermarche-Wanty 5pts 3"
2. William Blume Levy (DEN) Uno-X Mobility 3pts 2"
3. Mirco Maestri (ITA) Polti-VisitMalta 2pts 1"
4. Gijs Leemreize (NED) Picnic-PostNL 1pt

60km to go

The breakaway have just under a minute and a half on the peloton with the Gee (Israel-Premier Tech), Magnier (Soudal-QuickStep), Landa (Soudal-QuickStep) group at just over two minutes with another group just under four minutes. Very big gap back to Milan (Lidl-Trek) and Groenewegen (Jayco-AlUla). 

Gee (Israel-Premier Tech) himself is taking up the chase and is getting very close to the peloton again. Ineos Grenadiers still pushing with Kwiatkowski leading the way at the front of the bunch. Just over a minute to the break now. 

50km to go

Ineos Grenadiers continue to push hard. It appears that Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease a Bike) is not in the peloton and maybe not the first chase group. Paul Magnier (Soudal-QuickStep) is in the group with Mikel Landa (Soudal-QuickStep) and Derek Gee (Israel-Premier Tech).

The breakaway are still managing to hold over a minute on the chasing peloton. 

Ineos Grenadiers and UAE Team Emirates-XRG are trying to split the peloton yet again!

Split in peloton!

Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers)
Laurens De Plus (Ineos Grenadiers)
Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)
Felix Großschartner (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)
Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)
Quentin Pacher (Groupama-FDJ)

They get away from the rest of the peloton!

40km to go

The Ganna group including De Plus and Ayuso are just about half a minute off the breakaway with the peloton desperately trying to get back. The group with Gee in is now over a minute behind. 

It looks like the first part of the peloton may get back to Ganna, Ayuso, De Plus, Del Toro, Pacher and Großschartner as the break will also get caught. 

Bahrain Victorious, Q36.5 and Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe drag Ganna, Ayuso and the others back with just 10" up to the breakaway. 

Simon Yates (Visma-Lease a Bike), Alex Aranburu (Cofidis), Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal-QuickStep) all caught out in a split off the back of the peloton and are a minute behind. 

Attack in break

William Blume Levy (Uno-X Mobility)

Everyone is able to follow the Dane, though. Now they just counter attack each other constantly. If they worked together they could get a good gap as they are now 25" ahead of the peloton. 

The Simon Yates (Visma-Lease a Bike) group has just been absorbed by the Derek Gee (Israel-Premier Tech) group. 

Other riders caught out are Eddie Dunbar (Jayco-AlUla), Kevin Vauquelin (Arkea-B&B Hotels), Paul Magnier (Soudal-QuickStep) and Mikel Landa (Soudal-QuickStep). 

Mikel Landa (Soudal-QuickStep) is not in the second peloton. He is at the back of the main peloton. 

30km to go

The break crosses the finish line for the first of three times as they have extended their advantage to 47" again. The peloton doesn't appear to be too interested in bringing the break back at the moment. 

Ineos Grenadiers, EF Education-EasyPost, UAE Team Emirates-XRG and Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe leading the peloton but they're not pushing hard yet. 

The group of Yates (Visma-Lease a Bike), Gee (Israel-Premier Tech), Vauquelin (Arkea-B&B Hotels) and Dunbar (Jayco-AlUla) are just 30" off the back of the main peloton. 

Ineos Grenadiers back on the front controlling and pushing with Connor Swift working superbly well. They are now just under 30" behind the break. About 40" back to the second peloton. 

Crash in break!

Jonas Rutsch (Intermarche-Wanty)

The road was absolutely coated in mud and that sees the big German slip back into the peloton. 

Puncture

Mikel Landa (Soudal-QuickStep)

He has dropped out of the back of the main peloton. Nightmare moment for the Belgian squad's man for the GC. 

So, Landa (Soudal-QuickStep), who was said to be in the chase group for a while but was in fact in the main peloton is now actually in the chase group for definite this time. Maybe even out of the back as he will need a bike change. 

Soudal-QuickStep now sends several riders to the front of the chasing group as they have the stage to maybe go for and the GC to save with Paul Magnier and Mikel Landa out of the back. 

20km to go

The breakaway of four now have just a handful of seconds on the peloton with the chasing group now just under a minute down. 

For the first time today, Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) has taken off enough layers to show the blue leader's jersey. 

The rain begins the fall again as Soudal-QuickStep are starting to close the gap bit by bit to the peloton. Meanwhile, the breakaway has extended it's advantage yet again to 26". 

Very interestingly, not been mentioned all day, Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) is in the peloton. 

One last gigantic last push by Soudal-QuickStep sees the group with Magnier, Landa, Yates (Visma-Lease a Bike), Dunbar (Jayco-AlUla), Vauquelin (Arkea-B&B Hotels) and the rest all back into the peloton. 

Last lap

The riders now go into the final lap as Ineos Grenadiers look to try and close the 26" gap up to the breakaway. 

What a ride it has been by these four riders. Jonas Rutsch (Intermarche-Wanty will be disappointed after crashing but the four riders at the front have 15" on the peloton. 

Puncture

Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious)

He will not see the front of the race again, I don't think. 

There are a couple of Visma-Lease a Bike riders near the back. One is Simon Yates but the other looks like the smooth style of Olav Kooij. Looks like his strong build but not certain. 

10km to go

The peloton is very close to the break now. Just 8" between the two groups now. 

There are three Visma-Lease a Bike riders in the peloton. Yates, Uijtdebroeks and someone else... Perhaps McLay or maybe even Kooij!

5km to go

The breakaway are STILL holding off the peloton with the time gap ticking back up with 15" as they are about to hit a little kicker that has a maximum gradient of about 15% over 200 metres. 

Attack in break

Jorge Arcas (Movistar)

Everyone is following. 

Attack in peloton!

Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck)

Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) went first but the former world champion launched and he was very quickly closed by Filippo Ganna. 

Attack!

Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost)

He joins the breakaway but Laurens De Plus is the man dragging it all back together for Filippo Ganna but Healy is holding the gap with Blume Levy and Maestri being able to follow. 

Into the final 3km and De Plus can not close the gap. Healy is dragging the much faster Maestri as well as Blume Levy to the line here as the chase stalls in the peloton. 

Magnus Cort's Uno-X Mobility tries to get organised but again nothing happens as a new counter attack launches which gets UAE Team Emirates-XRG chasing. 

Flamme Rouge

Ben Healy still has Mirco Maestri and Williams Blume Levy to the line here and Maestri is a good sprinter!

Behind, the peloton are just not getting organised after they drag the attack of Mikel Landa (Soudal-QuickStep) back. 

Paul Magnier's Soudal-QuickStep come to the front as they try and bring it back together but they still have about 8" but the leadout is coming with 500 metres to go. 

The catch is made with 300 metres to go!

Olav Kooij of Visma-Lease a Bike comes from absolutely nowhere to win stage four of Tirreno-Adriatico 2025! What a superb ride by the Dutch star sprinter. 

What an absolutely incredible stage that was. From start to finish it was non-stop action. 

Top 10

1. Olav Kooij (NED) Visma-Lease a Bike 4:48'05"
2. Rick Pluimers (NED) Tudor
3. Mathieu van der Poel (NED) Alpecin-Deceuninck
4. Paul Magnier (FRA) Soudal-QuickStep
5. Mirco Maestri (ITA) Polti-VismaMalta
6. Andrea Vendrame (ITA) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale
7. Filippo Ganna (ITA) Ineos Grenadiers
8. Tom Pidcock (GBR) Q36.5
9. Giovanni Lonardi (ITA) Polti-VisitMalta
10. Filippo Fiorelli (ITA) VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizane, all S.T.

General classification after stage four

1. Filippo Ganna (ITA) Ineos Grenadiers 16:14'00"
2. Juan Ayuso (ESP) UAE Team Emirates-XRG +22"
3. Antonio Tiberi (ITA) Bahrain Victorious +29"
4. Derek Gee (CAN) Bahrain Victorious +34"
5. Mattia Cattaneo (ITA) Soudal-QuickStep +36"
6. Kevin Vauquelin (FRA) Arkea-B&B Hotels +41"
7. Eddie Dunbar (IRL) Jayco-AlUla +44"
8. Laurens De Plus (BEL) Ineos Grenadiers +45"
9. Ben Healy (IRL) EF Education-EasyPost +48"
10. Romain Gregoire (FRA) Groupama-FDJ S.T.

Make sure to read our post race report with all the reactions and analysis to come on our home page too. To read the race report just click the link below...

>>> Tirreno-Adriatico: Olav Kooij wins stage 4 as breakaway caught in final metres 

And this race isn't the only WorldTour race on this week, of course. Make sure you head over to our Paris-Nice live report for the fifth stage there as Tobias Foss (Ineos Grenadiers) is solo with about 10km to go...

>>> Paris-Nice stage 5 Live - GC action anticipated in finale dense with hills 

Tomorrow's stage is another tough one with several sharp climbs along the way with three categorised climbs but several other uncategorised along the route as well with 205km between Ascoli Piceno and Pergola.