As it happened: No leadout train, no problem at Tour Down Under stage 4

Welcome to Cyclingnews' live coverage of stage 4, from Murray Bridge to Port Elliot, of the Tour Down Under. The stage starts at 11:10am local time or 12:30am GMT and finishes roughly four hours later.

Stage 2 winner Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates) retained the  GC lead after yesterday's bunch sprint finish. Stage 2 runner-up Corbin Strong (Israel-Premier Tech), is in second, 2 seconds down.  Axiel Mariault (Cofidis) moved up to third after taking the maximum bonus time seconds in the two intermediate sprints yesterday,

20-year old Del Toro also tops the best young rider classification but he will be wearing the ochre jersey, Second-placed rider in the BYR classification, Laurence Pithie (Groupama-GDJ) will wear the white jersey in today’s stage.

Double stage winner Sam Welsford (BORA-hansgrohe) leads the points classification.

Luke Burns (Australia) went in the break two days in a row and leads the KOM classification. He intends to defend his polka-dot jersey.

Stage 4 of the Tour Down Under is set to start in under 10 minutes. Murray Bridge, about an hour southeast of Adelaide. is hosting the start, to showcase the region as it recovers from recent flooding. Cyclists will cross the mighty Murray under neutral conditions before a big day of racing begins. 

Beautiful sunny conditions and 22 degrees C at the start in Murray Bridge, and it should get hotter during the day.

Some of the riders involved in yesterday’s high-speed crash with 10 km to go did not take the start today. Australia champion Luke Plapp (Jayco-AlUla) out of Tour Down Under following stage 3 crash  'due to discomfort and ongoing pain from a large amount of wounds’

Medical update of Cameron Scott from his Bahrain Victorious team - Although he was able to finish the race, he will not be starting stage 4 as a precautionary measure. We wish him a speedy recovery and to see him back racing soon.

Groupama-FDJ’s Rudy Molard did not finish stage 3 after the crash. His team confirmed that he suffered a "concussion and several wounds" but no fractures. He will remain under observation for 24 hours.

The three Astana Qazaqstan riders that went down - Christian Scaroni, Samuele Battistella and Michele] Gazzoli - finished the stage. The team stated that Scaroni hurt his left wrist but no sign of a  fracture, Battistella suffered a blow to his back, while Gazzoli has road rash and hurt his knee.

Flag drop from race director Stuart O’Grady - we are racing!  The 136.2km route will push east to Langhorne Creek and the only climb of the day, Gemmell Hill near Strathalbyn. comes 89km into the stage. The peloton will then speed to an uphill finish at Port Elliot towards the ocean on The Strand.

Alaphilippe makes the first attack and Hodeg jumps on his wheel. Jayco shuts the move down.

132km to go

Peloton is all together, across the road, and the pace is high.  

Mechanical for Jason Osborne (Alpecin-Deceuninck) - quick change and he’s chasing in the convoy.

Today’s stage is the last chance for the sprinters to shine. Welsford proved to be the fastest on stage 1 and stage 3. The Australian sprinter praised his  Bora-Hansgroh team - “You can turn your brain off, they’ll do the whole thing for you”

It’s also Welsford’s birthday today - Happy 28th!

Will Caleb Ewan (Jayco-AlUla) get everything right today? Australian sprinter is feeling the pressure ahead of final Tour Down Under sprint 

Another attack by a Soudal rider, and he looks back for someone else to join in.  

Pieter Serry (Soudal Quick-Step) was joined by Jackson Medway of the Australian National Team. Vinicius Rangel (Movistar) quickly bridged across to make it three off the front.

Serry, who initiated the break, pulled to the side of the road.  Rangel and Medway are not waiting, and have a gap of 23 seconds.

Peloton is quite happy to let the two riders in the break to get some time. The best placed rider is Medway at 8:53 down on GC, and Rangel is 10:31. Gap at 1:35 with 121km to go.

Movistar team director is giving advice to his rider, Rangel in the break as the gap goes up to 3:06. 

After 25km of racing, the duo has 4:48 gap on the peloton.

It's Medway's turn to chat with his team director retired pro Matt Wilson. 

Biniam Girmay gets a quick front wheel change. 

Jackson Medway (Australia) and Vinicius Rangel (Movistar) in the break.

Girmay has an Intermarché-Wanty teammate Tom Paquot bringing him back to the peloton. They connect with an Israel-PremierTech rider in the convoy.

Girmay is back in the field with 102km to go. Pace has gone up in the field, once the break's lead crossed the five-minute mark.

Crash in the field. Two Cofidis riders and two from Arkea involved.

Axel Mariault (Cofidis) is back up and trying to rejoin the field. Other riders involved included Louis Barré (Arkea-B&B) while his teammate Laurens Huys has to wait for a bike.

98km to go

Breakaway pair of Rangel and Medway have 4:25 gap to the peloton who has upped the pace. 

Breakaway has a tailwind and hitting speeds of 51km/hr. Wind is due to change direction in about 2 hours which takes us close to the finish line. 

Piet Allegaert (Cofidis) who went down in the crash, is receiving treatment at the medical car.

For the first time ihis year, Jayco is not at the front of the field setting the pace. Astana and Bora are leading the chase.

Medway, at 19 years of age, is the youngest rider in the Tour Down Under. Though he is racing for the Australian National Team, Medway is part of Team BridgeLane. As a UCI Continental team, BridgeLane cannot compete in a WorldTour race. 

Medway has one UCI victory in his palmares. He won the Australian U23 time trial championships on January 4.

Arkea-B&B riders involved in the crash are still chasing in the cars, along with Huys. Michael Storer (Australia) jumps on their wheel.

Barré stops at the medical car to get his right elbow looked at.

The other rider in the break, Vinicius Rangel is a 22-year-old professional cyclist from Brazil. He has won 1 UCI race - the Brazil national road title in 2022.

Patrick Gamper for Bora and an Astana rider are sharing the pacemaking at the front. OChre jersey and his team UAE are lined up behind them. Gap at 3:16.

10km to the first intermediate sprint, with points and the all-important time bonus seconds on the line. Breakaway pair has 3:05 on the field.

Second on GC, Corbin Strong (Israel-Premier Tech) may get into the mix in today's expected sprint finish.  

"It looks like a stage that was designed with the hopes of strong cross-winds. But, it doesn't look like we've got them today, so I think could be pretty straightforward until that sprint. And yeah, it's a little bit interesting, the final kilometres. It's as far as the sprint goes it's not a bad one for me. And hopefully, we take that last corner in a good position and can have a good crack at the stage." - Strong said prior to the start. 

The Kiwi is two seconds behind GC leader Del Toro.

75km to go

Rangel and Medway have 3:03. Field is strung out by the pacemaking of Astana and Bora. 

Medway is tucked in at the front, going full aero with Rangel behind him. Gap at 2:34 with 1km to the first sprint.

Medway did all the work with 1km to the intermediate sprint line in Langhorne Creek, and takes top points. Bonus time won’t make any difference for these two in the scheme of things.

Pace is not really on in the peloton with 1km to the sprint. No big interest in the bonus seconds until Ineos leads Narvaez but Jayco moved up to take third.

Jayco does not want Narvaez to get any time bonus to protect their potential GC rider Adam Yates.

Riders going through their musettes after the feedzone. 

Mechanical for Madis Mihkels (Intermarché-Wanty) who stops by the side of the road, and quickly gets going again.

Results from first intermediate sprint:

1-Jackson Medway (Australia)

2- Vincius Rangel (Movistar)

3  Kelland O’Brien (Jayco-AlUla)

60km to go

Medway and Rangel have 2:08 as we head to the second intermediate sprint in Strathalbyn. Still one rider each from Bora and Astana setting the pace followed by UAE.

Astana Qazaqstan is working for their sprinter Max Kanter while of course, BORA-hansgrohe is - of course - working for Sam Welsford who has two stages so far. Gap is now under the 2-minute mark.

1 kilometre to the second intermediate sprint and the last time today for the GC contenders to try and get a bonus second.

Medway and Rangel are sharing the points. Medway took the front in the final kilometre to the sprint but Rangel came around uncontested to take top points in Strathalbyn.

Again, Ineos strings out the field for Narvaez but Jayco’s Campbell Stewart jumps and gets third place and stops Navrvaez from getting that one second time bonus.

50km to go

Medway and Rangel have a 1:29 lead as we head towards the only KOM of the day, the cat 3. Gemmell Hill in 2.1km. 

Results from the second intermediate sprint:

1- Vincius Rangel (Movistar), 3 points

2- Jackson Medway (Australia), 2 points

3- Campbell Stewart (Jayco-AlUla), 1 point

Field lined up Bora and Astana 

Rangel leads the break across the line of the KOM followed by Medway. 

KOM leader Luke Burns is lead out by a teammate to get the remaining KOM points available.

Results from first KOM:

1- Vincius Rangel (Movistar), 5 points

2- Jackson Medway (Australia), 3 points

3- Luke Burns (Australia), 2 points

A long-awaited Tour Down Under return, crashes, genetic lotteries and the podium spot quandary - member exclusive Jack Haig interview

Sunny, blue skies and warm, not hot  – with a top temperature of 22 degrees Celsius at Port Elliot. As riders charge toward the line, on the run to the finish – which has a short ramp up at around 300m to go before flattening out –  it they did have a chance to look up they'd see the soothing vista of blue water and gentle waves but all eyes, of course, will be focussed on the line which marks the final opportunity for sprinters in the race.

Welsford is sitting on the wheel on his #2 leadout man Ryan Mullen in the peloton. Waiting to pounce.

36km to go and the gap is 58 seconds as we head towards another bunch sprint. But will the winds surprise the sprinters at the finish?

Still Bora and Astana setting the pace at the front but teams are now moving their protected riders closer to the front as the gap has been reduced to 40 seconds. 

25km to go

Medway and Rangel are not giving up at the front but their move will be reeled in soon. 

You can see the pain in Rangel's face as Medway continues to push the pace, still in his area time trial position.

The peloton rides past Langhorne Creek vineyard.

18km to go. Medway and Rangel are still pushing as hard as they can on their pedals with a 37-second gap.

Teams are starting to line up at the front. VIsma on one side, UAE on the other, Astana in the mix too.

Bora and double-stage winner Welsford are closer to the back  with 16km to go.

UAE are at the front, protecting GC leader Del Toro and hoping to set up their sprinter Alvaro Hodeg. 

Medway and Rangel shake hands with 13.7km to go, but then get back at it.

Medway and Rangel put in a valiant effort but they are reeled in inside of 12km to go in Goolwa and the fight for positioning for the upcoming bunch sprint is raging in the peloton.

10km to go

Ineos takes over the front for their sprinter Viviani. Israel trying to get organized. 

Ineos is lined up on the right side of the road, Intermarche moving up and Bora is still further back with 8km to go.

Hepburn leads Jayco up, replacing Plapp in the leadout for Ewan.

Ineos is all in for Vivian, with EF-Education and Bahrain behind them, jostling for position

Viviani is fifth in line in the Ineos train and Narvaez is on his wheel. 

5km to go

Del Toro was at the back and is now sprinting into the field solo.

Del Toro is still moving up on the side with no teammates. 

Close call as riders avoid parked cars on the side of the road

EF Education on the left of the road, Ineos on the right. Lots of movement in the middle with 3km to go.

dsm moves straight up in the middle and Del Toro moves back in the field.

Bora started to show themselves in the middle. Washing machine effect in the peloton.

5 Ineos riders at the front, 4 Bora next to him. Lots of urgency in the pack with 1.2km to go. Ewan is far back.

Astana takes over the front.

Hat trick for Sam Welsford! 

Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) sprinted to second place, and Lars Boven (Alpecin-Deceuninck) took third. Viviani ultimately crossed the line in 19th place. 

“I've lost the words, mate. That's crazy. That was such a fast run and what don't know or how it would happen, but I just had a good run out of the corner. I wasn't directly on Danny, but he knew where I was the whole time and I just used the guys in front of me as that lead out,” Welsford said at the finish line.

“I couldn't push more than this. Today, Sam was unbelievable, I think now he's in the best shape. So today I'm in perfect position, everything’s perfect. He's stronger than everyone today, I think, just say congrats to him,” said Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) who finished second on the stage.

“I'm happy today with second place a good start to the season, still chasing the win, but you've gone really good form so well done.”

Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates) safely crossed the line and still leads the general classification with a slim one-second advantage on Girmay.  

“It's a happy day and tomorrow it's another bit more complicated. But yeah, it's good to still be in orange [ochre leader’s jersey]," Del Toro said.

He also explained why he was moving up and down the peloton with 5km to go. "It's a sprint situation and I don't want to take a lot of risk. I hope to stay good for the next two days and only try to make one sprint to feel the legs, you know. But it's good."