Primož Roglič puts in blistering time trial performance to lead Tour of the Basque Country
Slovenian Primož Roglič wins stage four and takes the Tour of the Basque Country lead from Julian Alaphilippe


Primož Roglič (LottoNL-Jumbo) won the key stage four time trial in the 2018 Tour of the Basque Country in Spain on Thursday.
The victory meant that the Slovenian takes the lead in the general classification from Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe (Quick-Step Floors), who had occupied the yellow jersey after winning the two opening stages. Roglič started the day in second place, eight seconds behind Alaphilippe overall.
Living up to pre-stage expectations, Roglič put in a strong performance on the pan-flat, out-and-back time trial course that totalled 19.4 kilometres starting and finishing in Lodosa. Roglič also won the race's time trial stage last year.
New Zealander Patrick Bevin (BMC Racing) placed second on the stage after setting an early fast time that only Roglič could better.
Former time trial world champion Vasil Kiryienka (Team Sky) placed third behind Roglič and Bevin at 11 seconds. Kiryienka was the first of four Sky riders in the stage's top 10, with Jonathan Castroviejo, Michal Kwiatkowski and David de la Cruz finishing in fourth, fifth and seventh.
>>> 2018 UCI WorldTour: Latest news, reports and race info
Despite losing the race lead, Alaphilippe put in a solid show against the clock, placing eighth on the stage, but 42 seconds adrift of Roglič's time.
Mikel Landa (Movistar) was one of the riders who really lost out against Alaphilippe and Roglič, placing 30th on the stage to drop from fourth to seventh overall.
Conversely, Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) finished the stage just one second and one place behind Alaphilippe to elevate himself to third place overall.
Roglič leads Alaphilippe by 34 seconds, with Mollema in third at one minute and 33 seconds.
The 2018 Tour of the Basque Country's penultimate stage on Friday, a 164.7-kilometre hilly route from Vitoria to Eibar.
The race concludes on Saturday with a relatively short 122.2km stage from Eibar to Arrate that will take the fight for the general classification to the line with a testing climb to the finish.
Results
Tour of the Basque Country, stage four: Lodosa to Lodosa, 19.4km ITT
1. Primož Roglič (Slo) LottoNL-Jumbo, in 22-26
2. Patrick Bevin (NZl) BMC Racing, at 9 secs
3. Vasil Kiryienka (Blr) Team Sky, at 11 secs
4. Jonathan Castroviejo (Esp) Team Sky, at 14 secs
5. Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Team Sky, at 20 secs
6. Michael Matthews (Aus) Team Sunweb, at 36 secs
7. David de la Cruz (Esp) Team Sky, at 37 secs
8. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Quick-Step Floors, at 42 secs
9. Bauke Mollema (Ned) Trek-Segafredo, at 43 secs
10. Damiano Caruso (Ita) BMC Racing, at 43 secs
General classification after stage four
1. Primož Roglič (Slo) LottoNL-Jumbo, in 13-41-26
2. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Quick-Step Floors, at 34 secs
3. Bauke Mollema (Ned) Trek-Segafredo, at 1-33
4. Patrick Konrad (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe, at 1-36
5. Gorka Izagirre (Esp) Bahrain-Merida, at 1-42
6. Emanuel Buchmann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe, at 1-48
7. Mikel Landa (Esp) Movistar, at 1-51
8. Pello Bilbao (Esp) Astana, at 1-57
9. Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar, at 2-08
10. Ion Izagirre (Esp) Bahrain-Merida, at 2-11
Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Nigel Wynn worked as associate editor on CyclingWeekly.com, he worked almost single-handedly on the Cycling Weekly website in its early days. His passion for cycling, his writing and his creativity, as well as his hard work and dedication, were the original driving force behind the website’s success. Without him, CyclingWeekly.com would certainly not exist on the size and scale that it enjoys today. Nigel sadly passed away, following a brave battle with a cancer-related illness, in 2018. He was a highly valued colleague, and more importantly, n exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed.
-
-
Tech of the Month July: Shimano 105 12-speed Di2 and bikes of the Tour de France
We ask if 105 is still the groupset of the people and take a look at the bikes – released and unreleased – that look set to be ridden at the tour
By Stefan Abram • Published
-
Fabio Jakobsen 'fairytale' keeps Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl flying high at Tour de France
Yves Lampaert might have lost the yellow jersey, but two wins in two days mean an almost-perfect Grand Départ
By Adam Becket • Published
-
Wout Van Aert into yellow on Tour de France stage two after 'boring' bridge
Belgian finishes second for 25th time, but this podium placing came with a bonus
By Adam Becket • Published
-
'Expect anything at the Giro!': Riders react to 7 kilometre Giro Donne 'neutral zone' climb
Stage three of the Giro Donne might have had the toughest neutral opening section ever, a seven kilometre climb at an average of 7%
By Owen Rogers • Published
-
Vos extends her record with a 31st Giro Donne stage victory
Elisa Balsamo retains the overall lead despite only managing third place on another scorching day in Sardinia
By Owen Rogers • Published
-
‘Those climber guys can ride over the cobbles these days’ - Fabian Cancellara predicts a fast paced opening week at the Tour de France
Cancellara has won the opening stage of the Tour de France five times and knows the importance of a strong opening week
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
Balsamo: 'For every Italian rider it is a dream to wear the pink jersey'
Excellent team work brings the jersey home for Trek-Segafredo’s Italian world champion
By Owen Rogers • Published
-
Balsamo takes pink with sprint win at the Giro Donne
Trek-Segafredo Control the day to ensure Balsamo takes the overall lead in her home tour
By Owen Rogers • Published
-
Kristen Faulkner cools down after making a splash at the Giro Donne
The American headed straight for the sea to after winning the stage and taking the Giro Donne overall lead
By Owen Rogers • Published
-
Kristen Faulkner blasts to Giro Donne opening stage victory
The American won the short time trial to take her first maglia rosa ahead of BikeExchange-Jayco team mate Georgia Baker
By Owen Rogers • Published