Dan Martin fights to stay in touch after feast of racing in Catalunya

Dan Martin fought all the way yesterday and did the same again today on what was a brutal finish to stage 4 at Volta a Catalunya. He lost some time but is still well in contention.

The
Volta a Catalunya start list looked star-studded when it was unveiled and the
racing hasn’t disappointed so far; Ireland’s Dan Martin in the thick of it
again today.

The UAE Team Emirates rider lost some time on today’s stage 4 but he is still in contention overall.

Indeed
he has slipped just one place in the standings, sitting 5^th some 46
seconds behind new race leader Miguel Angel Lopez (Asana).

The
Colombian assumed the leader’s jersey today from stage 1 winner Thomas de Gendt
(Lotto-Soudal) by winning today’s stage solo.

Lopez
(25) was 16 seconds ahead of yesterday’s winner, and now nearest challenger,
Adam Yates of Mitchelton-Scott on the summit finish of La Molina.

Dan
Martin, who battled so well to 3^rd place yesterday, lost a not insignificant
42 seconds to Lopez, finishing 11^th on the stage.

And while that time loss only cost him one place in the general standings, he now has a lot of time to make up.

Marc Soler (Movistar) leads Gregor Mühlberger (Bora-hansgrohe); the two survivors from the breakaway who very nearly made it all the way.

Lopez was too strong up the final climb, even for Bernal and Yates. He took an impressive solo win and has also assumed the race leader's jersey for his efforts.

Going into today’s stage he was in 4^th overall and while he was 33 seconds down on leader De Gendt he was only six seconds off Yates and three off Egan Bernal (Team Sky).

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However, all the main Catalunya protagonists put time into Dan Martin today; Lopez, Yates, Bernal and Nairo Quintana (Movistar) after the final climb was scaled twice, from different sides, inside the final 40km.

Gregor
Mühlberger (Bora-hansgrohe) and Marc Soler (Movistar) survived from the early 25-man breakaway until the deep
into the stage.

When Lopez climbed away from the main favourites
group on the finish mountain, he was the only one to catch and pass the two
early escapees.

The Colombian looked in total control when he went
with about 8.5km remaining and then again with 5km to go.

After the first attack Dan Martin was in trouble;
unable to follow when Bernal, Yates and Quintana moved after Lopez and caught
him.

And when Lopez attacked for the second time and
distanced Yates, Bernal and Quintana, Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott)
and Wilco Kelderman (Jumbo-Visma) would ride across to that trio.

Unfortunately
Martin was just back the road a little, though he rode well to limit his
losses.

After
Lopez took his solo win, Mühlberger survived to claim 2^nd
on the stage and Solar 3^rd; both 16 seconds down on Lopez.

Bernal,
Yates and Quintana finished with the two early breakaway men, all on the same
time some 16 seconds behind Lopez.

Quintana was just three more seconds back with Steven Kruijswijk (Jumbo-Visma).