FRASCATI, Italy – Richard Carapaz of Ecuador sprinted to victory on the fourth stage of the Giro d’Italia on Tuesday, while Slovenian cyclist Primoz Roglic extended his overall lead after avoiding a crash toward the end of the route.
Carapaz, who rides for Movistar, launched his sprint early and held off Caleb Ewan and Diego Ulissi on the uphill finish at the end of the undulating 235-kilometer route from Orbetello to Frascati. Roglic was the only major favorite to avoid a crash, which split the peloton inside the final six kilometers, and he finished two seconds behind Carapaz.
British cyclist Simon Yates and home favorite Vincenzo Nibali, who were second and third in the standings, respectively, were caught up and finished 16 seconds behind Roglic. The Jumbo-Visma cyclist has worn the leader’s pink jersey since winning the opening time trial on Saturday and extended his lead to 35 seconds ahead of Yates and 39 ahead of Nibali, who won the race in 2013 and 2016.
“I wanted to gain important seconds,” Roglic said. “I was in the group that was ahead and I didn’t see the crash. Everyone tried to be among the first group, but instead, some remained delayed by the crash. Those are things that happen in cycling.”
Thursday’s fifth stage is a mainly flat 140-kilometer route from Frascati to Terracina.
The Giro finishes in Verona on June 2.
