TARRAGONA, Spain – Matteo Trentin of Italy won a sprint finish to claim the fourth stage of the Spanish Vuelta on Tuesday, while Chris Froome maintained his overall race lead.
Trentin powered past Juan Jose Lobato and had time to lift his arms in victory as he crossed the finish line of the 123-mile flat ride from Andorra to the coastal city of Tarragona.
“I was really looking for the victory because I have been going good this season,” Trentin said. “Everybody pulled together. It was really beautiful coming into the finish.”
The 28-year-old Trentin has now won stages at all three Grand Tours, with two stage wins on the Tour de France and one at the Giro d’Italia.
Trentin’s Quick-Step Floors team continued its excellent start to Vuelta. It was second in the opening team time trial, Yves Lampaert and Trentin pulled off a one-two finish in the second stage, and David de la Cruz was second on the third stage.
Two riders, Stephane Rossetto and Diego Rubio, led a breakaway that was neutralized by the peloton with less than 6.2 miles to go.
Froome, who finished in 17th place with the same time as Trentin, kept his two-second lead over De la Cruz, Nicolas Roche, and Tejay van Garderen.
“I had a good day,” Froome said. “It was a great feeling to be back in red after six years. It’s a huge, huge privilege to be in this position.”
Wednesday’s fifth stage is a hilly 109.1-mile ride from Benicassim to Alcossebre.
The race ends in Madrid on Sept. 10.
