Pays de la Loire Tour: Alexander Kamp unseats Coquard for GC title as Dversnes wins stage 4

Fredrik Dversnes (Uno-X Pro Cycling Team) sprinted from a decisive group of six riders to win stage 4 of the Pays de la Loire Tour. Alexander Kamp (Tudor Pro Cycling) followed on his wheel in second place on the final stage and vaulted to the overall title of the four-day race.

Bryan Coquard (Cofidis), who held the leader’s jersey, trailed 29 seconds back in the chase group and fell off the GC podium into seventh overall. Stage 4 winner Dversnes jumped 25 places into second overall with his victory. Valentin Ferron (TotalEnergies), who was the trailing rider in the leading group of six, moved onto the GC podium with third overall.

Dversnes bridged to the decisive lead group with under 4km to go in the 177.8km stage and took advantage of his opportunity for a second race win of the year.

The final day of racing covered 177.8km of rolling terrain, with two categorised climbs hitting 15km apart just before the mid-point of the race to give attackers opportunities. After passing the second ascent at Côte de Dauvert, six riders had a gap of three minutes, Rasmus Søjberg Pedersen (CIC U Nantes Atlantique) leading the group for the KOM points. He was joined by Rudy Barbier (St Michel - Mavic - Auber93), Lasse Norman Leth (Uno-X Pro Cycling Team), Norman Vahtra (Go Sport - Roubaix Lille Métropole) and Nathan Vandepitte (Bingoal WB).

Once on the final circuits, five laps of 9.6km each, Barbier stopped for a mechanical with less than 55km to go, but was soon back in the lead group, while Vandepitte slipped back to leave five at the front. Later on the circuits, both riders would pull out of the contest. With just under 30km to go, only Norman remained at the front of the race, but a large chasing group made the catch 4km later.

Chasers-turned-leaders included Kamp, third on GC at 10 seconds back, Ferron in seventh at 19 seconds back, and Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), 24 seconds back, as well as Kévin Vauquelin (Arkéa-Samic), Alexis Guerin (Bingoal WB) and Jérémy Leveau (Go Sport - Roubaix Lille Métropole). Coquard chased in a group of eight, only 22 seconds back with under 15km to go.

Healy was the first from the new front group to attack, accelerating with 12km to go. Coquard then took the reins of the chasers to increase the pace to try to pull back the front six with one lap to go, his biggest threat being Kamp.

After a climb over the short Côte de Gazonfier and within 4km of the finish, Guerin was dropped from the lead group and replaced by a charging Dversnes. Across the next kilometre Healy went again, matched from the front six by Ferron and Kamp, distinguished by the red-and-white Danish national champion’s jersey.

Ferron was the first to attack at the front with 500 metres to go. Kamp responded in the middle of the road, but was passed by the Uno-X rider on the right side on a slight uphill to the line.

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