Landa sprints to win 4th stage

Mikel Landa won a thrilling sprint at the end of the fourth stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico race yesterday, while Damiano Caruso moved into the overall lead after a mechanical failure for previous leader Geraint Thomas.

After a fascinating tussle in the closing kilometers of the steep climb to the finish, Landa accelerated on one of the final bends of the mountainous 219-kilometer (136-mile) route from Foligno to Sarnano-Sassotetto. He held off Rafal Majka and George Bennett to clinch victory.

Landa rode a quiet race but broke free of the peloton with 2.6 kilometers remaining and caught up with Majka, Ben Hermans and Fabio Aru, who attacked earlier in the 14-kilometer climb to the finish, at the foot of the local ski slopes.

They were joined by Bennett but no one could respond when Landa charged for the line to claim his first victory for Movistar.

Caruso was the first leader of the race after BMC won the opening team time trial, and he reclaimed the blue jerseyyesterday. The Italian rider has a one-second lead over Michal Kwiatkowski with Wilco Kelderman a further 10 seconds behind.

Thomas is fifth, 26 seconds behind Caruso — and six behind Landa — after what looked like a dropped chain with less than a kilometer to go.

The fifth stage today will pay a tribute to Michele Scarponi as it ends in his hometown of Filottrano after a hilly, 178-kilometer route from Castelraimondo.