Gómez in the breakaway and Sevilla 6th in the penultimate stage of the Tour of Hainan

Stage 4 of the Tour of Hainan was even livelier than yesterday’s: the last significant climbs of the race pushed the rivals of leader Tsarenko (Solution Tech) to launch several attacks in an attempt to make a selection and distance the sprinters. Team Polti VisitMalta was always in the mix, getting into every group that formed from the very start.

The day’s main breakaway lasted nearly 80 kilometers and included 8 riders, among them Germán Gómez. Once the break was reeled in, Giovanni Ellena’s men helped keep the race under control, and with 3 km to go Diego Sevilla impressively joined an action that led to Gate (Astana) taking the win and the Polti VisitMalta veteran finishing sixth. Gómez (16th) and Fran Muñoz (19th) also crossed the line in the main peloton, showing once again the unity of the squad.

Sevilla: “What a crazy day! The GC here can be decided by small margins and time bonuses, so the race played out accordingly. There wasn’t a single move — big or small — without one of us in it. Personally I knew I was feeling good but it would’ve been hard to win in a sprint, so I tried to anticipate. We were caught right at the line, but the team’s performance was definitely a big positive.”

Ellena: “Diego’s 6th place rewards our excellent work, but we feel we could have gotten even more. Tomorrow we’ll give it everything to finish this Tour of Hainan in the best possible way!”