Breakaway holds on in fourth stage of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Van Aert wins bunch sprint

# Quinn Simmons Takes Stage 4 of Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes as Wout van Aert Shines in Bunch Sprint

In an exhilarating fourth stage of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, cyclists navigated the challenging route from Le Puy-en-Velay to Montrond-les-Bains, where Quinn Simmons emerged victorious after a fierce breakaway. This stage, marked by several categorized climbs right from the outset, saw a long struggle to establish a breakaway group, which eventually consisted of twelve riders.

Team Visma | Lease a Bike, fresh off a win in the team time trial, took on the responsibility of reeling in the breakaway. Despite their efforts, including bringing the gap down to a mere ten seconds in the final kilometers, the lead group managed to stay ahead. Simmons claimed the stage win, while Wout van Aert sprinted to success in the pecked peloton, finishing eleventh overall.

Reflecting on the race, van Aert remarked, “What I’ll take away from today is that I felt good on the bike.” He acknowledged the effort his team put into the chase, stating, “The breakaway was very strong today. As a team, we did our part in the chase… we just couldn’t catch the breakaway.”

Team sports director Maarten Wynants provided insights into the day’s challenges: “After a tough start, it was difficult to gain control of the race. Once the breakaway had gone clear, it wasn’t easy to organize the chase effectively. We did everything we could as a team, but in the end, we came up just short. Tomorrow offers another opportunity on a similar course, although we will also continue to focus on the general classification.”

## Stage Results
1. **Quinn Simmons (Lidl – Trek)** – 3:34:08
2. **Finn Fisher-Black (Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe)** – +0:00:00
3. **Mattéo Vercher (TotalEnergies)** – +0:00:00
11. **Wout van Aert (Team Visma | Lease a Bike)** – +0:00:04

## General Classification
1. **Alex Baudin (EF Education – EasyPost)** – 13:35:13
2. **Kévin Vauquelin (Netcompany INEOS)** – +0:00:12
3. **Oscar Onley (Netcompany INEOS)** – +0:00:12
4. **Matteo Jorgenson (Team Visma | Lease a Bike)** – +0:00:15

As the Tour continues, competitors will look to capitalize on upcoming stages, with Team Visma | Lease a Bike determined to enhance their standing in the general classification.