Vuelta a San Juan S4: Fernando Gaviria fends off Peter Sagan for morale-boosting win
This article originally appeared on Velo News
Fernando Gaviria (Movistar) kicked to a morale-boosting victory in stage 4 at the Vuelta a San Juan.
The Colombian fended off the likes of Peter Sagan (TotalEnergies) and Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) to deliver his first victory for Movistar.
“This bring enormous happiness, it’s just what I needed,” Gaviria said. “The entire team worked for me. Getting over the climb was hard, but we knew we’d have a chance to win today if we did.”
The climb-heavy course saw many of the race’s top sprinters gapped out early, opening the door for anyone with a kick to have a chance for the win.
Gaviria also slotted into the leader’s jersey after Sam Bennett and Fabio Jakobsen, first and second respectively, were dropped on the lumpy profile.
No importa si solo un corredor cruza la linea de llegada primero, la victoria es colectiva. Gracias @Movistar_Team por haberlo dado todo hoy en la @vueltasanjuanok ! @Telefonica @MovistarCo @canyon_bikes
📷 @GettySport pic.twitter.com/H8LMMsFAwF
-- Fernando Gaviria (@FndoGaviria) January 26, 2023
The win comes as a salve for Gaviria, who struggled with three bouts of COVID during the past two seasons. A high-profile move to Movistar on a one-year deal comes packed with pressure to win.
The Vuelta a San Juan takes a rest day Thursday, and returns Friday with the decisive 173.7km mountaintop finale from Chimbas to Alto Colorado.
The GC favorites such as Egan Bernal, Remco Evenepoel, Miguel Angel Lopez, and Sergio Higuita are all knotted up at 18 seconds back.
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