The time trial specialist, Olympic vice-champion in Tokyo, took advantage of a moment of hesitation about twenty kilometers from the finish to start alone in the lead. The French Evita Muzic took second place by settling the sprint among three pursuers.
"The team intended to make the race difficult and to ensure that it was not just an easy final, described the 30-year-old rider. We said that we would attack in turn and that one would succeed in s 'isolate. I was lucky it was me."
Vegetarian and politically committed to the Greens in her young years, the Bernese, twice vice-world champion in timekeeping (2021 and 2020), perfectly paced her effort to win with a minute and a half gap on the competition. .
"This stage corresponded to my profile as a runner with gravel profiles (lower yield, editor's note)", savored Reusser soberly, a time as a doctor before devoting himself completely to cycling.
- Punctures punctuate the day -
The champagne vine paths have made pschitt among the favorites. The 12.9 kilometers of chalky paths sown on the route of this fourth stage between Troyes and Bar-sur-Aube did not give rise to any major movements.
"When Reusser attacked, she was very strong and we knew we couldn't run after all, admitted Marianne Vos, fifth of the day after settling the group of favorites. Keeping the yellow jersey is already very good."
Only punctures animated the day. Between the Danish Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, the Polish Katarzyna Niewiadoma, the Dutch Annemiek van Vleuten or the Italian Elisa Longo Borghini, almost all the leaders suffered a mechanical incident, without consequence.
Only the outsider Mavia Garcia lost big: a minute and a half on the favorites and a few milligrams of skin. Forced to change bikes twice, in the penultimate and then the final sector of the white path, the Spaniard, third in the Giro at the start of the month, fell with a crash by touching her racing car with her rear wheel while she was close to reuniting with the yellow jersey group.
The longest day awaits the runners on Thursday with 175.6 km to cover between Bar-le-Duc and Saint-Dié-des-Vosges for four and a half hours of effort.
