VUELTA’26 STAGE 4: Is the 2026 Vuelta a España already over? It certainly looked that way in Andorra, where Tadej Pogačar produced another of his now-familiar demonstrations. The Slovenian attacked on the Collada de Beixalis, rode the final 50 kilometres alone and reached Andorra la Vella nearly three minutes ahead of his closest rivals. Jarno Widar delivered the ride of his young career to finish second, with Felix Gall third.
A Short Andorran Mountain Explosion
After the much-discussed cancellation of Stage 3 to Font-Romeu because of hail, lightning and appalling road conditions, the Vuelta peloton finally faced its first proper mountain stage.
And what a stage it was.
Only 104.8 kilometres separated the start and finish in Andorra la Vella, but the route included three Category 1 climbs and one Category 3 ascent. There was barely a metre of flat road—and absolutely nowhere for tired or injured riders to hide.
The climbing began immediately with the Port d’Envalira, a long 25-kilometre ascent averaging 5%. That was followed by the much more severe Collada de Beixalis, 6.7 kilometres at 8.5%, the Col d’Ordino at 9.8 kilometres and 7.1%, and finally the Alto de La Comella, 4.2 kilometres at 5.6%.
From the top of La Comella, fewer than five kilometres remained to the finish in Andorra la Vella.
This was a short stage designed for aggression—and it certainly got some.
Visma Packs the Breakaway
The attacks began almost as soon as the peloton hit the Port d’Envalira.
UAE Team Emirates-XRG immediately placed riders on the front to control the opening moves, but a powerful breakaway of 18 eventually escaped.
Visma | Lease a Bike appeared to have a clear plan, placing four riders in the move: Wout van Aert, Bruno Armirail, Stage 2 winner Matthew Brennan and Ben Tulett.
They were joined by Finn Fisher-Black, Pablo Castrillo, Raúl García Pierna, Eddie Dunbar, Simon Dalby, Paul Double, Georg Steinhauser, Lorenzo Fortunato, Mattia Gaffuri, Gijs Leemreize and Iván Ramiro Sosa, among others.
With four riders up the road, Visma had numbers and tactical options—but the peloton wasn’t prepared to let such a strong group gain much freedom.
Decathlon Turns Up the Heat
Surprisingly, it wasn’t UAE that took responsibility for closing down the break.
Decathlon CMA CGM moved to the front on behalf of Felix Gall and began driving a hard tempo. The pressure quickly hurt the weaker climbers, both in the peloton and the breakaway.
Van Aert was among the riders dropped from the front group as the pace increased.
The escapees were steadily reeled in, although Fortunato salvaged something from the move by crossing the summit of the Port d’Envalira first and collecting valuable mountains-classification points.
That would be his final contribution to the day. On the descent toward the Collada de Beixalis, the remaining breakaway riders were caught and the race came back together.
That was when Pogačar decided he had waited long enough.
Today’s Soundtrack:
“I told you he was comin’, and he’s ready to sock it to ya… one time!”
PEZ SEz: The perfect soundtrack for today’s stage. I love the Specials’ version, and used to play it in my old band the Immoral Six in the 80’s, but opted for the O.G. by Rex Garvin & the Mighty Cravers… great tune.
Pogačar Launches on Beixalis
The race exploded on the steep slopes of the Collada de Beixalis.
Pogačar had remained quiet on the Envalira, protected by his UAE teammates and apparently content to let Decathlon do the work. But early on Beixalis, the world champion launched his attack.
Felix Gall initially managed to follow.
For a few moments, the Austrian looked capable of making a contest of it. Those moments did not last long.
The Giro runner-up was soon forced to ease back, and Pogačar disappeared up the road. The red jersey rapidly became smaller in the distance as the Slovenian opened an enormous advantage.
By the summit of Beixalis, Pogačar led the first chasing group—containing Gall, Richard Carapaz and Primož Roglič—by approximately 90 seconds.
There were still two climbs and almost 40 kilometres to race.
For anyone else, that might have been a reason for caution. For Pogačar, it was simply an opportunity to extend the damage.
The Chase Splinters Behind
Pogačar continued to increase his advantage on the Col d’Ordino despite repeated attacks from the chasing group.
Gall recovered and accelerated, taking Oscar Onley with him. Roglič recognized the danger and launched a powerful counterattack, quickly closing the gap.
Enric Mas and Sepp Kuss also bridged across, leaving five major GC contenders together in pursuit of Pogačar.
Behind them, Carapaz, Mattias Skjelmose and an impressive Jarno Widar initially struggled to match the accelerations. But the trio kept the chasers in sight and managed to reconnect during the descent toward the Alto de La Comella.
The battle behind was fierce, tactical and filled with some of the best climbers in the race.
Unfortunately for them, they were fighting for second place.
Pogačar Delivers the Knockout Blow
There was no sign of weakness from Pogačar on the final climb.
The Slovenian continued riding alone, apparently within himself, while the group of favourites attacked, regrouped and watched the red jersey disappear farther up the road.
Pogačar crossed the finish line in Andorra la Vella to claim his second stage victory of the race. After his razor-thin opening time-trial win in Monaco, this was something entirely different: a 50-kilometre solo exhibition that crushed the general-classification contest.
Nearly three minutes passed before the first chasers arrived.
Widar’s Breakthrough Ride
The favourites remained together over the Alto de La Comella and into the finishing kilometres, setting up a sprint for the remaining podium places and bonus seconds.
Jarno Widar seized the moment.
The young Belgian, riding his first Grand Tour, produced an excellent sprint to take second place ahead of Gall. Onley, Kuss, Mas and Roglič followed.
Widar’s performance was one of the few results capable of competing with Pogačar for attention. Finishing second behind the world champion after such a savage mountain stage confirmed the young Belgian as one of the most exciting prospects in the race.
But the day—and quite possibly the Vuelta—belonged to Pogačar.
Is the Vuelta Already Over?
Four stages into the race—or three completed stages, after Monday’s cancellation—Pogačar has already won twice and established a crushing advantage over every serious rival.
There are still nearly three weeks of racing ahead, with heat, high mountains, crashes and fatigue all capable of changing a Grand Tour. Nothing is officially decided in August.
But if the question is whether anyone at this Vuelta can match Pogačar when he decides to attack, Stage 4 provided a brutally clear answer.
Not today. And perhaps not at all.
The PEZ Take
Stage 4 didn’t officially decide the Vuelta—but Pogačar may have effectively ended the race for red. A 50-kilometre solo attack and a gap of nearly three minutes showed that none of his principal rivals can match him physically. Roglič, Gall, Mas, Kuss and the rest may now have to forget about beating Pogačar directly and concentrate on the remaining podium positions.
The bigger question is how Pogačar chooses to race from here. With a commanding advantage already established, UAE can control rather than attack—but Pogačar rarely settles for defensive racing. That could leave the battle for second as the real GC contest while he pursues more stage wins and potentially the points and mountains jerseys.
Jarno Widar’s second place was the other major takeaway. On his Grand Tour debut, the young Belgian didn’t merely survive the first mountain test—he beat established contenders to the line. Pogačar may own this Vuelta, but Widar could be riding himself into cycling’s next generation of Grand Tour leaders.
La Vuelta a Espana 2026 Stage 4 Results
Read our complete Vuelta a España 2026 preview here
La Vuelta a Espana 2026 Stage 4 FAQs
Who won Stage 4 of the 2026 Vuelta a España?
Tadej Pogačar won Stage 4 in Andorra la Vella after launching a long-range attack on the Collada de Beixalis.
How far did Pogačar ride alone?
Pogačar completed approximately the final 50 kilometres alone after dropping his rivals on the Collada de Beixalis.
How much time did Pogačar gain?
Pogačar finished nearly three minutes ahead of the first chasing riders, establishing a commanding advantage over his general-classification rivals.
Who finished second on Vuelta Stage 4?
Jarno Widar finished second. The young Belgian produced an impressive sprint from the chase group while competing in his first Grand Tour.
Who finished third in Andorra?
Felix Gall took third place behind Pogačar and Widar.
Where did Pogačar make his decisive attack?
Pogačar attacked on the Collada de Beixalis, a 6.7-kilometre Category 1 climb averaging approximately 8.5%.
What climbs featured on Vuelta Stage 4?
The 104.8-kilometre stage included the Port d’Envalira, Collada de Beixalis, Col d’Ordino and Alto de La Comella.
What happened to the early breakaway?
An 18-rider break containing four Visma | Lease a Bike riders formed on the Port d’Envalira. Decathlon CMA CGM drove the peloton and caught the move before Pogačar attacked.
Did Wout van Aert make the breakaway?
Yes. Van Aert joined the early break alongside Visma teammates Bruno Armirail, Matthew Brennan and Ben Tulett, but he was dropped as the climbing pace increased.
Is the Vuelta already over?
The race is not officially decided, and nearly three weeks remain. However, Pogačar’s enormous advantage and clear climbing superiority mean his rivals may now focus more on the remaining podium places than on taking the red jersey.
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