Vuelta a Espana 2021 - Fabio Jakobsen powers to Stage 4 glory and green jersey after thrilling uphill sprint

A year from waking up from a medically induced coma after his horrific crash on the 2020 Tour de Pologne, Fabio Jakobsen got back to winning ways at La Vuelta on Tuesday. The Dutchman from Deceuninck-QuickStep powered past France’s Arnaud Demare (Groupama-FDJ) on a ramped finale to Stage 4 at Molina de Aragon to take his third win of the season while prising the green jersey from the shoulders of Stage 2 winner Jasper Philipsen.

Belgium’s Philipsen (UAE Team Emirates) found himself boxed in during a hectic finale to the 164km stage through the Castilla-La Mancha region of central Spain, the man in green only managing ninth place. Denmark’s Magnus Cort (EF Education-Nippo) completed the top three ahead of Italy’s Alberto Dainese (Team DSM) and Australia’s Michael Matthews (EF Education-Nippo).

A touch of wheels near the finish saw Estonia’s Rein Taaramae hit the deck but the Stage 3 winner from Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert retained his red jersey by virtue of the three-kilometre rule. Taaramae stays 25-seconds clear of France’s Kenny Elissonde (Trek-Segafredo) in the general classification with Slovenia’s defending champion Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma), winner of Saturday’s opening time trial, in third at 30 seconds.

A third career win on the Vuelta for Jakobsen propelled the 24-year-old to the top of the green jersey standings to cap an emotional day for the Dutchman. Entering the stage, Jakobsen, Philipsen and Spain’s Alex Aranburu (Astana-PremierTech) were all tied on 50 points, but the Stage 4 winner now is the outright leader on 100 points with Philipsen on 68. Aranburu, who finished 16th, stays on 50 points.

“It’s a dream come true,” said Jakobsen. “After the crash it was a long way back but I’m happy I’m here. A lot of time and effort has gone into this by a lot of other people and I think this is also their victory. I’m talking about all the doctors and surgeons and medical staff in Poland, my second family here at the team, and everybody in between. This is also their victory, and also my family’s victory, for they are the reason I’m here.

“It was a hectic finish. All the GC teams wanted to be in front – we understand that – and then three kilometres from the finish we tried to take over. There was a small climb and on the top I could find Bert [Van Lerberghe] and Stybie [Zdenek Stybar]. We went into the downhill position and then Bert just took me to the front so I could start my sprint on the inside because there was a slight turn to the right. Then I found the wheel of Demare and I think he was the guy to beat today. I just had a little bit more in the legs today so I’m happy I could pass him.”

An early breakaway saw Angel Madrazo go clear with his Burgos-BH teammate Carlos Canal – the youngest rider in the race – and Joan Bou of Euskaltel-Euskadi. The Spanish trio built up a maximum advantage of almost five minutes but their gap came tumbling down once the teams of the sprinters committed bodies on the front of the pack to lead the chase.

The catch came with 14km remaining before the jostling for positions started as the teams of the GC riders came to the front to keep their leaders out of trouble on the fast run into the finish. Taaramae, whose Intermarche-Gobert-Wanty team had spent much of the day controlling the tempo on the front of the pack, came down with around 2km to go.

"It was very, very nervous," the 34-year-old said after the stage. "In one moment a guy on the right went like that and took me down and I crashed. But I’m alive and I don’t have many injuries. I’ve got a bit of road rash but I feel okay.”

Groupama and Deceuninck flooded the front of the strung-out peloton as the race hit the final 6% rise to the line – and despite some muscling in from Belgium’s Piet Allegaert (Cofidis), Demare dug in and led the way to the finish.

But Jakobsen showed his class with a late surge to drop Denmark’s Cort and surge past the Frenchman to cap an astonishing comeback with a win by a bike length. The battle for green will return on Wednesday in the almost pan-flat 184.5km Stage 5 from Tarancon to Albacete where the likes of Jakobsen, Demare and Philipsen will lock horns once again.

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