Hello and welcome to our live cove൲rage of the penultimate stage of the 2021 Étoile de Bèsseges. Today's stage 4 will run 151.6km from Rousson to Saint-Siffret, and features an uphill finish.

Teams are currently signing on 🍌for the stage, which is set to start in around 15 miℱnutes.

The big news from today, however, is that Bora-Hansgrohe star ﷺhas tested positive f൩or COVID-19 while at a training camp in Gran Canaria.

Yesterday's stage 3 saw Lotto Soudal man Tim Wellens take control of the race with a solo victory in Bèsseges. T💦he Belgian leads the GC by 44 seconds ahead of T🧸rek-Segafredo's Edward Theuns heading into these final two stages.

Read the 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:stage 3 report here.

The peloton have set off from Rousson now and they'reꦕ riding along the 2.2-kilometre neutralised zone.

Cofidis rider Anthony Pereꦫz suffers the first misfortune of the day. He had a puncture in the neutralised zone.

150km remaining

But he's back in the peloton as they get racing u🤪nderway and start stage 4.

The first difficulty of the day – the se🀅cond-category climb of the Côte de Lussan – comes after around 14km of racing today, so attacks are flying from the start here.

Nobody has managed to get away yet.

Meanwhile, there has been other racing going on over in Australia. Read our report for the U23 men's road race at the Australian National Championships 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:here.

140km to go

Alexandre Delettre (Delko) and Sean Bennett (Qhubeka Assos) are trying to attack as the riders reach the base🐼 of that first climb.

The duo didn't manage to get away, though, as the p꧂eloton hit the climb.

Anthony Perez (Cofidis), Alexys Brunel (Groupama-FDJ) and Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) have jumped awa🍎y from the peloton. The trio's efforts have gained them 15 seconds so far.

135km to go

Perez, Brunel♏ and Ganna have crossed the first climb of the day, the Côte de Lussan, 25 seconds up on the peloton. Brunel leads the way.

The leading trio look in a🐽 strong position going forward, which means that others are trying to make it across before it's too late.

Ludovic Robeet (Bingoal-Wallonie Bruxelles) and Dries De Bondt (Alpecin-Fenix)﷽ are attempting to bridge the gap.

126km to go

Perez, Brunel and Ganna have extended their lead to 2:15 now. That's the break of the day. Robeet a🍨nd De Bondt still chase.

De Bondt and Rob🌃eet lie 35 seconds back on the lead trio. A five-man group would certainly be a better proposition for the break than just three.

120km to go

The leaders are two minutes up on the peloton now, while the chaserꦆs ꦆremain a minute back.

The riders are less than 10km aw﷽ay from the second climb of the day. It's another second-category climb, the Côte de Cavillargues.

More news elsewhere – two new Italian races havꦇe been added to the calendar for 2021. The organisers of the G𝓀iro dell'Emilia will also be organising the Per sempre Alfredo in March and Settimana Ciclistica Italiana in July.

Back in Bèsseges, and it looks like the two break groups have indeed merged to make it five men out front. The gap remains stabꩲle at around two minutes.

There's no danger to overall leader Tim Wellens, so far. With the break's advantage 𒅌limited so far, Filippo Ganna has little chance of taking the race lead. He's the best-placed man in ꦜthe break, 3:26 down on the Belgian.

108km to go

Over the t🌜op of the Côte de Cavillargues and the lead quintet lie 2:10 up on the peloton. Robeet leads the group over ahead of Perez and Brunel.

A small drama in t𓂃he break as Robeet stops to changeꦡ his bike. He's back up and running quickly, though.

UCI makes financial contributions to UNIO and CPA Women

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After 🌳that climb and the descent, the riders will soon be heading across the finish line for the first time today. They'll get three previews of the uphill finish before crossing the line for a final time in just under 100 kilometres.

95km to go

Robeet took a while to get back to his breakmates after that bike change. He's just manageไd to get b▨ack on and it's a group of five once more.

Back in the peloton, Lotto Soudal are unsurprisingly inꩵ control of things for race🎐 leader Tim Wellens.

Find out how to watch the Étoile de Bessèges from any𒆙where with our handy guide.

How to watch Étoile de Bessèges – live TV and streaming

90km to go

The riders pass thr🐽ough Saint-Siffert and cross the finish line for the first time today.🌺 There are two minutes between the break and peloton at the moment.

It's an uphill drag to the line &nd𝓰ash; 1.1km at 5.6 per cent. Longer than the finish of the opening stage whꦺich saw Christophe Laporte prevail, but it's less steep.

De Bondt led the break across the line for a few sprint points with Ganna taking second. The pel🍸oton passed through 1:30 later.

Ineos Grenadiers' Chris Lawless has abandoned the race. The Briton is most noted for winning the Tour d🌳e Yorkshire when it was last held, bac𝔍k in 2019.

80km to go

As the riders reach the feed zone, the gap betwee𝓀n the Lotto Soudal-led peloton and break still stands at 1:55. There's not much reason to push hard to bring the leading five back just yet.

Familiar roads for Van Aert, Van Vleuten as Strade Bianche sticks to script

Same 184km, 💮136km courses planned for 2021 editions

Since the last update, the gap has fallen to 1:20 after the peloton has upped 𓄧the pace sl🍎ightly.

70km to go

B&B Hotels p/b KTM have joined Lot🐻to Soudal. They'll be working for Bryan Coqu🃏ard, who should be well-suited to today's finish.

It's been quite a quick d🔯ay so far, with the riders covering𓆏 42.5kph over the opening two hours.

It's up and down on the rolling roads forไ now. The riders will head back to the finish line🅰 again in around 20 kilometres.

50km to go

As the break pass the 50km mark, their advantage holds at 1:40. A mix of teams are on the front of the pe𓃲loton – EF Education-Nippo, B&B Hotels, and Total Direct Energ꧅ie.

The five men in the break are🌱 still co-operating, still working well together. It'll be a while before t🌊he attacks start up front.

The g🌠ap is coming down, bit by bit, as EF, TDE and the other sprint✅er's teams put in the work.

42km to go

Perez briefly jumps off the front of the break as the road heads uph𝔉ill once more. He's thought better of it, though. Strength in numbers for now.

Brunnel drifted off the back of the break on a downhill section, but he's back up there now. Just over a minute back to t🔥he pe🌟loton at the moment.

32km to go

It's under a minute now for the first time all stage. The big question now is when the catch will be made and who will take control on the f🃏inal run-in.

It's still the same group of teams – EF Education-Nippo, B&B Hotels p/b KTM, and 💝Total Direct Energie – working at the 𝓡head of the peloton.

Qhubeka Assos are massing a little further back.

There's some cyclo-cross going on today as well. It's the Supe꧂rprestige round in Middelkerke and the women's race has already finished.

Check out our report on the race here.

25km to go

The break have just 33 seconds now. Bora-Hasgrohe and Lotto Soudal move towards t♏he front, too.

ꦚIt's EF who are making the b🍰iggest effort, though. They've had a larger presence at the front of the peloton, with Total Direct Energie a close second.

21km to go

Up fron🥃t, the break are approaching the run to the line for the penultimate time. They're just 20 seconds up on the peloton now as Pierre Latour (Total Direct Energie) puts in an attack.

Two from EF, two from Total Direct Energie𝕴 and one from Intermarche-Wanty Gobert have split off the front of the peloton on the climb.

Brunel leads the way for the break, but that attack group has them in their 🌳sights.

Niki Terpstra and Pierre Latour are the TDE riders on th🔯e move. Robeet drops 📖from the break, meanwhile.

Terpstra and Latour make it across to the lead quartet accompanied by EF rider Alberto Bett🐭iol.

18km to go

Lotto Soudal and AG2R Citroën take it🔯 up at the head of the peloton. The gap is 18 seconds.

Bora-Hansgrohe have✨ several men 𒈔up there to help the chase, too.

15km to go

24 seconds now. The lea♏ders are working well togther at the moment.

There are still two small unclassified climbs between the riders and the f൲inal ascent to the line.

Now Trek-Segafredo move to the hea♈d of the peloton, accompanying AG2R, Lotto and Bora. There's a lot of firepower being called on to pull this lead group back.

13km to go

They'𓆏re making it work, too. The gap is🎐 down to 12 seconds.

There are some strong riders in this lead group – some of them more tired after a day out front – but they won't be any match for the charging peloton here. AG2R, Lotto and Trek have formed three distinct lines at the ꦺf♊ront.

11km to go

Passing through the twisting roads of a town helps the break a little, but 11km is a long time to hold a 12🔥-second gap.

9km to go

Isra🍌el Start-Up Nation move up to 🌱do some work now. They'll be working for Rudy Barbier here.

Ganꦑna turns on the power in the lead group, meanwhile. There's no answer from behin♛d as a rider tries to wave away the television moto in front of the Italian.

The gap is – apparently – up to 22 seconds now. Interesting. If anyone can pull this move off, it's world time trial champi꧟on Ganna.

8km to go

He's fully off on his own, hands draped over bars, powering along. I don't think his s♛ix former companions will be bringing him back.

Remind: it's Latour, Ter༒pstra, De Bondt, Bettiol,&n🔥bsp;Brunel and Perez chasing.

5km to go

Ganna has pulled 🅷out 20 seconds on the chasers, while the peloton seems t🔯o have given up. They're a full 40 seconds down now.

A couple of kilometre൩s ago, it looked a certainty that the peloton would make the catch and that we'd see the sprinters fight it out in the finale. But then Filippo Ganna thought 'nah'...

4km to go

The chasers are still plugging away – there's a small chance that some mishap befalls Ganna and they make the catch💛. 

It's over for the peloton, though. 45 sꦅeconds now.

2km to go

Ganna is 3:26 down on the GC, while the men in the ch♚ase group are no closer to GC leader ♑Tim Wellens. We'll keep an eye on what happens in the peloton, but this result won't change the rankings as things stand.

1km to go

Ganna enters the final kilometre &nd෴ash; and that 5.6 per cent rise to the line – with a 24-second advantage on the chasers. The pelo♛ton is 45 seconds down.

It's a coronation for Ganna at this point, certain to be ꦇhis first win of the 2021 season.

Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) wins stage 4 of the Étoile de B&egrav𝔉e;ss♍eges!

The television cameras didn't catch the chase group, only showing Laporte leading the peloton across the line. It looks like they might've caught the chasers in that fin♊al run to the line, then...

Yep, Laporte led the peloton across the line for second place. He beꦰat Bora-Hansgrohe's Pascal Ackermann into third.

Greg Van Avermaet (AG2R Citroën) and Milan Menten (Bingoal-Wal🎃lonie Bruxelles) were fourth and fifth.

Tim Wellens (Lotto Soudal) will remain in the le🃏ader's jersey with a comfortable gap tonight. Just the 11km time trial to get through tomorrow and he'll be the 2021 champion!

Wellens still leads Edward Theuns b♓y 44 seconds, while Mads Würtz Schmidt is third at 46 seconds.

It'll take a momentously awful and unlucky day for Wellens to lose this race, though the fight for the podium will be more interesting, with⛄ the rest of the top 10 lying within six seconds of second.

Ganna celebrating his victory today.

Our 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:short report and brief results are up already. Stay tuned for a full look back at the day's ꧒racing as well as all the results from stage 4.

Be sure to join us again tomorrow f🔯or🅺 that final stage time trial!