The queen climbing stage of the Volta ao Algarve and after yesterday's wind assisted shuffling of the pack we could well be in for some more fun and games today. It's a really tricky last half of the stage finishing atop the Algarve's favourite climb of Malhao.
Mehr Wenige leads over the two stage winners Scarponi and Boily with Tinkoff duo Ovechkin and Kirylenka well placed. Dangerous climbers Roy, Mendes, Gerdemann are well placed on GC as are decent chrono men Popkov, Costa and most of all Cornu.
Two very early sprints today and with no attacks able to establish themselves we get a funny sprint with Ma taking it of Oliveira with Warbasse in third.
It's a good bonus for the young Oliveira to pick up who has decent GC aspirations. He is not allowed to get in the breakaway of the day however as three other riders slip to coop.
Fraile, Velits and Pibernik get clear. None a GC threat at all so very much safe to allow clear.
They roll through the second early sprint with three minute plus lead over the pack who will be happy with this situation.
The pack really are dozing through the first half of today's stage as the lead trio are afforded a seven minute lead with 90km to go. We can see the reason though the very tough finale to today's stage.
We have three 3rd cat climbs, the finish incidentally offers 2nd cat points, so these three could wrest the KoM lead off of the unconvincing Matt.
The Adira team take a deep breath as they move to the last 80km of the stage.
KoM 1 we see Pibernik beat his breakaway companions. The pack come over 8 minutes down on the breakaway, with 60kms left.
The second KoM is tight as Pibernik wins again to go level with Matt at the top of the provisional Leaderboard.
The lead these three have you'd give Pibernik a great chance of taking the outright lead at the next categorised climb.
The Adira boys are working to keep the gap pegged now.
35 to go and the lead trio have 8 minutes but disappointment for CSC as Friale falls on a downhill.
Out of the lead duo you would give Velits the edge on climbing ability and experience.
They are not going to wait for Friale and with the stage win in the offing why would they.
25 to go and the duo have three minutes on Fraile with the pack at 7 30. Velits started the day 12 minutes down so is no GC threat really.
The pack reach 25km to go and Mendes attacks.
Gerdemann joins him with Adira keeping close tabs.
Roy nips across also with 20km for the pack left forming a dangerous three man group.
Velits wins the third KoM prime moving himself up to 12 points four behind Pibernik who should be able to take the KoM lead at the end of the day.
Midway up the slope meanwhile Fraile who is struggling is caught and passed by Roy who has dropped Gerdemann and Mendes.
AirBaltic, Tinkoff and Metinvest now are pacing the pack as they look to control the punchaers in front.
Roy crests the 3rd category climb with a 50 second lead over the pack with 13km to go. Gerdemann and Mendes are stuck in between.
The pack are really spread out behind once more, no wind today just the difficulty and pace up the climb.
Indeed AirBaltic duo Lowe and Richardson have pulled a group of twenty riders clear.
Obviously a bad situation for Bpost and Metinvest with their leaders Cornu and Popkov as they chase this
They pull it back and Popkov looks to move forward as Cornu stays back.
The lead duo's lead has been dramitically cut to just two minutes over solo chaser Roy with six kilometre left.
Roy remains ahead as they get onto the Malhao, he only has 25 seconds on the pack now but is continuing to cut the gap on the breakaway duo.
4.5km to go and Velits - Pibernik only have a 1.17 lead over Roy.
Scarponi leads the pack catching Gerdemann and Mendes.
A check in the favourites with 3.5km to ride.
Cornu and Popkov still right at the back with Efimkin. Boily in the white jersey for Alstom is riding behind teammate Anderson as Gerdemann seems to be drifting back. Kiriyenka is in an okay position next to Costa and behind Brutt. Mehr- Wenige looks poised to attack next to the AirBaltic crew or Richardson and Lowe with Fonte, Scarponi and Mendes right at the front.
Mendes about to catch Roy and now attacks.
What a move from the Portuguese. Scarponi, Mehr-Wenige, Costa and Gerdemann respond.
It's the end of the breakaways 2km from the top, they had about seven minutes with 25km to go... amazing speed from the favourites.
Mendes cycles on determinedly with 15 seconds over Mehr-Wenige.
Cornu is a long way back next to Boom, he will be praying for a lack of recorded gaps.
Under the kite and Mehr-Wenige can see his name on the road and launches his sprint with Costa tracking.
Costa cannot hold the German though, as Kirylenka comes through with Richardson.
Cornu is just hanging on the back of this.
Kirylenka is powering up this difficult last bit of the climb.
200m left.
Mendes just about takes it.
Mehr-Wenige has shown extraordinary consistency takes another podium and remains in the lead. Kirylenka takes another third place which is a nice eight second bonus also.
Is their going to be gaps given back to Cornu? Popkov, Costa, Boom are way forwards as Cornu finishes nearer Zabriskie.
Indeed the timekeepes are able to give gaps here on Malhao, with the first three given ten extra seconds over the Costa group. Cornu concedes 47 seconds which places him well down at 1.23 to Mehr-Wenige, but also a minute back on Kirylenka and Mendes.
Points
It will depend on tomorrows flat stage a bit, but Mehr-Wenige could well have a lock on this jersey for the rest of the race. That saud Alstom have looked hungry on every stage.
KoM
There is only one cat 3 climb in the fourth stage followed by stage five's time trial. It means Pibernik has a great chance of taking the jersey. Velits and he looked at one stage like they could have taken the stage, both will have to make do with the breakaways gift the mountains jersey.
Youth:
Boily and Mehr-Wenige look the top class U25's, though Olivieria and Warbasse are turning heads. Penasa has also been quietly effective.
Team:
Alstom have been excellent every day, though Roy didn't quite channel his aggression right today. AirBaltic were the big pacers on the Malhao approach and they hurt a lot of riders today.
