The young Brit is our best placed rider in the standings.
A climb that commands respect, Sierra de Bernia strung out the peloton as they hit its early slopes after 165 kilometers of fast racing. It was there that the seven riders that had extricated themselves from the bunch in the opening kilometer were ruthlessly reeled in by the chasers. After pulling on the front of the pack in the past days to nullify the attackers, Tim Declercq was at the other end today, animating the stage from the breakaway and helping the group survive until the double-digit gradients of the climb began taking their toll on them.
Cracks began to appear in the peloton with two kilometers to go, and James Knox found himself in the main group, from where the winner emerged in the final kilometer, when Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) attacked and claimed both the stage and the leader’s jersey. James, who is racing for the first time this season here in Spain, arrived one minute later and finished in the top 15, after a solid ride that helped him jump in the general classification to 13th place.
Following this tough day, the overall is pretty much set in stone, stage 5 of the 71st Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana being one for the sprinters, who after a start from Paterna will travel to the capital of the autonomous community, where they’ll complete several laps of a fast circuit before one final bunch gallop.
Photo credit: ©David Ramos / Getty Images
James Knox 
