Guillermo Silva pulled off a double in the fourth stage of the Tour of Hainan 2026. The Uruguayan from XDS Astana, who lost the top spot in the general classification yesterday, reclaimed the yellow jersey as race leader by beating Thomas Pesenti (Polti VisitMalta) and a very active Alessandro Fancellu (MBH Bank CSB Telecom Fort) in the final meters of the uphill finish at Baoting, with Lorenzo Quartucci (Burgos Burpellet BH) and Matteo Fabbro (Solution Tech NIPPO Rali) also managing to close in the top ten in fifth and seventh place respectively.

THE RACE

In the two laps of the circuit around Hainan Paradise Ocean Park, Luke Mudgway (Li Ning Star), Samuele Zoccarato (MBH Bank CSB Telecom Fort), Filippo Magli (Bardiani CSF 7 Saber), Riccardo Lucca (Quick Pro Cycling), Lionel Taminiaux (Lotto Intermarché), Jambaljamts Sainbayar (Burgos Burpellet BH), Javier Ibanez (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA), Bailey McDonald (Team Novo Nordisk), Kane Richards (Roojai Insurance), Zeb Kyffin (Terengganu Cycling Team), Alexander Konychev (China Anta Mentech), Ethan Batt and Karl Patrick Lauk (Wheeltop Rotor Chengdu Team) quickly break away, but the thirteen riders, forming a very dangerous attempt, are quickly reabsorbed by the peloton.

Attacks and counterattacks follow one after another, including those by Lucas De Rossi (China Anta Mentech) and the always enterprising Magli (awarded as the day's most combative rider at the end of the stage), which, like the previous ones, are neutralized. Nineteen riders (Thibaut Bernard, Luca Colnaghi, Josh Burnett, Samuele Zoccarato, Alessandro Iacchi, Bailey McDonald, Fabrizio Crozzolo, Andreas Miltiadis, Tegsh-Bayar Batsaikhan, Carter Bettles, Zeb Kyffin, Lucas De Rossi, Aleksandr Bereznyak, Yongbing Gao, Cyrus Monk, Cristian Raileanu, Nils Sinschek) escape from the peloton but, after the first intermediate sprint (1st Miltiadis ahead of Zoccarato), they too are brought back into line.

An indomitable Magli, De Rossi, Konychev, Gao and Gaoshang Niu (Bodywrap Ltwoo Cycling Team) try again, and their attempt is the first to finally acquire a significant advantage, as they quickly build up a 55-second gap on the peloton. The work of XDS Astana prevents the breakaway riders from gaining a larger gap, but they manage to stay in the lead, traveling between 30 and 45 seconds, until the -7km mark when, after accelerating decisively in the previous kilometers, the peloton catches them.

Thus we arrive at the attack of the final climb of Qixianling where Alessandro Fancellu proves to be the most enterprising from the start: the Italian, well supported by his team, attempts from the first slopes to make a difference to reopen the general classification and, driven by this intent, selects the group bringing with him the leader Xabier Berasategi (Euskaltel Euskadi), the two Polti VisitMalta riders Fabrizio Crozzolo and Thomas Pesenti and Guillermo Silva (XDS Astana). Without holding back, the MBH Bank CSB Telecom Fort rider insists on his attack, but this prevents him from having enough freshness to maintain the acceleration with which, in the final hundreds of meters, Silva overtakes him, securing his second stage victory in this Tour of Hainan and, once again, the leadership of the general classification.

Behind him, Pesenti (2nd in the stage standings and now 3rd in the general classification) also overtakes Fancellu, who closes third on the stage but recovers eight positions in the standings, climbing to fifth place, eight seconds behind the podium occupied, in addition to Silva and Pesenti, by the former yellow jersey wearer Berasategi, who finishes sixth today, 2 seconds behind the day's winner.

STAGE RESULTS

1. Guillermo Thomas Silva (URU) - XDS Astana Team - 2:45:46

2. Thomas Pesenti (ITA) - Team Polti VisitMalta - s.t.

3. Alessandro Fancellu (ITA) - MBH Bank CSB Telecom Fort – 2"

4. Nicolas Vinokurov (KAZ) - XDS Astana Team – s.t.

5. Lorenzo Quartucci (ITA) - Burgos Burpellet BH – s.t.

6. Xabier Berasategi (SPA) - Euskaltel - Euskadi – s.t.

7. Matteo Fabbro (ITA) - Solution Tech NIPPO Rali – s.t.

8. Clément Alleno (FRA) - Burgos Burpellet BH – s.t.

9. Fabrizio Crozzolo (ITA) - Team Polti VisitMalta – s.t.

10. Mathias Bregnhøj (DAN) - Terengganu Cycling Team – 7"

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION

1. Guillermo Thomas Silva (AST) - XDS Astana Team - 16:39:35

2. Xabier Berasategi (SPA) - Euskaltel - Euskadi 10"

3. Thomas Pesenti (ITA) - Team Polti VisitMalta 10"

4. Lorenzo Quartucci (ITA) - Burgos Burpellet BH 17"

5. Alessandro Fancellu (ITA) - MBH Bank CSB Telecom Fort 18"

6. Nicolas Vinokurov (KAZ) - XDS Astana Team 20"

7. Matteo Fabbro (ITA) - Solution Tech NIPPO Rali 22"

8. Mathias Bregnhøj (DAN) - Terengganu Cycling Team 24"

9. Clément Alleno (FRA) - Burgos Burpellet BH 25"

10. Fabrizio Crozzolo (ARG) - Team Polti VisitMalta 25"

OTHER CLASSIFICATIONS

Points Classification: Xabier Berasategi (SPA) - Euskaltel-Euskadi

Mountain Classification: Igor Chzhan (KAZ) - Quick Pro