She escaped on the cobblestone section that characterized the final stretch of the stage and Cédrine Kerbaol flew solo towards the finish line in La Coruña. The Breton rider from EF Education-Oatly secured victory in the fourth stage of the Vuelta Espana Femenina, finishing 4" ahead of the peloton led by Lotte Kopecky (Team SD Worx - Protime) with Canadian Sarah Van Dam (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) in third. Another strong performance for Paternoster, who completed the 121-kilometer stage in eighth place.

In the general classification, Koch still leads with Lotte Kopecky moving up to second place, just 2" behind; Kerbaol is third at 4". Monica Trinca Colonel is the top Italian in tenth place, 18" down from the red jersey.

THE STAGE .- The day's protagonist was young Felicity Wilson-Haffenden, riding for Lidl Trek, who launched an attack just a few kilometers after the start from Padrón alongside Belgian Sterre Vervloet of Lotto Intermarchè Ladies. The two breakaway riders pedaled in unison for many kilometers, resisting the chase of several competitors including Katia Ragusa (Human Powered Health) and Marina Garau (Vini Fantini – BePink).

The agreement between the two leaders fell apart with approximately forty kilometers remaining: Vervloet couldn't maintain Wilson-Haffenden's pace as the Australian time trial champion continued solo. She passed through the Arteixo Intermediate Sprint with a 20" advantage over the peloton led by Lotte Kopecky, with Franziska Koch in third position.

Wilson-Haffenden's attack ended fourteen kilometers from the finish when Visma Lease a Bike riders increased the pace ahead of one of today's climbs. The ramp, characterized by a fairly wide road, whittled down the group and made even the red jersey wearer Franziska Koch suffer a bit. On the following descent, Olympic champion Kristen Faulkner (EF Education-Oatly) accelerated but didn't trouble her rivals.

The final kilometers were animated by several attacks from Visma Lease a Bike riders and Niewiadoma: the Polish rider's accelerations dropped several competitors. As they approached the ocean, the riders tackled the iconic cobblestone section, and here, well-supported by her teammates, Cédrine Kerbaol attacked to celebrate her return to victory after 11 months.

FINISHING ORDER

1 71 KERBAOL Cedrine FRA EFO 00" B:10"

2 23 KOPECKY Lotte BEL SDW 04" B:10"

3 35 VAN DAM Sarah CAN TVL ' ' B:04"

4 93 LIPPERT Liane GER MOV ' '

5 2 BLASI CAIROL Paula ESP UAD ' '

6 21 BREDEWOLD Mischa NED SDW ' '

7 61 ADEGEEST Loes NED LTK ' '

8 84 PATERNOSTER Letizia ITA LIV ' '

9 1 GARCIA Mavi ESP UAD ' '

10 106 MOOLMAN PASIO Ashleigh RSA AGS ' '

11 51 NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna POL CSZ ' '

12 26 VAN DER BREGGEN Anna NED SDW ' '

13 111 OSTOLAZA ZABALA Usoa ESP LKF ' '

14 81 TRINCA COLONEL Monica ITA LIV ' '

15 32 FERRAND PREVOT Pauline FRA TVL ' '

16 13 KOCH Franziska GER TFS ' ' B:02"

17 122 AALERUD Katrine NOR UXM ' '

18 27 VINKE Nienke NED SDW ' ' *

19 55 LUDWIG Cecilie DEN CSZ ' '

20 121 HAUGSET Sigrid NOR UXM

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION

1 13 KOCH Franziska GER TFS 9h03'43" 00"

2 23 KOPECKY Lotte BEL SDW 9h03'45" 02"

3 71 KERBAOL Cedrine FRA EFO 9h03'47" 04"

4 35 VAN DAM Sarah CAN TVL 9h03'57" 14"

5 15 MUZIC Evita FRA TFS ' ' ' ' 67

6 61 ADEGEEST Loes NED LTK 9h03'59" 16"

7 93 LIPPERT Liane GER MOV 9h04'01" 18"

8 26 VAN DER BREGGEN Anna NED SDW ' ' ' '

9 2 BLASI CAIROL Paula ESP UAD ' ' ' '

10 81 TRINCA COLONEL Monica ITA LIV ' ' '