Volta a Portugal 2026 – Stage 04 [FULL STAGE]

August 9, 2026

87th Volta a Portugal em Bicicleta 2026 🇵🇹 (2.1) ME – Stage 4 – Figueiró dos Vinhos – Covilhã (Torre) : 154,6 km

Volta a Portugal em Bicicleta is a UCI 2.1 stage race run across a demanding mix of mountain roads, rolling inland terrain, and urban finishes. The route often includes long climbs, sharp gradients, and exposed descents, with heat and fatigue becoming major factors as the race progresses through successive stages. Riders must manage repeated efforts on steep ascents, narrow roads, and technical downhill sections, while the flatter stages can still be shaped by wind and fast team pacing. Race dynamics usually revolve around controlled climbs, breakaway attempts on transitional days, and selective accelerations on summit finishes or uphill drags that split the field. Typical stages may feature substantial elevation gain, multiple categorized climbs, and finales that reward both climbing strength and careful energy management. Finishes can arrive as solo victories, reduced-group sprints, or uphill surges, depending on how much attrition the course creates. The race is defined by endurance, consistency, and the ability to recover day after day.

Stage 4 of the Volta a Portugal was by Alexis Guerin (Anicolor-Campicarn), the Frenchman attacking on the brutal final climb to take a conclusive victory and the overall lead with six stages to go.

Guerin made his race winning move with just over 14km of the ascent to Covihâ, quickly gapping the group of favourites, and winning by 1:44. Behind him last year’s overall winner and Guerin’s teammate, Artem Nych attacked a chasing group of five to take second place with third place going to Pedro Silva (Feira dos Sofás-Boavista).

The fourth of the Volta a Portugal’s 10 stages brought the race’s first mountain top finish, the ascent to Covilhã measuring almost 21km at an average gradient of 6.3%. This made the day one for the climbers, with the preceding kilometres of the 154.6km stage, starting in Figueiró dos Vinhos, also lumpy and including three classified climbs.

A group of six riders soon escaped but were caught before yet another clutch tried their luck, when they were back in the bunch a further group, including race leader Rui Oliveira (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) got away. He was joined by Oscar Rota (Feira dos Sofás-Boavista), Tomas Cognate (Aviludo-Louletano-Loulé) and Francisco Pereira (Feirense-Beeceler) and the group built a decent gap before being joined by a further six riders.

However, as that group hit the climb it began to fall apart, Oliveira’s UAE team bringing them all to heel once he was dropped.

Rota, Pedro Andrade (Feirense-Beeceler) and Jorge Gálvez (Aviludo-Louletano-Loulé) were the last to be caught as a group of around 15 favourites reached them on the final climb. That group soon split, though, Alexis Guerin (Anicolor-Campicarn) attacking with 14km to go and building what was to be a race winning advantage.

Results :