The Italian Niccolo Bonifazio won the fourth and final stage of the Route d’Occitanie in a sprint this Sunday, between Les Angles and Auterive, while Canadian Michael Woods won the event for the first time in his career.

Third in the World Championship in 2018 and winner of two stages of the Vuelta a España, the experienced Canadian (35) had done the hardest part the day before by winning the queen stage of the Pyrenees.

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Very attentive to possible attacks, the Canadian slipped into the breakaway of a group of around thirty cyclists, made up of all the main protagonists of the general classification, who stood out more than 60 kilometers from the arrival.

Surprised by this selective attack, French sprinter Arnaud Démare, who was among the favorites for the stage victory, failed to join the leading group, soon giving up any chance of a double after his triumph at L’Isle- Jordan when first organize.

The French cyclist, who has made the next French championship his main objective this summer and who will not start the Tour de France in a fortnight, has a week to arrive fresh. In his absence, the other sprinters of this Route d’Occitanie were fighting for the victory of the last stage and it was the Italian Bonifazio who won, ahead of his compatriot Mattéo Moschetti (Trek-Segafredo) and the German Max Kanter (Movistar).

The Colombian Nairo Quintana, entered among the first of the stage, in eleventh place, with the same time as the winner, he finished seventh overall, 1 minute and 48 seconds behind Woods.

In the general classification, after the Canadian, there were three Spanish cyclists, with Carlos Rodríguez in second place, at 1:16, Jesús Herrada in third, at 1:21, and Alejandro Valverde in fourth, at 1:24.

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Ranking of the fourth stage:

1.Niccolo Bonifazio (ITA/TEN) 4h13:48

(average: 45.31 km/h)

2. Matteo Moschetti (ITA/TFS) mt

3. Max Kanter (GER/MOV) mt

4. Elia Viviani (ITA/IGD) mt

5. Thomas Boudat (FRA / GRL) mt

6. Mattias Jensen (DEN/TFS) mt

7. Alejandro Valverde (ESP/MOV) mt

8. Jonas Wilsly (DEN/UXT) mt

9. Jesus Herrada (ESP/COF) mt

10. Kim Heiduk (GER/IGD) mt

11. Nairo Quintana (COL/ARK) mt

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Final general classification:

1. Michael Woods (CAN/IPT) 2:33:48 p.m.

2. Carlos Rodríguez (ESP / GRD) at 1:16.

3. Jesus Herrada (ESP/COF) 1:21.

4. Alejandro Valverde (ESP/MOV) 1:24.

5. Mattias Jensen (DEN/TFS) 1:44.

6. Jonas Vilsly (DEN/UXT) 1:47

7. Nairo Quintana (COL/ARK) 1:48.

8. Cristian Rodriguez (ESP/TEN) mt

9. Nicolas Edet (FRA / ARK) 3:41

10. Andrey Zeits (KAZ / AST) 4:48