On Thursday April 4th, Louis Meintjes won the fourth stage of the Tour of the Basque Country, marked by a heavy crash and neutralisation.
Meintjes wore the jersey of the best climber and was part of the early breakaway of six riders. On top of the first two climbs, the South African climber earned extra points in the mountains classification, bringing his total to 20 points.
On the descent of the second difficulty of Olaeta, there was a big crash in the peloton, while the leading group still had a two-minute lead with 30 kilometer to go.
The organization then decided to neutralize the race in the peloton and let the six escaped riders compete for the stage victory. On the last climb, Louis Meintjes managed to drop his opponents to reach the finish at Legutio alone.
“Participating in the Tour of Catalonia allowed me to produce the necessary intense efforts to be in good shape for this Tour of the Basque Country. It’s a region I appreciate a lot, thanks to the hilly terrain and the magnificent landscapes. This year, there are many top competitors, so we had to show ingenuity if we wanted to obtain good results. That's why I attacked two days in a row. I had a good feeling throughout the day and I felt ready to fight for the stage victory when we realized that the peloton gave us a considerable margin. But in the end, the peloton couldn't defend its chances as a consequence of the big crash. My thoughts go out to all riders involved and I wish them a speedy recovery. For the next few days, wearing the mountain jersey is additional motivation to continue showing myself."
