Fabio Jakobsen of Deceuninck-Quick Step has won Stage 4 of the Vuelta a Espana in El Puig, beating Bora-Hansgrohe’s Sam Bennett by barely a tyre’s width as the Dutch and Irish national champions went head to head in the sprint. Team Sunweb’s Nicolas Roche retains his overall lead, while Bennett moves into the leadership of the points classification.

With a little over 5 kilometres remaining of the 175.5-kilometre stage from Cullera, Jakobsen’s team mate Remi Cavagna launched a solo attack, but was was swept up just ahead of the flamme rouge.

Bennett, seeking his second successive stage win, followed the Dutchman’s wheel and looked to come round on his left, but two-time Scheldeprijs winner Jakobsen held him off to take his first Grand Tour stage victory of his career.

Early on in today’s stage Jumbo-Visma’s Steven Kruijswijk, third overall at the Tour de France last month, abandoned due to worsening knee pain due to his crash in Saturday’s team time trial.

Reaction to follow.