Tirreno-Adriatico stage 4

The youngsters put on an uplifting performance in yesterday's gruelling 240km fourth stage between Narni and Chieti. On such a long day, I for one didn't expect any big results from a team consisting mainly of riders in their early 20s. But gladly the riders defied the odds and showed a lot of promise for the future. The vastly talented and ever-improving Jonathan Castroviejo had a great ride, staying close to the favourites on the last climb to finish 14th, at no more than 24 seconds. Castroviejo came home with a small group containing, among others, last year's winnner Garzelli and Tiago Machado, and beat riders like Cancellara, Kolobnev, Gasparotto and Pinotti, to name but a few. Awesome ride. Newbie Jon Izagirre was perhaps even more impressive, defying his tender years by taking 21st at just 39 seconds, leading home a seven-man group including the aforementioned Cancellara and Kolobnev. Not bad for a 22-year-old! "Veteran" Velasco finished in a solid 31st at 47 seconds, while JJ Oroz was 43rd at 1:18, Martínez 49th at 1:38, Txurruka 50th at the same time, while Sesma and Aramendía ended up 110th and 111th respectively, both at 17:35. Gladly, Aramendía snatched a vital point on a climb early on to keep hold of his green jersey, but now he's leading by just a solitary point on Stangelj.