Tadej Pogacar celebrated his 100th pro win with a blistering sprint in Rouen, while a knife attack near the finish overshadowed the day’s triumph

Tadej Pogacar hit a century of professional wins on Tuesday, snatching victory in a nail-biting sprint finish on stage four of the Tour de France — but it wasn’t enough to wrest the yellow jersey from Mathieu van der Poel.

The Slovenian stormed past Van der Poel in the dying metres of a punishing hilly circuit in central Rouen, making a decisive statement ahead of Wednesday’s time trial. It was classic Pogacar: perfectly timed, ruthlessly executed, and a reminder to rivals that he’s back to dominate.

Despite crossing the line first, Pogacar sits level on time with Van der Poel, who retained the maillot jaune on countback thanks to earlier stage finishes. “It still feels super good to cross the finish line first,” Pogacar said. “All wins are special — 100 later, and it’s no different.”

Van der Poel admitted defeat gracefully. “When I launched my sprint, my legs didn’t want to continue any more,” he said. “Tadej was the strongest today. It’s no shame losing to him on this parcours.”

The Dutchman acknowledged his days in yellow are numbered, predicting he will lose the lead in Wednesday’s 33km time trial around Caen. “If we’re being realistic, tomorrow will be my last day in yellow.”

For Pogacar, the looming threat is Olympic time trial champion Remco Evenepoel. The Belgians beat him in their most recent time trial showdown at the Critérium du Dauphiné. “Remco is the best time triallist in the world,” Pogacar said. “Tomorrow’s his stage — but I’ll go full gas and see what happens.”

The day began with sunshine and high cloud as the peloton rolled through the Somme into Normandy. A four-man breakaway — Lenny Martinez, Kasper Asgreen, Jonas Abrahamsen, and Thomas Gachignard — animated the early kilometres, holding a slim advantage over the bunch.

Martinez, who finished last on stage one, surged to claim mountain points, but the peloton reeled in the escapees as the race reached the steep ramps of Rouen. The 15% incline on the Rampe Sainte-Hilaire shredded the group and set the scene for Pogacar’s decisive move.

Behind the spectacle, controversy brewed. Bryan Coquard — involved in Monday’s crash with Jasper Philipsen — found himself under fire after being issued a yellow card by the UCI. His team boss Cédric Vasseur fumed, calling the sanction “nonsense” and warning that if the standard holds, “we’ll all be sent home by next week.”

EF Education-EasyPost’s Charly Wegelius backed Coquard, criticising “armchair judgements from 55-inch TVs” and stressing the chaos of racing conditions. Cofidis, Coquard’s team and sponsor, went further, condemning abuse on social media and warning they may take legal action to protect their rider’s integrity.

Adding to the tension, local media reported a serious incident near the Saint-Hilaire roundabout close to the finish. Police arrested a man wielding a knife after he allegedly tried to stab an officer. One officer’s protective vest prevented injury, but another reportedly sustained a leg wound.

Elsewhere in Italy, Britain’s Anna Henderson retained her lead at the Giro d’Italia Donne despite getting caught in a mass pile-up near Trento. The Lidl-Trek rider still holds a 13-second buffer over Swiss star Marlen Reusser with the race poised delicately.

Back in France, the Tour now moves to Caen, where Pogacar, Van der Poel, Evenepoel and defending champion Jonas Vingegaard will duel in the race of truth. With all four men separated by seconds, Wednesday’s time trial could reshape the entire Tour narrative.