Joao Almeida soloed to an impressive stage four victory at the Tour of the Basque Country on Thursday, also taking control of the overall lead.

The UAE Team Emirates rider attacked on the final climb of the 169.6-kilometer route from Beasain to Markina-Xemein, distancing his general classification rivals on the Category 1 Izua pass.

Almeida Dominates Izua Climb And Extends Gap

Almeida opened a gap of roughly 30 seconds on the chase group during the climb and held it through the descent to the finish, crossing the line solo with a 28-second advantage.

His teammate Isaac del Toro came in second, followed by Soudal Quick-Step’s Max Schachmann—winner of the opening time trial—who finished third and earned bonus seconds to place second overall.

General Classification Shake-Up Ahead Of Final Stages

Schachmann now sits 30 seconds behind Almeida in the general classification, while Red Bull’s Florian Lipowitz trails by a further eight seconds in third place.

Stage five on Friday will take riders over a hilly 172.4-kilometer route from Urduna to Gernika-Lumo, as the battle for overall victory intensifies.