Veronika Ewers (Education First-TIBCO-SVB) rode the gravel with ease on stage 4 of the Tour de France on Wednesday, finishing in fourth place behind stage winner Marlen Reusser (SD Worx).

Eworth, who said he had only ridden gravel roads "six or seven times" before today, described how he had no intention of riding on the road on the gravel road between Troyes and Bar-sur-Aube.

Eworth praised the Education First-TIBCO-SVB equipment on a day when the team had to make careful decisions to handle gravel, pavement, and climbs.

"It was fun to be in control of the bike. I put on 30mm Vittoria tires today, and they worked great." I had 30mm Vittoria tires on today, and that really helped. On the pavement there was a little more resistance, but on the gravel it obviously helped. There were a lot of riders with punctures and crashes today, but on gravel I felt very comfortable and confident."

When asked if he expected to be in a breakaway group on stage 4, he said, "No, not really, I was like, 'OK, I'll go to the front in this 1km, go to the front in the first gravel section, see where I am, do my best, and hope for some luck today. But today I had solid equipment and luck on my side."

It may not have been part of the plan, but Evers was in the GC group in the last 10km, giving him the chance to bridge to a counter attack by Evita Mujic (FDJ-SUEZ-Futuroscope) and Alena Amialiucic (Canyon-SRAM) on the climb.

"On the second-to-last long paved climb, when I attacked to bridge to Evita and Alena, DS told me, 'This is your chance. ' But it worked out. It was the first time for me to finish in the top five [in a World Tour race].

A former soccer player, Youers only turned pro last summer as a stager for TIBCO-SVB and has yet to find his footing in the peloton. Stage 4 was the most hectic day of the hectic Tour de France, but the American found time to enjoy the day.

"My friends told me before the race, 'Go have fun,'" she said. But I was still struggling to navigate the peloton, and I was scared 85% of the time. But once we got into a small group, I thought, 'Okay, this is great. I really enjoyed the gravel sections today.

Although she has had some great results this season, including a win at the Navarre Women's Classic, Ewers said she is still getting used to being recognized in the peloton

." Ashley [Moolman-Pasio] came up to me in the Women's Tour and said, 'Hey Veronica, you're doing a great job. ' So I still have those moments where I admire the big players. When they know my name, I'm almost in tears and shock, it's quite fun."

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With today's result, Evers has no doubt etched her name in the minds of even more of the peloton's "big boys."