Two-time cyclocross World champion jumps onto podium on aggressive penultimate day
Two-time cyclocross World champion Zdenek Stybar (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) took his first ever professional road race victory as he escaped in the final kilometre of the fourth stage of the Quatre Jours de Dunkerque between Gravelines and Cassel. The 26-year-old Czech jumped clear of a select group of riders in the last of nine 14.6km finishing circuits, and powered away over the cobbles to win alone at the top of the Mont Cassel.
Carlos Betancur (Acqua & Sapone) escaped in pursuit, close the end of the 183.3km stage, but could make few inroads into the lead of Stybar and crossed the line ten seconds behind. The rest of the group was led over five seconds later by Thomas Voeckler (Europcar).
“I am super happy about this victory,” said Stybar. “It was not an easy stage, but this morning I really focused to try to do something good.
“It is super for me, but really the most important win for me too,” he explained. “I proved I can win also on the road. A lot of people said it wasn’t possible, and now I showed it was possible. When I chose to ride on the road bike I only listened to my heart and it was the right thing to do. Now I am really, really happy.
“When I crossed the finish line I couldn’t believe I won the race,” he added. “I was thinking maybe someone was in front of me. I had to ask if I won or not but when I realised I won, I was over the moon. It was one of best moments in my life.”
An attack from Stybar’s Omega Pharma-Quick Step teammate Niki Terpstra on the first crossing of the finish line, after just 51.9km, that pulled a nine-man group clear. Riders to join the former Dutch champion included Arnaud Molmy (Véranda Rideau-Super U), Dmitriy Muravyev (Astana), Massimo Codol and Francesco Reda (both Acqua & Sapone), Damien Gaudin (Europcar) and Mathieu Sprick (Argos-Shimano). The group managed to build a healthy lead, but was closed down by the peloton as the latter laps began.
Muravyev and Gaudin attacked the others with 30km to go; they were joined by Terpstra as they stared the penultimate lap, but Gaudin soon escaped alone. Meanwhile, in the peloton behind them, Stybar attacked, taking Voeckler and Omega Pharma-Quick Step teammate Jérôme Pineau with him.
As Gaudin was caught a new lead group formed; in the final ten kilometres Davy Commeyne (Landbouwkrediet-Euphony) and Laurent Pichon (Bretagne-Schuller) both tried to get away, but it was Stybar’s attack on the final climb that was to be the one that counted.
“I went with Pineau, and we tried to do the race harder in the last 20 to 22km,” Stybar explained. “At the end, something like 3km to go, I decided to go alone and just played everything or nothing. I did everything to try to keep the speed high until the end. When I looked behind me near the end I looked behind me and saw I was alone, so I also accelerated to make sure.”
Having taken such a commanding lead with his victory in stage three, Jimmy Engoulvent (Saur-Sojasun) held on to his race lead, despite finishing in 20th place and losing 50 seconds to Stybar. The Czech now trails the Frenchman by 43 seconds, with the just fifth stage of the “Four Days” to go.