Aggressive stage causes plenty of action, but little change in the overall
Wout Poels both validated and celebrated the news of his selection for the Dutch world championship squad by winning the fourth stage of the Tour of Britain today. The Vacansoleil rider jumped clear inside the final four kilometres of the hilly race to Teignmouth, holding off a hard-chasing yellow jersey group and reaching the line five seconds ahead.
His team-mate Borut Bozic outgalloped the others to make it a Vacansoleil one-two, while Koen De Kort (Skil – Shimano), Jack Bauer (Endura Racing) and Patrick Sinkewitz (ISD – Neri Giambenini) completed the top five.
“The team is really strong, all the riders are riding really well, and today was a super day for us,” Poels said afterwards. “I first attacked eight kilometres from the finish but they brought me back. I recovered a bit and then I went again with four kilometres to go, on a little hill, and they didn’t see me any more.”
Race leader Michael Albasini and Richie Porte (Team Saxo Bank) were in the group behind Poels at the end, riding aggressively in pursuit of the Vacansoleil rider and maintaining their status as the riders most in contention for the final yellow jersey of the race.
Stage two winner Greg Henderson continued his gentle drift down the classification, going from first to second yesterday and then from second to fourth today. He lost a handful of seconds on the run-in to the finish and is now one minute 36 seconds behind Albasini. Porte is now the latter’s closest challenger, yet remains one minute 28 seconds back.
“I tried what I could but couldn’t get time,” he said after the stage. “I’ll keep trying.”
Johnny Hoogerland (Vacansoleil) promised to do the same, having made a big bid for success today when he joined forces with Irish rider Dan Martin (Garmin Slipstream) and Matt Hayman (Team Sky). They went away after the first category climb of Ralegh Cross and opened up a sufficient lead for Hoogerland to become race leader on the road. However they were all hauled back inside the final twenty kilometres, with Martin persisting until six to go.
Hoogerland was disappointed not to stay clear, believing at one point that he might be wearing yellow this evening. “We just drove it. At first it was 30 seconds, then 40, then at one point it was four minutes. I thought then that I was going to get the general [race lead], and told the other guys that I wouldn’t go for the stage win. But then Saxo Bank started riding – I don’t know why, but they did it.”
Day-long battle on lumpy terrain:
The stage took the riders over the first category climbs of Lype Hill, Raleghs Cross and Peak Hill and was animated by the Irish rider Daniel Martin. The Garmin-Transitions competitor went away right after the drop of the flag in Minehead, combining with Kristian House (Rapha Condor Sharp), Jaroslav Marycz (Team Saxo Bank), Martin’s fellow Irishman Philip Lavery (An Post Grant Thornton M. Donnelly Sean Kelly) and Ronan Van Zandbeek (Skil-Shimano). Russell Downing (Team Sky) then bridged across.
The group were joined by a number of other riders on the Lype Hill climb, including Patrick Sinkewitz (ISD-Neri Giambenini) and Johnny Hoogerland (Vacansoleil). These took first and third at the summit, with Martin in between them going over the line.
After racing down a very narrow descent, two groups merged to make a mini-peloton up front. Some of those present were Geraint Thomas, Russell Downing, Mathew Hayman and Greg Henderson (Team Sky), Andre Griepel, Tony Martin and Michael Albasini (Team HTC Columbia), Kristian House (Rapha Condor Sharp), Jaroslav Marycz and Richie Porte (Team Saxo Bank), Dan Martin (Garmin Transitions), Ian Bibby (Motorpoint Marshall’s Pasta), Philip Lavery (An Post Grant Thornton M. Donnelly Sean Kelly), Koen de Kort and Ronan Van Zandbeek (Skil Shimano), Borut Bozic, Johnny Hoogerland plus Wout Poels (Vacansoleil) and Patrick Sinkewitz (ISD-Neri).
Bozic, Matteo Carrara (Vacansoleil), Martin, Hayman, Van Zandbeek and Gianluca Mirenda (ISD Neri Giambenini) clipped away before the intermediate sprint at Blue Anchor (km 33.7), and built a lead of one minute 15 seconds after approximately 45 kilometres of racing.
Once they moved on to the first category climb of Ralegh Cross, Martin attacked and went clear with Bozic. They went over the summit in that order and continued onwards, opening a 24 second lead over the next chasers. Bozic sat up soon afterwards, though, leaving Martin alone out front until he was joined by Hayman and Hoogerland.
They raced on through the town of Honiton (km 104.7), where Hayman won the intermediate sprint. He also took the gallop in Sidmouth, after which the riders raced on to the first category, crowd-thronged Peak Hill. Hoogerland led Martin over the top, while behind a group of 33 riders were chasing, including the yellow jersey Albasini and many of his rivals.
The leaders had a gap of two minutes 40 second after the climb, but the pursuit behind saw their advantage steadily fall until the point where they were just 30 seconds clear with 20 kilometres to go. Martin clipped away solo afterwards, and did what he could to stay clear, but was finally dragged back with approximately six kilometres remaining.
Meier (Garmin Transitions), Jack Bauer (Endura Sport), Domenico Pozzovivo (Colnago-CSF Inox), de Kort and Sinkewitz then clipped away, after which Pozzovivo attacked alone. He was brought back, then Poels made his move with a couple of kilometres remaining and finished five seconds clear.
Martin was disappointed after the stage, having made a big effort to take what would have been his fourth victory of the season. “There wasn’t more than a kilometre when I wasn’t in a break today,” he said. “I had really good legs. Every time it regrouped, everyone stopped, every breathes, then if you hit them again they might let you go.
“It didn’t work out but I tried. We are really happy, we put on a good show. There were so many on the side of the road that it was incredible. It was nice to be out front, leading the race.”
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Tour of Britain (Sept 11-18)
Stage Four, Minehead to Teignmouth:
1,Wout Poels (Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team) 171.3 kilometres in 4 hours 30 mins 55 secs
2, Borut Bozic (Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team) at 5 secs
3, Koen De Kort (Skil – Shimano)
4, Jack Bauer (Endura Racing)
5, Patrick Sinkewitz (ISD – Neri Giambenini)
6, Richie Porte (Saxo Bank) all same time
King of the mountains:
First category climb at Lype Hill:
1, Patrick Sinkewitz (ISD Neri Giambenini) 10
2, Dan Martin (Garmin Transitions) 8
3, Johnny Hoogerland (Vacansoleil) 6
4, Wout Poels (Vacansoleil) 5
5, Richie Porte (Saxo Bank) 4
First category climb at Raleghs cross:
1, Dan Martin (Garmin Transitions) 10
2, Borut Bozic (Vacansoleil) 8
3, Mathew Hayman (Sky Pro Cycling Team) 6
5, Gianluca Mirenda (ISD-Neri Giambenini) 5
First category climb at Peak Hill:
1, Johnny Hoogerland (Vacansoleil) 10
2, Dan Martin (Garmin Transitions) 8
3, Matthew Hayman (Team Sky) 6
4, Richie Porte (Team Saxo Bank) 5
5, Wout Poels (Vacansoleil) 4
Intermediate sprint at Blue Anchor:
1, Borut Bozic (Vacansoleil) 5
2, Matteo Carrara (Vacansoleil) 3
3, Dan Martin (Garmin Transitions) 2
Intermediate sprint at Honiton:
1, Matthew Hayman (Team Sky) 5
2, Johnny Hoogerland (Team Sky) 3
3, Dan Martin (Garmin Transitions) 2
Intermediate sprint at Sidmouth:
1, Matthew Hayman (Team Sky) 5
2, Johnny Hoogerland (Vacansoleil) 3
3, Dan Martin (Garmin Trasitions) 2
Honda Combativity Award winner: Daniel Martin (Garmin – Transitions Pro Cycling Team)
Team:
1, Vacansoleil, 13 hours 31 mins 55 secs
2, Motorpoint Marshall’s Pasta, at 46 secs
3, Team Sky, at 1 min 2 secs
General Classification after four stages:
1, Michael Albasini (Team HTC – Columbia) 15 hours 27 mins 41 secs
2, Richie Porte (Team Saxo Bank) at 1 min 28 secs
3, Borut Bozic (Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team) at 1 min 32 secs
4, Greg Henderson (Team Sky) at 1 min 36 secs
5, Johnny Hoogerland (Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team) at 1 min 42 secs
6, Patrick Sinkewitz (ISD-Neri Giambenini) at 2 mins 8 secs
The Prostate Cancer Charity Points Jersey: Michael Albasini (Team HTC – Columbia)
The King of the Mountains Jersey: Johnny Hoogerland (Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team)
The Sprints Jersey: Richie Porte (Team Saxo Bank)
Team:
1, Vacansoleil, 46 hours 28 mins 16 secs
2, Team Sky, at 6 mins 5 secs
3, Team Saxo Bank, at 23 mins 56 secs