Italian super-sprinter wins the stage after avoiding a pile up that takes out almost all his rivals
Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre-Farnese Vini) won the fourth stage of the Tour de Suisse between Schwarzenburg and Wettingen in a chaotic sprint. The Italian managed to avoid a crash right at the front of the peloton, involving Mark Cavendish (HTC-Columbia), Heinrich Haussler (Cervélo TestTeam) and Gerald Ciolek (Milram), to cross the line well ahead of his nearest rival.
Matti Breschel (Saxo Bank) also managed to avoid the ensuing carnage to finish second and Marco Marcato (Vacansoleil) was third.
A stage that should have seen the last duel between many of the sport’s fastest men instead ended in mayhem as most of the peloton was either brought down or blocked by their bikes and bodies.
The stage began normally enough, with a breakaway from Brice Feillu (Vacansoleil) after 10km that the peloton allowed to get away. No other riders elected to join the lone Frenchman, who won the Tour de France stage to Ordino-Arcalis last year, but such was the peloton’s apathy that he managed to build a lead of 9’23” in the next 25km.
Finally, the HTC-Columbia team began to increase the pace for both race leader Tony Martin and sprinter Mark Cavendish; 50km into the stage and the lead began to stabilise.
With 100km still to race the lone Feillu still held a lead of more than 6 minutes, but as he crossed the finish line to start two 28.5km finishing circuits it had been cut to just 4’01”; as he took the bell for the final lap he had just 30 seconds and was caught with 25km to go.
Feillu’s catch was the cue for more attacks and on the 3rd category climb of the Regenberg his Vacansoleil teammate Wout Poels got away, followed by Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Transitions) and Philippe Gilbert (OmegaPharma-Lotto). The other two sat up but Hesjedal continued his attack on the descent; with 13km to go he had a gap of 17 seconds.
Leif Hoste (OmegaPharma-Lotto) and Jose Ivan Gutierrez (Caisse d’Epargne) tried to bridge across to the lone Canadian, but the were soon caught and Hesjedal himself was swallowed up with 10km to go.
In the final 2km an unsuccessful jump from Greg Van Avermaet (OmegaPharma-Lotto) was followed by a better one from Allan Davies (Astana). Both riders might have fancied their chances in a sprint but elected to try it solo instead. Davies managed to get a small gap and passed under the final kilometre banner alone but was soon swept up by the HTC-Columbia and Liquigas led peloton.
Gilbert tried one last attack inside the final 500m but soon the familiar sight of HTC-Columbia’s Mark Renshaw with the diminutive figure of Cavendish tucked in behind him took to the front.
As the sprinters fanned out across the road it was Ciolek who hit the front first. Cavendish, with Tom Boonen (Quick Step) on his wheel came around the right hand side of his German former teammate with Haussler to the left, and the pair began to ease past the Milram rider.
Into the final 100m though it all started to go wrong.
Cavendish seemed to be unable to pull away from the others as he is so used to doing and as he and Haussler both passed Ciolek they moved together and touched shoulders. Suddenly Cavendish’s front wheel went from under him and he hit the tarmac hard; the wheel went under the front wheel of Haussler and he too crashed to the ground.
Ciolek had been just behind them and hit Cavendish’s bike as it slid into his path, while Boonen had nowhere to go and rode straight into the prostrate Manxman; the Belgian champions wheel appearing to make contact with the back of his neck. On the left side of the road, Lloyd Mondory (AG2R-La Mondiale) similarly found that he had nowhere to go and slammed into the tumbling Haussler.
Petacchi, who was sprinting on the right hand side of the road completely avoided the incident and crossed the line in first place. Ever the gentleman, Ale-Jet took no pleasure in the victory, not raising his hands from the bars. Many in the rest of the peloton crashed over the fallen riders, but most thankfully managed to pull up in time.
Ambulances were called to the scene but most riders were reported to have walked away.
With the incident occurring in the final metres of the stage all riders involved were given the same time so Tony Martin (HTC-Columbia) retains his race lead.
Result stage 4
1. Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Lampre-Farnese Vini
2. Matti Breschel (Den) Saxo Bank
3. Marco Marcato (Ita) Vacansoleil
4. Jose Rojas (Spa) Caisse d’Epargne
5. Robbie McEwen (Aus) Team Katusha
6. Juan Antonio Flecha (Spa) Team Sky
7. Daniele Pietropolli (Ita) Lampre-Farnese Vini
8. Bauke Mollema (Ned) Rabobank
9. Andreas Klöden (Ger) Team RadioShack
10. Dries Devenyns (Bel) Quick Step
Standings after stage 4
1. Tony Martin (Ger) HTC-Columbia
2. Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Team Saxo Bank @ 1s
3. Thomas Löfkvist (Swe) Team Sky @ 9s
4. Rigoberto Uran (Col) Caisse d’Epargne @ 10s
5. Dries Devenyns (Bel) Quick Step @ 11s