Second stage win for Danish youngser Magnus Cort Nielsen
Overnight leader Matti Breschel has moved one step closer to winning the final overall classification in the Tour of Denmark, defending his jersey in this morning’s stage of the race and therefore heading the GC going into this evening’s time trial.
The Danish Team Saxo Tinkoff rider will start the 12.1km stage 5 time trial around Holbæk four seconds clear of Lotto Belisol’s Lars Bak, with Francesco Manuel Bongiorno (Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox) a further ten seconds behind.
Wilco Kelderman (Belkin Pro Cycling Team), Edoardo Zardini (Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox) and Jelle Wallays (Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise) are also within half a minute of the lead.
Earlier today, stage four took the riders 105 kilometres from Høng to Asnæs and was won by Team Cult Energy’s Magnus Cort Nielsen. The twenty year old Danish rider followed on from his day one victory with another success, jumping clear inside the final kilometre and hitting the line two seconds clear of Sonny Colbrelli (Bardiani Valvole – CSF Inox), Pim Ligthart (Vacansoleil – DCM Pro Cycling Team) and Michel Kreder (Garmin – Sharp), and a further second ahead of Wilco Kelderman (Belkin Pro Cycling Team) plus the rest of the peloton. Breschel was ninth.
Early on, former HTC Highroad rider Rasmus Guldhammer (Blue Water Cycling) jumped clear, looking to post a good performance in the race in a bid to secure a WorldTour contract. He and Kristoff Goddaert (IAM Cycling) were able to open a three minute gap but were hauled back inside the final hour of racing.
Their recapture was followed by an attack by Sacha Modolo (Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox) and Martin Mortensen (Concordia), and they built half a minute’s lead on the concluding 12.3 kilometre circuit, a hilly loop which had to be covered three times.
Modolo pushed ahead inside the final two kilometres but was reeled in a stone’s throw from the line, with Cort Nielson taking advantage of that to nab his second win of the race.
He will begin the time trial 38 seconds behind Breschel. The latter will be psyched to try to hold on but his directeur sportif Lars Michaelsen sounds a little worried. “Unfortunately, we weren’t able gain bonus seconds before tonight’s crucial time trial but Matti will just have to look down, give everything he has and see far it takes him against the specialists,” he stated.
The race concludes tomorrow with a 165km stage from Roskilde to Frederikberg.
Tour of Denmark (2.HC)
Stage 4, Høng to Asnæs:
1, Magnus Cort Nielsen (Team Cult Energy) 105 kilometres in 2 hours 19 mins 57 secs
2, Sonny Colbrelli (Bardiani Valvole – CSF Inox) at 2 secs
3, Pim Ligthart (Vacansoleil – DCM Pro Cycling Team
4, Michel Kreder (Garmin – Sharp)
5, Wilco Kelderman (Belkin Pro Cycling Team) at 3 secs
6, Tony Hurel (Team Europcar)
7, Bjorn Leukemans (Vacansoleil – DCM Pro Cycling Team)
8, Marco Canola (Bardiani Valvole – CSF Inox)
9, Matti Breschel (Team Saxo – Tinkoff)
10, Francesco Manuel Bongiorno (Bardiani Valvole – CSF Inox) all same time
Overall classification after four stages:
1, Matti Breschel (Team Saxo-Tinkoff) 15 hours 54 mins 33 secs
2, Lars Bak (Lotto Belisol) at 4 secs
3, Francesco Manuel Bongiorno (Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox) at 14 secs
4, Wilco Kelderman (Belkin Pro Cycling Team) at 16 secs
5, Edoardo Zardini (Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox) at 19 secs
6, Jelle Wallays (Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise) at 29 secs
7, Björn Leukemans (Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team) at 33 secs
8, Magnus Cort Nielsen (Team Cult Energy) at 38 secs
9, Juan Antonio Flecha (Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team) at 40 secs
10, Troels Vinther (Team Cult Energy) at 51 secs