Jasper Stuyven's blistering pace out-guns the peloton in the final kilometer

Speeding peloton unable to catch Stuyven after blistering attack with just 1 kilometer to go. Matej Mohoric retains the race lead

There were several attacks in the final kilometres which were closed down until Jasper Stuyven (Trek-Segafredo) came to the front of the fast moving peloton in attacked around the final bend with 1km to go.

Behind, the strung out peloton missing Stuyven's initial attack and failed to respond quickly enough. Stuyven put the hammer down and behind a hesitating bunch looking to set up their sprinters finally organized a chase. But it was too late, the damage was done and in a nail biting final hundred metres, Stuyven just hung on as the Sprinters wound up.

Caleb Ewan (Mitchelton-Scott) was the fastest of the peloton and crossed the line in the second position, while Zdenek Stybar (Quick-Step Floors) was third. Matej Mohoric (Bahrain-Merida) kept the lead in the overall race and there were no real changes in the overall GC.

Jasper Stuyven's blistering pace out-guns the peloton in the final kilometer

"Every year [Dirk] says it's an important day for the team and for him, so we always try to make the best out of it," Stuyven said. "[The team] came up with the plan ourselves and both Dirk and Steven (de Jongh, director) supported our idea, and they knew we had the guys to bring me in the first position with one kilometer to go. It's always a big fight to get there, and we all committed to the plan, and all believed we could do it, and that made a difference today to get the win."

Trek-Segafredo carried out its pre-race plan to perfection. It was a full team effort – from Markel Irizar and Ruben Guerreiro kicking things off, to Matthias Brändle and Ryan Mullen's powerful engines pulling into the crucial chicane, to Mads Pedersen opening the gap behind Stuyven. Only Boy van Poppel was missing as he had an ill-timed puncture three kilometers from the finish.

"I set the plan yesterday evening at dinner," Stuyven continued. "Maybe we are not the fastest, but we have such a strong team, and with the chicane coming into the finish, every year it's a hard fight. We made the plan to really come late and go all-in and then someone just opened up the gap."

"We stayed in the back, out of the wind, in the local laps, and then we came full to the front with Markel and Ruben, and then Matthias and Ryan – they are just really strong horses. It's unbelievable how they can ride in the front and accelerate. We said we wanted to turn first and these guys made it happen."

"Then Boy had a flat tire, normally he would have let the gap [in the chicane], and Mads would have attacked with me in his wheel, so maybe it was a little bit longer and harder effort for me."

"Mads opened up the gap, and it was just all-out to the finish. I tried not to look too much back, of course, you always do, but it was a nice effort after always being there. I was getting a little bit frustrated the last weeks, to be honest, and it's nice the guys keep believing in me, and I could pay them back with this victory."

Three days remain in the Binck Bank Tour – and a weekend of classic-style races that could change all – but Stuyven, who won the final queen stage last year, brushed aside any GC ambitions:

"I think going for the GC is really hard because there's a lot of strong guys in front of me. Of course, I won Sunday's race last year, and everyone thinks that I will get it again but that's not how it goes in cycling. It's a nice stage, I like it that it's a little bit longer, and with more hard days ahead of it – today was also not that easy – it benefits the stronger classics riders to make a nice race and a big fight for the win. I will focus on getting other results and making the race and if we get ahead, then maybe the GC comes with it."

VIDEO: 2018 BinckBank Tour Stage 4 Final Kilometers

2018 BinckBank Tour Stage 4 Top 10

1 Jasper Stuyven (Bel) Trek-Segafredo 3:44:46 
2 Caleb Ewan (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott   
3 Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Quick-Step Floors   
4 Rüdiger Selig (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe   
5 Timothy Dupont (Bel) Wanty-Groupe Gobert   
6 Jean-Pierre Drucker (Lux) BMC Racing Team   
7 Ryan Gibbons (RSA) Dimension Data   
8 Tom Van Asbroeck (Bel) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale   
9 Daniel Hoelgaard (Nor) Groupama-FDJ   
10 Dylan Groenewegen (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo

2018 BinckBank Tour GC after Stage 4 Top 10

1 Matej Mohoric (Slo) Bahrain-Merida 11:48:28 
2 Sean De Bie (Bel) Veranda's Willems Crelan 0:00:03 
3 Stefan Küng (Swi) BMC Racing Team 0:00:22 
4 Maxime Vantomme (Bel) WB Aqua Protect Veranclassic 0:00:28 
5 Michael Matthews (Aus) Team Sunweb 0:00:30 
6 Taco van der Hoorn (Ned) Roompot-Nederlandse Loterij 0:00:32 
7 Victor Campenaerts (Bel) Lotto Soudal 0:00:36 
8 Søren Kragh Andersen (Den) Team Sunweb 0:00:37 
9 Maximilian Schachmann (Ger) Quick-Step Floors 0:00:41 
10 Alex Dowsett (GBr) Katusha-Alpecin

 

 
Tag: EnecoTour
 
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