Team Maxbo-Bianchi's 20-year-old prodigy Edvald Boassen Hagen led home a large front group to claim the Tour of Ireland's 232km fourth stage. Unibet's Belgian neo-pro Stijn Vandenbergh survived a tough penultimate stage to maintain his overall lead at the Tour in Galway today.
Boassen Hagen dove into a slight bend with 400 metres to go and gained a couple of bike lengths to relegate his future T-Mobile teammate Bernhard Eisel into second place for the second day in a row and take over the lead in the An Post points competition.
Maximilian Richeze (Panaria), yesterday's stage winner Borut Bozic (LPR) and Aussie Baden Cooke (Unibet) were next across the line on a tough mountainous day, which saw a lot of attacking but turned into a sprinter's benefit in the end.
"I am really proud to have the green jersey and I want to keep it until Dublin," said Boassen Hagen. "Today I opened up the sprint with 400 metres to go and I got a gap. I am not sure how many wins I have had this season but it must be 15 or 16."
"I am really proud to have the green jersey and I want to keep it until Dublin."
Edvald Boassen Hagen
A five man group of Danny Pate (Team Slipstream), Bergman (Colavita / Sutter Home), Roger Beauchat (LPR), Gordon McAuley (Plowman Craven) and British youngster Rob Partridge (Recycling.co.uk) went clear early on and opened up a maximum lead of 6'40" on the main field.
Beauchat had most to gain as he lay in second place in the King of the Mountains competition overnight, just four points off leader Luis Pasamontes of Unibet. Beauchat crested the summits of Finny, Tourmakeady, Leeanun and Maumturk in first place and took second behind Pate on the final climb of Keaagh. Barring accident, the Swiss will win the competition outright, with no climbs on tomorrow's final leg, and add to Borut Bozic's stage win yesterday, making it a very successful Tour for the LPR team.
When the reaction finally came from the peloton, the gap was halved in a few kilometres and Pate and Beauchat went clear on the final climb. Behind, Frank Schleck went clear with Irish champion David O'Loughlin (Navigators), Matteo Priamo (Panaria), Tom Veelers (Rabobank) and former Irish champ David McCann (Coalvita / Sutter Home).
This quintet closed the gap to Pate and a tiring Beauchat with just nine kilometres remaining and held a 50 second advantage on the chasers. On the verge of capture, a heroic Pate refused to give up and launched a couple of late attacks as did Priamo, but the loss of home hero David O'Loughlin to a puncture and the added impetus of Beauchat's LPR team at the front of the peleton brought the race together with just three kilometres remaining.
Yellow jersey Vandenbergh led the Unibet.com train for Cooke but for the second day in a row, the Aussies plans were scuppered, as Boassen Hagen slipped clear with 400 metres to go for a fine stage victory. "My team did a very good chase and put me in a good position," said the Norwegian after the stage. I felt strong and I'm really happy with this victory."
"Today was hard, but I was good on the climbs," said Vandenberg, who has been remarkably calm about his tenure in yellow all week. "Tomorrow should be good for me. Yes, there are some bonus seconds but, I think we can handle it."
The stage is now set for the final performance when the race leaves Athlone on Sunday morning heading to the city of Dublin via Moate, Kinnegad, Enfield, Maynooth, and Phoenix Park to finish in Merrion Square in the beautiful Georgian area of the city. Sunday is not likely to be the normal processional last day of a stage race as only three points separates the four sprinters vying for the green jersey competition win. Valuable points are on offer at intermediate sprints in Kennegad and Lucan as well as over the finish line for the final time.
Although there are no climbs along the way tomorrow on the final 148km leg from Athlone to Dublin, there is sure to be plenty of action at the three Hot Spots sprints with Boassen Hagen just one point clear of CSC's Matti Breschel in the green jersey and Eisel (T-Mobile) and Bozic (LPR) both lurking ominously a further two points back.
Results
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