Lars Boom took back the overall lead in the 2013 Ster ZLM Toer with victory in the fourth stage, between Verviers and La Gileppe, as the Dutch race visited the Belgian Ardennes. Boom, who won the same stage in 2012, managed to jump clear of the peloton on the final climb to the finish at the end of the 186km Queen stage of the race. Italian veteran Davide Rebellin (CCC Polsat-Polkowice) won the race for second place, ahead of Maurits Lammertink (Vacansoleil-DCM) in third.
“This is really a great day”, said Boom after the race. “I started the stage with the good vibe from last year and that was already very nice. In the finale on La Gileppe, I could accelerate well and I was quite satisfied with that. I’ve trained very hard these last weeks and that’s now paying off.”
With overnight leader Marcel Kittel (Argos-Shimano) missing from the front group, and losing 32 seconds, Boom’s stage victory also gave the former World cyclocross champion the yellow jersey.
“My teammates worked really hard today to reel in the lead-out”, added Boom in his new yellow jersey. “I’m going to hold on to it!”
The stage saw a breakaway from eight riders, who escaped in the early kilometres and managed to open up a maximum lead of 4’20” in the middle of the stage. In the group were Matteo Trentin (Omega Pharma-Quick Step), Christopher Juul-Jensen (Saxo-Tinkoff), Adam Hansen (Lotto-Belisol), Martijn Keizer (Vacansoleil-DCM), Nathan Haas (Garmin-Sharp), Sébastien Delfosse (Crelan-Euphony), Mateusz Taciak (CCC Polsat-Polkowice), and Huub Duyn (De Rijke-Shanks); Daan Soete (Telenet-Fidea) was originally part of the move, but the 18-year-old was left behind on the early climbs.
Taciak was dropped by the break on the climb of La Redoute, with 76km to go, and drifted back to the peloton as the other seven continued. With the toughest of the climbs behind them, however, the group’s lead was cut to just one minute by the time they crossed the hilltop finishing line with 32.5km to go, to start the two 16.3km finishing loops.
By this time the break was down to six riders, with Keizer and Duyn now back in the peloton.
On the approach to the bell Hansen and Jensen left the others behind but they were just seconds clear of the peloton over the line, with Haas still in between in the company of Pim Ligthart (Vacansoleil-DCM), who had jumped across the short gap. Haas and Ligthart were soon caught, however, with Hansen and Jensen finally reeled in with ten kilometres to go.
There was a late counterattack from Coen Vermeltfoort (De Rijke-Shanks) and Dries Hollanders (Metec-TKH), but the pair were calmly brought back inside the final kilometre by the sprinters’ teams and the stage was seemingly heading for a bunch gallop.
Boom had other ideas, however, and immediately jumped clear and managed to hold off the chase all the way to the line.
Result stage 4
1. Lars Boom (Ned) Blanco Pro Cycling
2. Davide Rebellin (Ita) CCC Polsat-Polkowice @ 3s
3. Maurits Lammertink (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM
4. Roman Maikin (Rus) RusVelo @ 6s
5. Michal Golas (Pol) Omega Pharma-Quick Step
6. André Greipel (Ger) Lotto-Belisol
7. Maxime Vantomme (Bel) Crelan-Euphony
8. Mark Cavendish (GBr) Omega Pharma-Quick Step
9. Danilo Wyss (Swi) BMC Racing Team
10. Thomas Dekker (Ned) Garmin-Sharp
Standings after stage 4
1. Lars Boom (Ned) Blanco Pro Cycling
2. André Greipel (Ger) Lotto-Belisol @ 16s
3. Mark Cavendish (GBr) Omega Pharma-Quick Step @ 25s
4. Michal Golas (Pol) Omega Pharma-Quick Step @ 26s
5. Maurits Lammertink (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM @ 32s
6. Marcel Kittel (Ger) Argos-Shimano @ 35s
7. Marcel Sieberg (Ger) Lotto-Belisol @ 36s
8. Thomas Dekker (Ned) Garmin-Sharp @ 43s
9. Jürgen Roelandts (Bel) Lotto-Belisol @ 47s
10. Danilo Wyss (Swi) BMC Racing Team @ 1’06”