Giovanni Visconti emerged victorious out of a seven-man breakaway in the fourth stage of the Tour of Turkey. Visconti answered the challenge of Tejay Van Garderen (HTC-Columbia) and David Moncoutié (Cofidis) on the uphill finish, then passed late escapee Giampaolo Cheula in the final meters. Previous race leader Rein Taaramäe lost over five minutes and had to hand over the leader's jersey to Visconti.
After a long battle in the Turkish hillsides, a seven-man move survived the day, as Cofidis tried in vain to bring its race leader Taaramäe back into contention. With 25km to go the peloton was still four minutes behind. The break then started attacking each other, with Oscar Gatto working hard for his ISD teammate Visconti.
It was Cheula who set a very promising move with four kilometers to go. After some tactical maneuvering behind only Visconti, Van Garderen and Moncoutié and Yukihiro Doi (Skil-Shimano), who had started the break right after the start, were able to follow.
Van Garderen led the others on the long, straight, gradual hill, with Cheula always about five to ten seconds ahead. It was Moncoutié who first tried to go, but his attack was easily answered by Visconti. Cheula was passed inside the final 200 meters. Van Garderen closed in on Moncoutié to pass the Frenchman just on the line.
Former leader and prologue winner André Greipel won the sprint from the peloton four and a half minutes later.
An Austrian-Japanese combo
Yukihiro Doi (Skil-Shimano) and Philip Ludescher (Vorarlberg-Corratec) initiated the break of the day and were quickly joined by Alberto Fernandez (Xacobeo-Galicia).
At km 63, the ISD duo of Gatto and Paolo Longo Borghini managed to catch the group, with the peloton cruising along. The maximum gap was over ten minutes. Longo Borghini was then ordered to wait for a six-man move, which included Visconti. The groups merged 87km from the finish, with only one rider, Federico Canuti, having trouble and falling back.
The front group was thus ten riders strong, with Doi, Ludescher, Fernandez, Visconti, Gatto, Longo Borghini, Moncoutié, Van Garderen, Cheula and Christiano Salerno, four minutes ahead of the bunch.
Visconti's attacks broke up the group with 39km to go. That eventually left seven on the front: Visconti, Gatto, Cheula, Salerno, Moncoutié, Doi and Van Garderen. Behind, Cofidis was leading the charge to protect Rein Taaramäe's lead, but with with 25km to go the gap was still four minutes.
Cheula was first to try a race winning move, but the gradient proved too much and fast-legged Visconti had no trouble taking the sprint.
Results stage four
1. Giovanni Visconti (ISD)
2. Tejay Van Garderen ((HTC-Columbia)
3. David Moncoutié (Cofidis)
4. Yukihiro Doi (Skil-Shimano)
5. Giampaolo Cheula (Footon - Servetto)
6. Christiano Salerno (De Rosa - Stac Plastic)
7. Oscar Gatto (ISD)
8. André Greipel (HTC-Columbia)
General classification after stage four
1. Giovanni Visconti (ISD)
2. Tejay Van Garderen ((HTC-Columbia) at 0'16
3. David Moncoutié (Cofidis) at 0'27
4. Giampaolo Cheula (Footon - Servetto)
5. Christiano Salerno (De Rosa - Stac Plastic)
6. Yukihiro Doi (Skil-Shimano)
7. Oscar Gatto (ISD)
8. André Greipel (HTC-Columbia)