Edward Theuns sprints to stage four victory on BinckBank Tour

Edward Theuns (Trek-Segafredo) has won the fourth stage of the BinckBank Tour on a rainy day.

Yves Lampaert (Quick-Step Floors) launched an attack with two kilometres to go and created a gap but was caught by the sprint trains in the last meters.

Theuns outsprinted Marko Kump (UAE Team Emirates) and Tim Merlier (Veranda’s Willems-Crelan) to win his first stage in the race.

“It’s a big relief, I am really happy,” said Theuns. “I had a real rough time since I crashed in the Tour last year and I worked really hard to come back. After the spring classics, I again had surgery to take out the pins in my back, and since that surgery, I feel that I am getting stronger every week. I had a great training camp at altitude during the Tour, and now it pays off.”

Stefan Küng (BMC) crossed the line safely in Lanaken to secure a third day in the green leader’s jersey.

“Wearing the green jersey is starting to become a habit which is a good thing, but from tomorrow the racing will be difficult”, said Küng.

“However, I think it will also suit me more than the sprinters’ stages. Today we said we weren’t going to work because we pulled yesterday and, in the end, we were doing the work for Peter Sagan (Bora – hansgrohe) and if he had won today, I wouldn’t be in this position. We gave the responsibility to the others, and they took it up, and in the end, it was really hectic. I tried to be up there and in a good position, and it worked out quite well.”

BinckBank Tour 2017 – stage 4 results (Lanaken – Lanaken):

General classification after stage 4: