Tim Wellens (Lotto Soudal) claimed stage 4 and the overall lead at the Tour of Guangxi after a well timed attack on the final climb.
All GC eyes have been fixed on the finale to stage four since the race route was announced and as predicted the three kilometre climb was hard enough to cause several splits in the bunch and create a clear hierarchy on the leaderboard.
Tim Wellens (Lotto-Soudal) escaped on the explosive climb to Mashan Nongla to take the win and race lead. Bauke Mollema (TreK-Segafredo) finished second on the same time, with Nicolas Roche (BMC) third at 4 seconds.
“Of course I am super happy. I was very good in front thanks to my teammates at the bottom of the climb and then I had a lot of power in the legs and I attacked together with Bauke Mollema,” Wellens said. “We stayed in front with three and then it was just in the final that I attacked one final time.”
Watch @Tim_Wellens power his way to victory in S4 of #TourofGuangxi and become the overall leader. On-board h/lights later. @Lotto_Soudal pic.twitter.com/DdZawcEXqZ
— Velon CC (@VelonCC) October 22, 2017
Tour of Guangxi 2017 – stage 4 results (Nanning – Mashan Nongla Scenic Spot):
| 1 | Tim Wellens (Lotto Soudal) | 3:23:18 |
| 2 | Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) | ,, |
| 3 | Nicolas Roche (BMC) | +04” |
| 4 | Julian Alaphilippe (Quick-Step Floors) | +06” |
| 5 | Ben Hermans (BMC) | ,, |
| 6 | Wout Poels (Team Sky) | +12” |
| 7 | Matej Mohoric (UAE Team Emirates) | ,, |
| 8 | Rein Taaramäe (Katusha-Alpecin) | +17” |
| 9 | Mekseb Debesay (Dimension Data) | +20” |
| 10 | Rémy Cavagna (Quick-Step Floors) | +22” |
General classification after stage 4:
| 1 | Tim Wellens (Lotto Soudal) | 12:09:00 |
| 2 | Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) | +04” |
| 3 | Nicolas Roche (BMC) | +09” |
| 4 | Julian Alaphilippe (Quick-Step Floors) | +13” |
| 5 | Ben Hermans (BMC) | +16” |
| 6 | Wout Poels (Team Sky) | +22” |
| 7 | Matej Mohoric (UAE Team Emirates) | ,, |
| 8 | Silvan Dillier (BMC) | +27” |
| 9 | Rein Taaramäe (Katusha-Alpecin) | ,, |
| 10 | Rémy Cavagna (Quick-Step Floors) | +29” |
