Orica GreenEdge's Michael Matthews has won Stage Four of the Tour De Suisse

17 June 2015 09:12

Giant Alpecin's Tom Dumoulin was still in the lead for this 193km stage from Flims Laax Falera to Schwarzenbach SG which featured four climbs with the first a category two climb and three category three climbs with the last coming 21.4kms before the finish.

With twelve kilometres gone of a stage that Philippe Gilbert did not start after picking up a fractured tibia which will keep him out of the Tour De France, Stijn Devolder of Trek Factory, Fred Backaert of Wanty Group, Alex Howes of Cannondale-Garmin, Thomas De Gendt of Europcar and Davide Malacarne of Astana were clear forty six seconds ahead.

They took that lead out to four minutes but it was down to 2.30 with eighty kilometres to go after losing some time on the Wildhaus climb.

Thomas De Gendt took the points on the Kirchberg climb as their lead to the Orica GreenEdge led peloton dropped to 2,05 as the Europcar rider went over the summit.

The five escapers went over the finish line for the first time with sixty kilometres left and five kilometres later, their lead was just twenty seconds and with 508kms to go, their time on the front was over.

Tom Dumoulin took three points in the intermediate sprint with a point for Team Sky's Geraint Thomas before Darrly Impey took the Kirchberg Climb.

With twenty kilometres left, Alexey Lutsenko of Astana attacked and managed to get eighteen seconds clear as Tinkoff Saxo took control of the peloton.

There was just 6.7kms left when Lutsenko was caught by Marco Marcato of Wanty Group who went away on his own.

Serge Henao and Jan Bakelants bridged to Marcato but the peloton led by Michael Albasini was close behind with four kilometres left.

A seven second lead dropped to five and with 2.5kms left, the peloton was back together for a bunch sprint.

There was a crash in the final kilometre, which held up Geraint Thomas, but Michael Matthews avoided it and powered home to win ahead of Peter Sagan, Greg Van Avermaet, John Degenkolb and Jesper Stuyven, followed by Moreno, Dillier, Pinot, Trentin and Gesink.

Tom Dumoulin keeps his leader's jersey for another day but time bonuses mean that Peter Sagan is only a second behind him.

Source: DSG