Jesse Sergent took advantage of a gap in the weather to take victory in the stage four time trial at the Eneco Tour.
Boasson Hagen powers into race lead
Jesse Sergent took advantage of a gap in the weather to take victory on the stage four time trial at the Eneco Tour.
The RadioShack man used the dry roads to his advantage to register a time of 17:55, singling out the first-year pro as the only rider to dip under the 18-minute mark.
The New Zealander held off Alex Rasmussen (HTC-Highroad) on the 14.7km course to take victory by 14 seconds, with Jurgen Roelandts (Omega Pharma-Lotto) on hand to round out the podium.
Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team Sky) rode into the leader’s jersey after a gutsy ride in changeable conditions as rain changed the complexion of the stage.
A downpour prior to the Norwegian’s start time meant Boasson Hagen was forced to clock a time on largely wet roads on a tough and technical course in Roermond.
The 24-year-old fought hard to overhaul an eight-second deficit to overnight leader Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma-Lotto) during the stage, putting in a time of that was still good enough for ninth despite a number of riders around him lodging their time in the dry.
After Boasson Hagen had crossed the line there was a tense wait for Gilbert, the Belgian forced to concede the white jersey to hand the Team Sky rider a race lead of 12 seconds.
The performance also ensured that all three classification jerseys remain in the Norwegian’s grasp with two stages remaining in the tough WorldTour race.
Tough conditions
All eyes were on the sky as the pivotal time trial kicked off with rain clouds threatening as the early runners rolled down the steep start ramp.
Jens Mouris (Vacansoleil) was quickest in the early going after setting a time of 18:25 on dry roads over a technical course that featured numerous cobbled sections, tight turns and forays onto the local bike paths.
The rain then began to fall creating treacherous cobbled sections and turning the stage into a lottery with patches of wet road quickly forming to create variable grip levels.
Yet no sooner had then rain stopped then the sun emerged and immediately began to dry the roads, a process that became apparent as Rasmussen went comfortably fastest with an 18:09, 16 seconds quicker than anyone else.
Moments later Sergent stamped his authority on the stage setting a blistering time, one that looked even safer as the rain began to fall yet again as the overall contenders warmed up.
The process was repeated as the rain stopped and the sun emerged, yet with the roads fully wet and stage victory beyond doubt, the stage became a race within a race as the overall contenders rolled off.
Taylor Phinney (BMC) hinted at the possibilities as the road dried with every passing minute, crossing the stripe just 30 seconds down with a time that was good enough for eighth and moved the American back up to fourth overall.
David Millar (Garmin-Cervelo) was another to dig deep and held on to his third position in the overall standings, ending the day 27 seconds down on Boasson Hagen.
