A folklore group awaited the remaining Tour of Beijing riders as they gathered at the start of stage four in Yanqing today. While the previous three stages of the day were all about the sprinters, it was now up to the fast-paced climbers. After 150 kilometers, the target climb on Mentougou Miaofeng Mountain awaited the peloton.
The Spaniard Benat Intxausti (Movistar) coped best with the finish climb. A late attack secured him not only the day's win but also the lead in the overall standings. Second on the day was the Irishman Daniel Martin (Garmin-Sharp), who prevailed against David Lopez (Sky). Tony Martin finished a strong sixth place.
The hot phase had previously been initiated by Joseph Dombrowski (Sky). However, his attack was countered by Adam Hansen (Lotto Belisol) and Marco Pinotti (BMC). The Italian, who will be giving up his bike after the Tour of Beijing, was the last escape that the favorites were supposed to make. With five kilometers to go, they got serious. Initiated by Daniel Martin, the favorites formed up and gave the mountain spurs. Intxausti politely held back until two kilometers from the finish, before increasing the pace. The group let him and a last counterattack by Martin was unsuccessful.
//Result
1. Benat Intxausti Elorriaga (Movistar) 3:43:25
2. Daniel Martin (Garmin Sharp) 0:00:03
3. David Lopez Garcia (Sky) 0:00:04
4. Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa (Movistar) 0:00:06
5. Romain Bardet (Ag2R La Mondiale) 0:00:11
6. Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) 0:00:11
//In total
1. Benat Intxausti Elorriaga (Movistar) 17:11:50
2. Daniel Martin (Garmin Sharp) 0:00:10
3. David Lopez Garcia (Sky) 0:00:13
4. Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa (Movistar) 0:00:18
5. Romain Bardet (Ag2R La Mondiale) 0:00:24
6. Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) 0:00:24