Cycling fans witnessed yet another dramatic stage ending at the ΔΕΗ International Cycling Tour of Hellas.

BhS Bornholm's Nils Lau Broge claimed victory at the fourth stage of the Tour (from Karditsa to Larissa) after a mass sprint in front of hundreds of cycling enthusiasts at the Alcazar Park.

The Dane went out first from the last corner and pushed hard in the long straight to finish ahead of Attilio Viviani of Bingoal Pauwels Sauces and David Gonzalez of Caja Rural, who joined him on the podium.

It was an eventful finale, as Team Coop's Louis Bendixen’s contact with Human Powered Health’s, August Jensen led to a massive crush right before the finish line.

Bentixen, Nikiforos Arvanitou, Charalambos Kastrandas, Mike Bronswijk and Matiss Kalverss were all taken to the hospital and underwent all necessary examinations.

Broge had foreseen his victory ahead of the start in Karditsa!

"I showed why I could be optimistic, but of course everything had to be perfect to execute such a plan, but if you don’t try you don’t win.

“I told my teammates yesterday that this stage was my chance and I wanted to take it and we did so. I am so proud of the entire team.

"My feelings are great. I’m really proud and very grateful, I could come away with the win.

It was a calm day. Breakaway went and when we came to the flat lands it was a bit hard pace, but an easy day for the peloton.

“Of course, towards the end it was very hectic, approaching a mass sprint, but we managed to find the front position in the last corner. My teammates brought me perfectly and that was the key today”.

After crushing at the exit of the last corner at the third stage in Karditsa, blue jersey holder Aaron Gate of Equities Black Spoke avoided trouble in Larissa and maintained the overall lead with a difference of 1’52’’ from second-placed Lennert Teugels of Tarteletto-Isorex.

“My teammates did an amazing job for me today as well. We controlled the race and Fouche was able to take the last point of the first climb, to hold his Mountain jersey which is a nice little bonus.

Then the plan today was simply to avoid the sprint because we didn’t want to take the same risk we did yesterday because the crush was a little bit unnecessary but also if you have the opportunity to win another stage you wanna take it. Today the instructions were “relax at the back, don’t lose any time and not crush”.

Likely we did, unluckily we see there was another crush today and I I hooe everyone that came down is OK”.

Spaniard Jon Barrenetxea took the white jersey from Emil Iwersen of BhS Bornholm.

The race

At the beginning of the first ascent of the 176.5 kilometre-long fourth stage, a handful of riders, Stedman (MG. K. Vis Colors for Peace), Monaco (Giotti-Victoria Savini Due), Barrenetxea (Caja Rural), Rahbek (BhS Bornholm) and Lemmens (Tarteletto-Isorex), broke away.

The group fought for all KoM and intermediate sprints. Cat 1 KoM in Tsouka was won by Stedman and Profitis Ilias (cat. 3) by Lemmens. James Fuche (Equities Black Spoke) bagged one valuable point in Tsouka to keep the orange jersey in his possession.

Lemmens was equally strong at the intermediate sprints to take the maximum of points in Palamas and Tyrnavos.

With the riders getting inside the Alcazar Park for the third intermediate sprint of the day, the gap was reduced to 1’40’’. The Belgian rider of Tarteletto was the first to cross the finish line again, narrowly edging Barrenetxea.

About 20 km before the finish line, the difference between the leading group and the peloton was cut to 50 seconds.

On the streets of Nikea, one by one the early breakaway riders dropped and with 4,3 km left the peloton took control of the pace. Nils Lau Broge proved to be stronger in the final metres, and claimed the stage victory which helped him regain the red jersey he wore yesterday.

The last royal stage, from Kalambaka to Ioannina, will decide the winner of the general classification of the ΔΕΗ International Cycling Tour of Hellas, which has thrilled cycling and non-cycling fans and riders in its return to the international calendar after ten years of absence.