LIEGE, Belgium: Rookie road rider Puck Pieterse clung on to win stage four of the women’s Tour de France in Liege on Wednesday, with Demi Vollering taking second in a photo finish to conserve the yellow jersey.
It was a first ever road race victory for the 22-year-old cross-discipline star Pieterse, at her first Tour de France.
The result lifted the Dutch rider to second overall, and gave her the best young rider’s white jersey and the polka dot climb jersey.
“To take the win here, in a sprint ahead of Demi, it’s really a dream coming true,” said Pieterse.
“They were riding for the GS (general classification). I’m just here for the stage. I’m fresh. I just tried to keep a poker face and take it from the sprint.
“I think I went quite early in the end. I’ve never been here so didn’t know where the finish was.”
Vollering held onto the leader’s yellow jersey she pulled on after Tuesday’s time-trial in Rotterdam.
“It’s a really good day for me and the whole team,” said Vollering.
“My team did a really good job in keeping me safe in the front, it was a really nice day for us.
“It was just not enough at the line. But it’s nice to see. Puck is a really talented rider and really deserved this win.”
Kasia Niewiadoma of Poland was with the Dutch duo as they entered the final kilometer of a race that started in Valkenburg in the Netherlands, and she launched the dash early with the trio hitting 57kmh after a hilly day.
Defending Tour de France champion Vollering then allowed Pieterse to open a small lead before timing her run to the line slightly wrong.
“I live for this,” said Fenix-Deceuninck rider Pieterse. “I worked up so much for the Olympic Games and when you have good legs there you have good legs here.”
Stage five takes the Tour into France Thursday with Vollering in yellow and Pieterse second overall at 22sec and Niewiadoma third, another 12 seconds back.
Olympic road race champion Kristen Faulkner of the United States is fourth at 47sec.
The Tour finishes on Sunday with one of cycling’s most challenging climbs up Alpe d’Huez.
