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Energiewacht Tour 2011

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Stage 4 - Vos wins the final stage, Adrie Visser wins overall for HTC

Haren,  88.9km

Race Writeup

HTC-Highroad's Adrie Visser achieved overall victory in the EnergieWacht Tour in her home country of Holland and dedicated her win to her late Grandfather who lived in the region of the race. 

Marianne Vos (Nederland Bloeit) won the final stage and cemented her place as the overall points leader and moved up the third overall behind her team mate Loes Gunnewijk. Nederland Bloeit won the team classification.

Martine Bras (Dolmans Landscaping) won the first of the stage sprints and secured her place in the lead in the overall competition. 

In the young rider competition the top three riders had all appeared on the podium over the four stages. Leaders after stage 3, Evelyn Arys (Belgium National Team) missed out on the overall by 3 seconds to Emilie Moberg (Hitec Product UCK), who finished 10th on the final stage.

Claudia Hausler (Diadora Pasta Zara) was awared the most active rider of the stage.

The final stage was filled with attack after attack. Each on was nullified by the leading teams all working to ensure the bunch stayed together.  With 8k  to go the peloton was strung out as the teams with sprinters jostled for position. With 3km to go HTC Highroad were on the front, protecting the lead for Visser. At the start of the final stage, Visser only held a 10 second lead over Loes Gunnewijk (Nederland Bloeit). Nederland Bloeit tried hard to break up the race by attacking throughout. In the end however, it finished in a bunch sprint. Ina-Teutenberg, the overnight points leader, did not contest the sprint. the team were focused on making sure Visser finished in the bunch. 

With a slight bend in the final 10m, Vos appeared tight to the fence line ahead of Giorgia Bronzini (Colavita Forno d'Asolo) and Shelly Olds (Diadora Pasta Zara). 

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Post Race Comments

Adrie Visser (HTC Highroad) won her first ever professional stage race, "This is my first stage race victory as a pro and to get it in Holland makes it even more special," a delighted Visser said.

Reflecting on the final stage, Visser said, "Today wasn't about winning the stage, the important thing was about me taking the leader's jersey all the way to the final finish line. I have to give a big thank you to everybody on the team for looking after me so well."

"[HTC-Highroad team-mates] Charlotte Becker, Emilia [Fahlin] and Evelyn [Stevens] all worked really hard for me during the stage, and Ina [Teutenberg] found me in the bunch and guided me through the last kilometer, which was really difficult and technical, to make sure I was ok."

Visser said the battle to get the stage win and the lead on Saturday had helped her and her team-mates raise their game even higher on the final stage. "We did very well yesterday when we didn't have the perfect cards to play, and we had already shown our strength. Having fought so hard made us all feel extra motivated for today, and I have to say the race went perfectly. It's certainly something to celebrate!"

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