LIEGE, LIEGE PROVINCE: Puck Pieterse of Fenix-Deceuninck outsprinted race leader Demi Vollering to win the fourth stage of the Tour de France Femmes on Wednesday and move second overall, with defending champion Vollering strengthening her hold on the yellow jersey.

The 122.7-km ride from Valkenburg to Liege came down to a three-way battle for the stage win, and Poland’s Katarzyna Niewiadoma had to settle for third place as the Dutch duo raced for the line and were separated by the narrowest of margins.

“It’s quite unbelievable actually. The last few days I had super good legs, first day I had good legs, the second day I had good legs and today I didn’t feel my legs at all,” Pieterse said. “To take the win here, in a sprint against Demi is a dream come true.”

The first attack came from Spain’s Sara Martin, with the Movistar rider breaking away with over 90 kilometres still to ride, and while she did put over a minute between herself and the peloton, she was eventually clawed back.

Martin did have a chance to catch her breath while out in front, as the race came to a standstill at a railway crossing, and the Tour patiently waited for a train to pass. Belgian Justine Ghekiere was first to reach the top of the penultimate of eight climbs, and with 23 kilometres remaining decided to take her chance and leave the bunch behind.

Vollering began pushing the peloton, and they reeled Ghekiere in before the top of the final climb, and the race leader made her move, and along with Pieterse and Niewiadoma, had a 30 second lead going into the final kilometre.

Niewiadoma, third overall in the last two Tour de Femmes, attacked with 700 metres left, but she peaked too soon and it was Pieterse who came out on top in a photo finish as the rain poured down in Liege.

Vollering began the day with a three second lead over Team SD Worx – Protime teammate Lorena Wiebes, and now has a 22 second gap to Pieterse, who also took over the best climber’s polka dot jersey, with Niewiadoma third, a further 12 seconds back.

Thursday’s stage five is a 152.5 kilometre flat ride from Bastogne to Amneville as the race reaches France after spending the opening three days in the Netherlands and Belgium. — AFP