Jakobsen holds off Sagan to win Tour of California Stage 4

LOS ANGELES: Fabio Jakobsen sprinted to victory on the fourth stage of the Tour of California on Wednesday as overnight leader Tejay van Garderen clung onto the yellow jersey after an incidentpacked day of racing.

Deceuninck-QuickStep rider Jakobsen of the Netherlands held on to finish first after a fierce late burst from Peter Sagan in the closing stretch of the picturesque 214.5 kilometre (133-mile) run from Laguna Seca Raceway to Morro Bay.

Jasper Philipsen of UAE Team Emirates took second while threetime road cycling world champion Sagan, a winner of Sunday’s opening stage, finished third.

It was Deceuninck-QuickStep’s third straight stage victory after wins for Remi Cavagna on Tuesday and Kasper Asgreen on Monday.

Jakobsen’s sprint to victory was the final act of a dramatic stage which saw race leader van Garderen’s serene progress jolted by a series of mishaps.

The American EF Education First rider looked comfortable with around six miles remaining of a stage which had passed by Big Sur and some of the most spectacular scenery on the California coast.

But the 30-year-old was sent flying after his chain snapped, forcing him to complete the stage on Australian team-mate Lachlan Morton’s bike.

With blood seeping out of a gash on van Garderen’s leg, the American then lost more valuable time after taking a wrong turn and was then held up by a mass crash near the finish.

Van Garderen finally crossed around 55 seconds behind the leaders, initially leaving Denmark’s Asgreen in the overall lead with three stages remaining.

But Asgreen’s ranking at the top of the general classification was later wiped out by race officials, allowing van Garderen to retain the yellow jersey. - AFP