Timo de Jong (VolkerWessels) provided a major surprise in stage 4 of the Tour of Holland as the rider from Continental team VolkerWessels clinched his first-ever pro victory on the toughest day of the 2025 race.
On a stage with a summit finish and 13 ascents of the short but tough VAM-Berg climb, De Jong outsprinted his rivals in a three-man attack group containing Lukáš Kubiš (Unibet Tietama Rockets) and new race leader Christophe Laporte (Visma-Lease A Bike) to capture the win.
Victorious in the European Championships on the same circuit two years ago, an impressively strong Laporte launched an attack with 29 kilometres to go, with Kubiš following the Frenchman as the two bridged across to the early break of the day.
De Jong was the only rider from that early break able to stay with Laporte and Kubiš, and despite being on the front for so long, he was able to launch an attack in the final kilometre and stay away to the finish. Laporte claimed second, just a few metres further back, and Kubiš third ahead of a peloton that shattered completely on the final assault of the climb.
After overnight leader Ethan Hayter (Soudal-QuickStep) abandoned in the first part of the race with illness, Laporte now holds a 37-second advantage overall on Kubiš and is the firm favourite to win overall on Sunday.
“From the moment Laporte and Kubiš got across, I knew I had to sit back because they were the big names and I was sitting on the wheels,” De Jong said.
“Then when Kubiš attacked on the cobbles [near the finish] I could follow and then I knew the legs were still good, I had to go all out on the last climb.”
How it unfolded
Following the cancellation of stage 3 after a serious incident with oncoming traffic, seven riders opted for an early break on stage 4. None of them being…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at CyclingNews RSS Feed…