John Degenkolb (GER) has won the fourth and final stage of the Tour de L’Eurométropole, his second stage of the race, in a bunch sprint today in Belgium.
Degenkolb sprinted to victory on stage two, and repeated this today after another great show of team work, rounding out the four-day stage race in style for Team Argos-Shimano.
The result bumps him up into the position of runner up in the final General Classification, with the winning difference coming down to a battle of bonus seconds.
„It was another nice victory from John today, but it’s disappointing that he did not win the GC,“ said coach Marc Reef.
„They all did a great job, always racing attentively. The brought John to the finish in a great position. He started the sprint himself, which is his forte, and took the win. It’s good that he is making the most of his good form.“
„The stage was perfect for us, the team did a great job and we finished it off well,“ said Degenkolb after his podium duties.
„Unfortunately the rules for the overall were not in my favour, as even though I had two wins and was on the same time overall the GC went to Debusschere (Lotto Belisol) on a count back of accumulated overall positions.
„It was great to see that we were the strongest team at this race and I’m very happy with the support that I received. I still have two chances left this season with Paris Bourges and Paris Tours, and my form is good, so I’m looking forward to the final part of my season.“