Team Novo Nordisk’s Martijn Verschoor laid out a powerful sprint as Stage 4 of the Post Danmark Rundt ended in Frederiksvaerk but came up short in the uphill finish.

Friday’s morning stage saw attacks from the start with a couple riders breaking free. Several more riders bridged up but the peloton wasn’t willing to let the group earn more than about a minute and a half. With 40 km to go, Ruslan Tleubayev (Astana Pro Team) attacked the break but was caught a few kilometers later. New attacks ensued but the race stayed well controlled as it reached the finishing laps. In the final kilometers, a diminished peloton came together for an uphill bunch sprint. Matti Breschel (Tinoff-Saxo) took his second consecutive win with Team Novo Nordisk’s Martijn Verschoor finishing 12th.

“It was a hard day. I felt a little tired at the start but by the finishing circuits, I was feeling really good,” Verschoor said. “I aimed to stay in the top 20 throughout the whole day. As I reached the last corner, I opened up my sprint. I maybe went too early and felt a little too confident, as I was in a little too high of a gear. One more day and we really hope to make an impact at this race.”

Matti Breschel (Tinoff-Saxo) won the mass sprint ahead of Edvald Boasson Hagen (MTN-Qhubeka) and Magnus Cort (Danish National Team).

Team Novo Nordisk, the world’s first all-diabetes pro cycling squad, races again Friday afternoon as part of a double-day. Stage 5 is a 13.6-km individual time trial around Helsingor.