The fourth stage of the Tour Down Under was marred by a heavy crash on Friday. With 150 metres to go, several riders fell to the ground at a high-speed. Team LottoNL-Jumbo’s Maarten Tjallingii was one of the unlucky riders, but the Dutchman appears to be fine.
 
“I was well-placed and happy to finally get involved in some sprinting,” Tjallingii said afterwards with a bitter smile on his face.
 
“Unfortunately, all of a sudden they went down in front of me. We were racing at around 75 kilometres per hour at that time. I don’t know what happened exactly, but it didn’t feel very good. I landed on my back. I have a lot of scrapes and my leg hurts.”
 
Tjallingii still managed to get back to the hotel himself by bike after the stage. “I wanted to get the shock out of my body. That seemed useful to me looking ahead to tomorrow. Now, it’s time to rest. We’ll see how I feel tomorrow.”
 
Steele Van Hoff (UniSA-Australia) won the stage. Timo Roosen crossed the line in 21st after 144 kilometers from Glenelg to Mt Barker.
 
George Bennett was involved in the spill as well, but he didn’t fall as hard as Tjallingii as he was at the back. The Kiwi complained of ankle pain, but still holds his top twenty in the general classification.
 
“The racing has been nervous for days and the wind worsened the situation today,” Sports Director Frans Maassen explained.
 
“We tried to get in the break with Maarten today, but failed. Eventually, two groups managed to take an advantage, but the peloton always kept them in check.”
 
Tomorrow, the Tour Down Under holds its queen stage, the traditional finish up Willunga Hill.
 
“I expect to see the men of the top ten at the front again”, Maassen said. “Hopefully, George can get in the mix with those guys. Tomorrow’s climb suits his characteristics better than Wednesday’s and he seems to be okay despite his crash.”