Cyclist Martin Laas takes another stage win in Lithuania
Estonian cyclist Martin Laas (Quick Pro Team) achieved another stage victory at the Tour of Lithuania and extended his overall lead after the 161-kilometer fourth stage.
Laas earned his third stage win with a time of 3:20.47 around the town of Utena in eastern Lithuania, his 36th career win.
He beat out compatriot Karl Kurits, riding in the Estonian national team jersey, at the finish line, as well as Dane Oliver Søndergaard (AIRTOX - Carl Ras).
Laas said: "The team performed very well again, and my job was to finish the job in the end."
"Today was the first day of the tour where some breakaway riders actually got away, and then we put our guys up front to set the pace. We didn't overdo it, because we knew the main rivals would start attacking soon," Laas went on.
"It was a bit of a surprise that they started doing it so early, but fortunately that backfired on them, and they probably underestimated us a bit. At the finish, I got a really good position thanks to the team and felt quite confident. Tomorrow's plan is definitely to defend the yellow jersey," he added.
A more 153km stage around Vilnius followed.
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Editor: Henrik Laever, Andrew Whyte
