In the last stage race before the Vuelta d’Espana gets underway on 25 August, the seven-stage, mostly flat Binck Bank Tour in Belgium and the Netherlands is crowded at the top with 26 riders within a minute of the lead after four races.
The leader is rising rider Matej Mohoric of Slovenia, who took over after Stage 3 and is nursing a three-second lead over Sean de Bie (BEL) and 22 seconds ahead of Swiss Stefan Kung. Mohoric, 23, has won an individual stage in both the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana, but nothing like a World Tour multi-stage race. Summaries so far:
UCI World Tour/Binck Bank Tour
Belgium and Netherlands ~ 13-19 August 2018
(Full results here)
Stage 1 (177.3 km): 1. Fabio Jakobsen (NED), 4:01:00; 2. Marcel Kittel (GER), 4:01:00; 3. Caleb Ewan (AUS), 4:01:00; 4. Kris Halvorsen (NOR), 4:01:00; 5. Max Walscheid (GER), 4:01:00.
Stage 2 (12.7 km Time Trial): 1. Stefan Kung (SUI), 14:11; 2. Victor Camenaerts (BEL), 14:25; 3. Soren Kragh Andersen (DEN), 14:26; 4. Michael Matthews (AUS), 14:26; 5. Maximilian Schachmann (GER), 14:30.
Stage 3 (174.9 km): 1. Taco van der Hoorn (NED), 3:47:42; 2. Maxime Vantomme (BEL), 3:47:45; 3. Sean de Bie (BEL), 3:47:45; 4. Matej Mohoric (SLO), 3:47:45; 5. Jesper Asselman (NED), 3:48:17.
Stage 4 (165.5 km): 1. Jasper Stuyven (BEL), 3:44:46; 2. Ewan (AUS), 3:44:46; 3. Zdenek Stybar (CZE), 3:44:46; 4. Rudiger Selig (GER), 3:44:46; 5. Timothy Dupont (BEL), 3:44:46.
Stage 5: 17 August Sint-Pieters-Leeuw (BEL) to Lanaken (BEL)
Stage 6: 18 August Riemst (BEL) to Sittard-Geleen (NED)
Stage 7: 19 August Lacs de l’Eau d’Heure (BEL) to Geraardsbergen (BEL)
