Agtmaal wins 4th stage in Surakarta

Agtmaal wins 4th stage in Surakarta

Dutch cyclist Peter Van Agtmaal of the Jong & Laan team took the fourth stage from Yogyakarta to Surakarta on Thursday but Iranian Hossein Askari retained the Tour d'Indonesia's yellow jersey.

Agtmaal covered the 135.2-kilometer route in three hours, 36 minutes, 50 seconds to beat last year's champion New Zealander Nathan Dahlberg of Greenfields Fresh Milk, who finished two seconds behind in second place.

Dahlberg was a close rival to Agtmaal over the last 10 kilometers but he was also under pressure from the Giant Racing Team's members.

"I was attacked by the Giant riders. They kept pressuring me but I managed to break away," Dahlberg was quoted by Antara as saying. He also won the climb category in Kopeng, 1,400 meters above sea level.

Askari, who won the third stage, finished in 12th place but still maintained the lead.

"This stage was tough due to its hilly and twisting roads. It's very dangerous. But nothing bad has happened so far," Askari said.

Ryan Ariehaan of the Dodol Picnic Garut kept the red-and-white jersey as the most competitive national cyclist, while Filipino sprinter Rhyan Tanguilig retains the green jersey.

The cyclists take a one-day break in Surakarta before resuming with the fifth stage to Madiun.

The 9-stage race ends in Denpasar, Bali, on Sept. 21. - JP