Jonas van Genechten (Lotto-Belisol) launched a perfectly-timed sprint to win stage four of the Tour of Poland.

On a stage characterised by attacks from the peloton, Lampre-Merida looked to have the initiative as the race came together inside the final kilometre despite a late attack by Thor Hushovd (BMC Racing).

However, both the Italian team and Giant-Shimano, who had looked set to contest the sprint with them, made mistakes in the final sprint allowing van Genechten to steal the advantage and snatch victory on the line.

The longest stage of this year’s race saw no shortage of riders trying to attack early – Alexander Rybakov (Katusha), Boris Vallee (Lotto-Belisol), Jerome Cousin (Europcar), Branislau Samoilau (CCC Polsat Polkowice), Andrei Solomennikov (RusVelo) forming the original break.

Again the peloton were reluctant to let any riders go too clear however, with Omega Pharma-Quickstep protecting Petr Vakoc’s yellow jersey on the front.

The lead had stretched to more than three minutes at his maximum but there were still more than 100 kilometres remaining when the group was caught – with the attacks and counter-attacks already starting in the bunch.

Several riders made short-lived moves off the front, before Josh Edmondson (Team Sky), Matthias Krizek (Cannondale) and Mateusz Taciak (CCC Polsat Polkowice) made a move stick.

The 22-year-old Brit, who is in line to make his Grand Tour debut at the Vuelta a Espana having been named on the provisional startlist, was clearly out to impress team bosses.

Sharing the workload well, the three leaders were four minutes clear at one point but by the time they reached the finishing circuit for the first time it was already down to just one minute.

With Omega Pharma-Quickstep happy to leave them hanging in front – the long straight sections of the circuit giving them plenty of chance to keep a close watch on the lead group – the gap hovered around the minute mark for several kilometres.

It was enough to tempt Cousin into launching another attack, this time hauling Przemyslaw Kasperkiewicz (Poland) with him – the Pole having already showed his impressive engine after being in the break from which Vakoc won stage two.

Edmondson talked into his radio, and continued to share the workload with Krizek and Taciak – the latter taking the King of the Mountains points on offer as he sought a day in the jersey.

The two lead groups came together on the second of the four laps, but the peloton continued to keep them in check – Belkin and Giant-Shimano happy to send a rider apiece forward to aid the chase.

Edmondson put in a solo dig, testing his legs to earn a few bike lengths’ lead come the second crossing of the finish line but he was brought back by fellow his escapees.

Taciak sealed the final King of the Mountains points, before he, Krizek and Edmondson sat up and the handshakes started – eventually being caught with ten kilometres to go.

Cousin and Kasperkiewicz tried in vain to keep the break going, but the Frenchman soon resigned himself to his fate too and the race was brought back together with eight kilometres to go.

Belkin and Orica-GreenEDGE already had their sprint trains lined out, with Tinkoff-Saxo coming forward too but the attacks continued with Maciej Paterski, in the King of the Mountains jersey, going off the front.

Angelo Tulik (Europcar) was the next to go clear, taking advantage of a bend to go clear as the peloton slowed at the pinch point, with Fabio Felline (Trek Factory Racing) and Tobias Ludvigsson (Giant-Shimano) bridging to join him up the road.

The move – on the same stage Taylor Phinney won solo last year – looked dangerous but the peloton organised the chase well as Lampre-Merida led the way.

Kenny de Haes (Lotto-Belisol) and David Tanner (Belkin) led the peloton, but they were caught out as Thor Hushovd (BMC Racing) launched a long one with 1500 metres remaining.

He still led as the downhill sprint started, but Orica-GreenEDGE chased hard to catch him with 700 metres remaining.

Lampre-Merida looked to have the initiative in the sprint, with Roberto Ferrari leading out Sacha Modolo, but the former inadvertently impeded his team-mate as he peeled off.

Modolo nevertheless hit the front, with Nikias Arndt (Giant-Shimano) for company and Arndt’s team-mate Luka Mezgec just behind.

Mezgec was unable to put the power down however, with Arndt inadvertently blocking him in the chaos of the sprint.

And Van Genechten seized the initiative, sling-shotting from behind Mezgec and launching his sprint with perfect timing.

Mezgec finally called his team-mate out but too late to launch his sprint, with Van Genechten beating Jacopo Guarnieri to the stage win.

Tour of Poland 2014: stage four – result

1) Jonas Vangenechten (BEL) – Lotto-Belisol – 5.43.29hrs
2) Jacopo Guarnieri (ITA) – Astana – ST
3) Luka Mezgec (SVN) – Giant-Shimano
4) Sacha Modolo (ITA) – Lampre-Merida
5) Yauheni Hutarovich (BLR) – Ag2r-La Mondiale
6) Davide appollonio (ITA) – Ag2r-La Mondiale
7) Raymond Kreder (NED) – Garmin-Sharp
8) Nikias Arndt (GER) – Giant-Shimano
9) Nikolas Maes (BEL) – Omega Pharma-Quickstep
10) Steele von Hoffe (AUS) – Garmin-Sharp

General classification

1) Petr Vakoc (CZE) – Omega Pharma-Quickstep – 20.34.24hrs
2) Matthias Krizek (AUT) – Cannondale +26”
3) Yauheni Hutarovich (BLR) – Ag2r-La Mondiale +27”
4) Theo Bos (NED) – Belkin Pro Cycling – ST
5) Luka Mezgec (SVN) – Giant-Shimano
6) Jonas Vangenechten (BEL) – Lotto-Belisol
7) Roman Maikin (RUS) – RusVelo +31”
8) Boris Vallee (BEL) – Lotto-Belisol +33”
9) Manuele Mori (ITA) – Lampre-Merida – ST
10) Maciej Paterski (POL) – CCC Polsat Polkowice +35”