Milan Vader has maintained his place at the top of the general classification in the penultimate stage of the Tour Down Under. The 26-year-old Dutchman finished in the lead group alongside Timo Roosen after reacting quickly when echelons started to form halfway through the race.

The fourth stage, between Port Willunga and Willunga Township, appeared destined to be a sprinters' duel, but the wind altered the course of the race. With 80 kilometres to go, the race split into two groups, and it was all hands on deck for the GC riders.

On behalf of Team Jumbo-Visma, Vader and Roosen were in the first group, continually holding the second group at a short distance. In the slightly uphill final kilometre, Bryan Coquard sprinted to the stage win, while Vader and Roosen finished in the top 20. "It was a difficult day", team manager Addy Engels said.

"It was pretty clear and predictable where the echelons would form. Timo and Milan were in the lead group, but we would have preferred to have more of our riders there. On the other hand, they were the two we wanted in the front because Timo might challenge for the day's victory, and Milan is our best man in the general classification. The final, though, proved to be too challenging to produce a top result."

Vader moved up to the fourteenth place in the standings. "It was good that he was in the front today because we had said last night that we wanted to consolidate his position. Tomorrow we will see if we can get him into the top ten."