It had in fact been the other Lotto team in the Tour of Britain, Lotto Soudal who had worked had to set up the sprint over the final 15-kilometre run through Powys, but they were usurped for pole position on the left hand turn into the Showground by their Dutch compatriots.

Four riders had spent the stage up the road, including Bardiani CSF’s Alessandro Tonelli as the longest surviving, and winner of the HIGH5 Combativity Award for Stage Four.

The quartet were eventually swept off when the General Classification contenders vying for the Yellow Jersey presented by Eisberg began to battle, with Dan Martin, Wout Poels and the teams of Movistar and Cannondale Drapac all active.

This flurry of attacks split the field, ditching sprinters like Mark Cavendish, Caleb Ewan and Elia Viviani, and briefly Andre Greipel, although the German national champion got back across to the leaders.

All images ©Sweetspot & Theo Southee photography

No great advantage was ever established with some of the dropped riders able to rejoin as the race hit Rhayader and the main roads leading to Builth Wells the General Classification battle was over, barring a hotly contest intermediate Yodel Sprint in Newbridge-on-Wye with less than 20-kilometres remaining.

That Yodel Sprint saw Tony Gallopin taking the points, and more importantly the time bonuses, which elevated him into fourth overall behind Swift, but now ahead of Dan Martin.

Thanks to the win at the day’s opening Yodel Sprint in Mold, Jasper Bovenhuis retook the Yodel Sprints Jersey while the battle between Xandro Meurisse and Nicolas Roche for the SKODA King of the Mountains jersey continued apace.

The Belgian has now eked out a two-point lead over the Irish Champion and wears the jersey for a third day on Stage Five.

Julien Vermote continues in the Yellow Jersey presented by Eisberg and also inherits the Chain Reaction Cycles Points Jersey, while second overall Steve Cummings continues as the Adnams Best British Rider in the Tour of Britain.

Highlights of Stage Four from Denbigh to Builth Wells are on ITV4 at 8pm with a repeat on the same channel at Midday on Thursday 8 September and available on demand via the ITV Hub.

The Tour of Britain remains in Wales for the Start of Stage Five in Aberdare Park in Rhondda Cynon Taf, which then crosses South Wales and the Forest of Dean for the finish on the Royal Avenue in Bath.

The Lotto Soudal team set up the German national champion perfect, leading Greipel safely through the final corner at the head of the peloton, with Jens Debusschere providing the perfect leadout at the end of the 161-kilometre stage from Glasgow.

Greipel is now celebrating his fifth Tour of Britain stage win having also won stages in the 2010 and 2015 editions of Britain’s biggest professional cycle race.

Greipel avoided a final crash further back in the peloton on the final corner, removing the likes of Mark Cavendish, Elia Viviani and Dylan Groenewegen from contention.

The stage win and time bonus gives Greipel a 1-second lead over Jasper Bovenhuis, who picked up the time bonuses at all three of the day’s intermediate Yodel Sprints from a breakaway to sit second overall, with Ewan third.

The An Post Chain Reaction rider took the Yodel Sprints jersey from a five-rider breakaway that former early on while the race lapped Glasgow in front of packed crowds throughout the city centre.

Alongside teammate Emiel Wastyn, ONE Pro Cycling’s Peter Williams, NFTO’s Johnny McEvoy and JLT Condor’s Tom Moses the quintet spent the majority of Stage One out front, but a watchful peloton never let them gain more than 4-minutes.

With the Stage One victory Greipel also takes the Chain Reaction Cycles Points Jersey while Williams is the SKODA King of the Mountains jersey and Adnams Best British Rider overall.
Highlights of Stage One will be on ITV4 at 8pm with a repeat at 12-noon on Monday 5 September.

The Tour of Britain resumes with Stage Two on Monday 5 September from Carlisle to Kendal, through the heart of the Lake District including the Category One climb of The Struggle with 30-kilometres to go.  The stage finishes in Kendal atop the 700-metre climb of Beast Banks, as used in the 2013 Tour of Britain when Gerald Ciolek took the victory.

All race results are available by clicking here.