Michal Kwiatkowski worked his way to the front of a strung out, shoulder rubbing peloton that was aggressively battling for position in the final meters for the inevitable sprint finish of the 188km 3rd stage of Eneco Tour.
The result was a 4th place finish for young Kwiatkowski, as Omega Pharma - Quick-Step also had the chance to recon part of the Road World Champion Course in Valkenburg.
Tom Boonen moved up on the right hand side in the final 10km when a four rider breakaway had been caught. He immediately rode into the wind, with Gert Steegmans sitting on his wheel rather than the other way around. However, as the peloton started to get increasingly aggressive, including some shoulder rubbing near the front, Boonen rotated back into the peloton.
While other teams were battling for position in a strung out peloton for the final few kilometers, Kwiatkowski maneuvered his way into good enough position to contest the sprint.
Theo Bos (Rabobank) won the race, with John Degenkolb (Argos-Shimano) placing 2nd and Heinrich Haussler (Garmin-Sharp) taking 3rd.
"Orica-GreenEDGe did the job for the day," Sports Director Wilfried Peeters said of the team that chased down the break for the sprint. "It was more or less a quiet day for us, another day at the office. In the final we tried to make the sprint for Tom, but Tom was a little bit closed off by another rider. He had some trouble in the last few kilometers as a result. He almost crashed, so he decided to not do the sprint in the final. Kwiatkowski was near the front on the right side, which was completely empty. He tried to pass the riders just to stay in the front. He was 4th as a result, but it was not necessarily his goal to make the sprint. We are closer to the finish of the race. It is clear Saturday and Sunday will be key days. We have to stay calm and avoid risks in the next two days and then do the best in the time trial and the last stage."