BLACKPOOL, England, Sept 15, 2009 (AFP) – Norway’s Edvald Boasson Hagen of Team Columbia won a second consecutive stage in the Tour of Britain Tuesday to move within one second of overall race leader, Kai Reus of Rabobank.

“We’re close now and so we have to try and win overall,” said Team Columbia team coach Valerio Piva.

“Edvald is on form, we’ve got a strong team here, and so why not? We’ve done it before.”

Australia’s Chris Sutton also moved within striking distance of the overall lead with his fourth consecutive top three finish in the 148-km circuit stage around the Forest of Bowland.

Sutton is just five seconds adrift of the yellow jersey in third overall and now leads the points standings.

“It was a pretty good day for me overall and I have to be pleased with how things have gone so far this week,” he said.

“It’s been a great week for me so far and I had no intention of chasing the GC when I got here. But now all the lads are telling me to go for it and give it a go but we will have to see.”

Sutton, who won Saturday’s first stage in York, again paid tribute to Garmin team-mate Bradley Wiggins — who played a critical role in dragging back a five-man breakaway in the closing kilometres.

“He was pushing 60kmh for a lot of the ride and I was telling him to slow down because I’d need him at the finish. But he just looked at me and said ‘don’t worry about it, I’ve got loads in the tank’.”

Team Columbia took over command of the the peloton in the final kilometres and while a crash 500 metres from the finish scattered the peloton Boasson Hagen was ahead of it and got a perfect lead out from Tony Martin.

It was the defending race champion’s 11th win of the 2009 season and the 79th victory for Team Columbia.

Result of the fourth stage of the Tour of Britain, a 148-km circuit starting and finishing in Blackpool:

Stage
1. Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR) 3hrs 32mins 04secs, 2. Christopher Sutton (AUS), 3. Martin Reimer (GER), 4. Russell Downing (GBR), 5. Koldo Fernandez (ESP). 6. Tony Martin (GER), 7. Renaud Dion (FRA), 8. Mauro Finetto (ITA), 9.
Graham Briggs (GBR), 10 Malcolm Elliott (GBR) all same time

Overall
1. Kai Reus (NED) 14hrs 56mins 19secs, 2. Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR) at 1sec, 3. Christopher Sutton (AUS) at 5, 4. Martin Reimer (GER) at 11, 5.
Michele Merlo (ITA) 14, 6. Alexander Kristoff (NOR) 19, 7. Simon Clarke (AUS) 21, 8. Reinier Honig (NED) 23, 9. Rob Ruygh (NED), 10. Geoffroy Lequatre (FRA) both at same time

File Photo by: CorVos Pro