Greg Henderson claimed a superb win on stage four of the Eneco Tour after another outstanding lead-out from the Team Sky train.

The New Zealander has looked in good form all week in delivering teammate Edvald Boasson Hagen to the finish, but on this occasion it was his turn to go for glory.

And the plan worked to perfection; Team Sky were to the fore from nine kilometers out on the run-in to Roermond and held their position perfectly as the roads narrowed towards the finish. Geraint Thomas and Mathew Hayman both put in big turns on the front and Boasson Hagen led Henderson to around the 250 meters-mark before the Kiwi surged past and lunged for the line to take the win.

Boasson Hagen kept on well himself and was only denied second place by the narrowest of margins by Kenny van Hummel (Skil – Shimano). The four bonus seconds he took for third moved him up to the same position on the general classification.

Henderson, who has also won stages at Paris-Nice and Ster Elektrotoer this season as well as starring in the team’s debut at the Tour Down Under, was understandably delighted afterward, “They gave me a good chance today to show how fast I can be and I’m really happy I could finish it off for them.

“We sat down at the start of the day and made a plan and everyone was committed to that and 100% behind it – and it worked out perfectly.

“Edvald actually came up to me yesterday and said ‘thank you for all your help in the previous two days – tomorrow, I want to lead you out in the sprint’. And [Sports Director] Steven de Jongh obviously agreed and said it was a good idea, so that’s the plan we played.

“I felt good all day and wanted to show I can sprint a bit. I just kept everyone moving forward at the finish and we got into exactly the position we wanted; so much so that Edvald, who is obviously very fast himself, was able to deliver me and get on the podium himself.”