Reinard Janse van Rensburg was South Africa’s best finisher at the fourth stage of the Fleche du Sud cycle race in Luxembourg on Saturday, writes Mark Etheridge.
The stage was a 14.88 kilometre time trial, which suited the powerhouse Pretoria rider.
Janse van Rensburg, whose form over the last year has seen him in very real Olympic contention, ended sixth in a time of 21min 50sec. That was 48sec adrift of the host nation’s Bob Jungels.
Next best South African was Team Differdange’s Jaco Venter in eighth (+50sec) while Janse van Rensburg’s MTN-Qhubeka team-mate Dennis van Niekerk, more known for his climbing abilities, was 15th (1:10 down).
Jungels’ ride sees him topping the General Classification with a total time of 10hr 33min 41sec. Van Niekerk is ninth (2:07 back) and Janse van Rensburg sits 10th (2:17 in arrears).
Sunday’s fifth and final stage is the longest stage of the tour with a 181.6km ride from Belvaux to Esch/Alzette.