Schafer wins in Delphi

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Stefan Schafer (LKT-Team Brandenburg) won the queen stage of the International Tour of Greece, with its 10km climb to the finish in Delphi, but remained second in GC just one second behind Ioannis Tamouridis (SP Tableware).

Pous Jaume Rovira (KTM Murcia Kastro) and Jakub Kratochvila (Arbo Gebruder Weiss) finished one second behind Schafer in second and third respectively in the 141.8km stage between Mesologgi and Delphi.

Tamouridis, the national champion of Greece and race leader in the light blue jersey, had a fall just 150 metres before the finish line with Stefan Schafer's teammate, Niklas Arndt.

"It was a very bad finish. At the end they tried to stop me and hit my handlebar on purpose causing a crash. He seemed like a kamikaze," said Tamouridis about his fall.

"They (LKT Team Brandenburg) did not show any kind of respect after all the work my teammates did. SP Tableware was in front of the peloton for almost 120 kilometres to catch the nine guys who attacked. We caught them and after all they did not apply fair play. That's why I had this fall."

Niklas Arndt related his version of the crash. "I was trying to help my teammate, but someone from KTM came next to me and behind him was the guy with the light blue jersey. Our handlebars touched and we both fell. From my point of view it was just an accident as many times happens in cycling. He (Tamouridis) was trying to pass me from the left and we could not avoid the fall."

Tamouridis was given the same time as the front group as he fell within the final three kilometres, but Stefan Schafer gained the bonus seconds and the time difference from Tamouridis was reduced to only one second.

The peloton faces the penultimate stage on Saturday, 172.4 kilometres from Delphi to Marathon.