Croc Trophy: Bouchard wins stage 4
BH SR Suntour KMC rider retains race lead




In wet conditions, it was Leandre Bouchard (BH SR Suntour KMC) enjoying his third win from four stages at the Crocodile Trophy. Canadian Andrew L'Esperance (Forward Racing-Norco) was second again as the elite men's field was trimmed to five with the abandon of Anton Sintsov (JBG-2 Team).
At the half-way mark of the race, Bouchard leads L'Esperance by 1:32 minutes with Okamoto a distant third at over an hour and a half on GC. Haley Smith continues as the sole elite women in the race and is fifth in the overall standings.
"Doing it full-gas all the time would be tough. I just want to keep it safe, that helped a little bit to stay fresh and of course the mileage in my legs and the training over the years," a cautious Bouchard said ahead of the longest stage in the race, 125 km from Skybutry to Skybury.
Full Results
| # | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leandre Bouchard (Can) BH SR Suntour KMC | 4:51:08 |
| 2 | Andrew L'Esperance (Can) Forward Racing-Norco | 0:00:02 |
| 3 | Hiroyuki Okamoto (Aus) Inpulse | 0:15:50 |
| 4 | Ben May (Aus) Bicycle Riders/Specialized/Infinit Nutrition | 0:21:23 |
| 5 | Mike Blewitt (Aus) Subaru-Marathonmtb.com | 1:24:20 |
| DNF | Anton Sintsov (Rus) JBG-2 Team | Row 5 - Cell 2 |
| # | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Haley Smith (Can) Norco Factory Team | 5:30:51 |
| # | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leandre Bouchard (Can) BH SR Suntour KMC | 24:29:51 |
| 2 | Andrew L'Esperance (Can) Forward Racing-Norco | 0:01:32 |
| 3 | Hiroyuki Okamoto (Aus) Inpulse | 1:36:52 |
| 4 | Ben May (Aus) Bicycle Riders/Specialized/Infinit Nutrition | 1:53:03 |
| 5 | Mike Blewitt (Aus) Subaru-Marathonmtb.com | 3:19:13 |
| # | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Haley Smith (Can) Norco Factory Team | 27:02:57 |
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