Marc Hirschi keeps up with the best in the second last stage of the Tour of Luxembourg, a 15.5 km time trial in Differdange. The Bernese rider finishes fourth.
Hirschi missed out on victory in the fourth stage by just under 15 seconds. The stage against the clock was won by Spaniard Juan Ayuso, one of Hirschi's teammates in the UAE Emirates team.
Hirschi lost one place in the overall standings, but in terms of time he significantly improved his starting position ahead of the final stage on Sunday, which leads over 177 km from Mersch to Luxembourg. He is now only eight seconds behind Mathieu van der Poel, who is leading again, and can therefore hope to win the stage race as he did last year. The Dutchman, who will be defending his title at the World Championships in Zurich the Sunday after next, reclaimed the top spot from Belgian Mauri Vansevenant.
