Four-time Tour de France stage winner Jaan Kirsipuu stormed to victory on stage four of the Croc Trophy to Chillagoe – the longest stage of the race at 157km.

The 41-year-old retired road cyclist beat Austrian Philipp Ludescher to the line, with compatriot Allan Oras completing the podium.

“To be the stage winner feels great,” said Kirsipuu. “Especially because I thought that Bart [Brentjens] would be the right man in the right place of that finishing corner.

“That’s why I had tried to get away several times for the last five kilometres and I succeeded at the third attempt. The coming flat stages should suit me even better.”

While racers kept coming across the finish line, Peter Clayton sat in the emergency room of Mareeba hospital.

He had crashed 15km before the third depot and X-rays confirmed a broken thumb – but the Sydney-born rider had his uncle drop him off again and he continued his race from where he had been forced to pause it.

Swiss rider Urs Huber continues to lead the overall classification while Australia’s Abby McLennan, leading the women’s race, maintained her 100 per cent record by winning stage four.