Marianne Vos rode to victory in Stoke On Trent to take the fourth stage of the Aviva Women's Tour.
With Lizzie Armitstead in the leaders jersey, the riders set out from Nottingham in a route which would lead down the A52 into Stoke On Trent.
The race got underway as and it went through Elveston, Emma Pooley led a group which was trying to break away from the peloton.
That failed to succed so two riders tried to escape going past Calke Abbey but they too were pulled back.
Emilia Fahlin (Alé Cipollini) managed to get away from the peloton at 60km and got 16 seconds clear.
As Grace Garner abandoned, the gap went out to 55 seconds and then 2.20.
Fahlin took the sprint at Rocester but her lead was dropping all the time. Elisa Longo Borghini, Lizzie Armitstead and Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio with Emma Johansson bridged across to Emilia Fahlin who dropped off the pace.
Moolman-Pasio (Cervelo Bigla) took the points on the Oakmore climb with less than 20 minutes to go but it was Johansson who put in an attack with a sixteen rider group chasing, some eighteen seconds behind with nine kilometres left.
The break was caught and Marianne Vos shot over the line to take the win in 3.06.58 ahead of Kirchmann, Johansson E. Dideriksen and Lisa Brennaur.
Lizzie Armitstead keeps her lead going into the final stage.
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