Davitamone's team rider, Robbie McEwen, of Australia, celebrates as he cycles across the finish line to win the fourth stage of the 93rd Tour de France between Huy, Belgium, and Saint-Quentin, France, yesterday. - REUTERS
SAINT-QUENTIN, France, (Reuters):
AUSTRALIA ROBBIE McEwen surged 150 metres from the finish to win the 207-km fourth stage of the Tour de France from Huy to Saint-Quentin, yesterday.
The Davitamon rider crossed the line at least two full bicycle lengths in front of his rivals, for his second stage win in three days.
Spaniard Isaac Galvez of the Caisse d'Epargne team was second and Rabobank rider Oscar Freire third.
Overall leader Tom Boonen finished fifth to retain the yellow jersey, one second ahead of Australian Michael Rogers (T-Mobile). American George Hincapie (Discovery Channel) remained third, five seconds adrift of Boonen.
After a nervous start and several escape bids, the real breakaway of the day came 18 km into the stage.
MAXIMUM LEAD
Britain's Bradley Wiggins, Spaniard Egoi Martinez and Frenchmen Laurent Lefevre, Cedric Coutouly and Christophe Mengin had a maximum lead of five minutes on a route that did not boast any undue difficulty.
The break, however, was doomed to fail in the last part of the flat course when Boonen's Quick Step team started rolling in. One by one, Wiggins, Mengin and Coutouly gave away in the last 10 km. Lefevre and Martinez were caught two kilometres from the line.
For the first time in five days, few incidents were reported.
Spaniard Iban Mayo, leader of the Caisse d'Epargne team, crash but remounted and rejoined the bunch with the help of four team mates.
American Phonak rider Floyd Landis punctured his rear tyre, but was back in the race a few minutes later.
The stage started with 172 riders after Erik Dekker of the Netherlands, American Fred Rodriguez and Spaniard Alejandro Valverde pulled out with shoulder or collarbone injuries after crashing on Tuesday.
