Freire takes Ruta stage win

Oscar Freire took his first win of the season in the bunch sprint on stage four of the Ruta del Sol.

Irizar maintains overall lead

Oscar Freire took his first win of the season in the bunch sprint on stage four of the Ruta del Sol. The 34-year-old edged out stage one winner Jimmy Engoulvent (Saur Sojasun) and Aitor Galdos (Caja Rural) on the line in Cordoba to continue a strong start to the year for his Rabobank squad. The destination town once again proved a happy hunting ground for the three-time world champion, as he also triumphed there in the same event last season. A four-man break had formed early on after an attack from Tour de France runner-up Andy Schleck (Leopard Trek), gaining just over six minutes on the peloton before they began to reel them in. The quartet were caught with 15km remaining as the field formed for the inevitable final dash. The mass finish allowed overnight leader Markel Irizar (RadioShack) to maintain his narrow one-second advantage over Belgian Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Omega Pharma-Lotto) at the top of the leaderboard. Team Sky maintained their presence in the top 10, with Thomas Löfkvist remaining sixth on the general classification, while young Italian sprint star Davide Appollonio placed sixth on the stage.