McEwen final burst too good for the rest

Stage 4, Tour de France

Robbie McEwen burst out of the pack with just metres to go, winding his legs to break away at a frenzied pace. At 34, he still possesses amazing speed and timing, as his competitors could all but look at him get away for a second stage win this year and the tenth stage win of his career. Isaac Galvez of the Illes Balears team was second, with another Spaniard, Oscar Freire of Rabobank finishing third.

Earlier the main pack sized up the leading pack of five that was in front all day, keeping them within striking range before hauling them in as they reached into Saint Quentin. Egoi Martinez, the Discovery rider from Spain broke away first before being joined by Bradley Wiggins(COF), Christophe Mengin(FDJ), Laurent Lefevre(BTL) and Cedric Coutouly (AGR) 20km out of Huy.

But the tour continued to receive its dose of pain from Spain, as doctor dope Mr. Eufemiano Fuentes, speaking to a Spanish radio station confirmed having worked with Football, Tennis and Athletics besides Cycling. Most damning though, was his comment that there are still riders in the tour who have worked with him. He has also wondered why there have only been selective leaks, before refusing to divulge any names.

The Belgian Tom Boonen hung on to his yellow jersey, as he finished the stage in fifth place. He needs to repeat or better his performance in stage five or loose the colour at the end of stage five. McEwen has already stripped him of the green jersey, adorned by the best sprinter, at the end of stage four. Robbie McEwen may fancy his chances going into the next stage, Thursday's stage will once again favour the sprinters.

However, the stage is also being set for the emergence of the climbers as we approach closer to the point where the leading contenders for the final honours begin working with their teams to conquer the arduous mountains that lie ahead next week. Among them are George Hincapie, third behind Boonen and Michael Rogers. Floyd Landis has been tipped as a prospect by none other than the great Eddie Merckx, currently lying in ninth. Farther behind is Levi Leipheimer, who has accomplished his goal of safely seeing himself through the sprint stages. Jerome Pineau is the custodian of the polka dots, as the other conserve their energy.

But the fourth stage clearly belonged to McEwen whose final gasp sprint left the field with no answer, especially the Quickstep team of Tom Boonen, who worked to place Boonen with a chance on the final stretch. McEwen dedicated the victory to his Davitamon Lotto team mate Fred Rodriguez who withdrew from the tour after an accident.

The players will now move to Beauvais, just north of Paris, riding through Normandy and Calvados to finish stage five at the port city of Caen.