Breschel takes stage 4 at Swiss tour

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• Results

By Agence France Presse

2009 Tour de Suisse, stage 4: Matti Breschel (Saxo Bank) takes a narrow win.

Photo: Graham Watson

Matti Breschel (Saxo Bank) triumphed in the fourth stage of the Tour of Switzerland on Tuesday.

The Dane held off Astana’s Maxim Iglinsky by a whisker to take his third victory of the year in the 195km ride from Biasca to Staefa.

Tadej Valjavec (Ag2r-La Mondiale) finished third in the nine-man sprint to take the leader’s jersey from Saxo’s Fabian Cancellara, who crossed 1:03 down on the escapees.

Cancellara had led the race since winning the opening time trial.

2009 Tour de Suisse, stage 4: Saxo’s Fabian Cancellara finished more than a minute down and lost the yellow jersey.

Photo: Graham Watson

Thanks to the bonus seconds awarded for his third-place finish, Valjavec now leads Cancellara’s teammate Andy Schleck by two seconds going into Wednesday’s 202km fifth stage from here to Serfaus.

Schleck was hunting time, too, pocketing six bonus seconds from the intermediate sprints near the end of the stage, and Saxo Bank will now be expected to throw everything behind him in the race for the yellow jersey.

One of the best climbers in the business, Schleck, 24, won the white jersey for the best placed rider aged under 25 at last year’s Tour de France, and this season won the prestigious Liége-Bastogne-Liége classic.

Valjavec, however, is no slouch in the mountains, and finished ninth overall in the Giro d’Italia last month.

The scene is now set for a thrilling battle between Ag2r and Saxo Bank in Wednesday’s fifth stage, which includes the climb over the 1793m high Col de Arlberg at the 141km mark and the 10km long climb to Serfaus.

Photo Gallery

Results

Stage results: | (GC standings)

• 1. Matti Breschel (DEN), Team Saxo Bank, in 5:01:34
• 2. Maxim Iglinsky (KAZ), Astana, same time
• 3. Tadej Valjavec (SLO), AG2R La Mondiale, s.t.
• 4. Peter Velits (SVK), Team Milram, s.t.
• 5. Olivier Zaugg (SUI), Liquigas, s.t.
• 6. Andy Schleck (LUX), Team Saxo Bank, s.t.
• 7. Alexander Efimken (RUS), Ag2r-La Mondiale, s.t.
• 8. Thomas Rohregger (A), Team Milram, s.t.
• 9. Robert Kislerlovsky (CRO), Fuji-Servetto, at 0:05
• 10. Filippo Pozzato (I), Team Katusha, at 1:03
• 11. Gerald Ciolek (GER), Milram, s.t.
• 12. Davide Vigano (ITA), Fuji-Servetto/, s.t.
• 13. Yauheni Hutarovich (BLR), Française des Jeux, s.t.
• 14. Micka‘l Delage (FRA), Silence-Lotto, at 1:04
• 15. Ryder Hesjedal (CAN), Garmin-Slipstream, s.t.
• 16. Lloyd Mondory (FRA), Ag2r-La Mondiale, s.t.
• 17. Heinrich Haussler (GER) Cervélo TestTeam, s.t.
• 18. Cameron Meyer (AUS), Garmin-Slipstream, s.t.
• 19. Kim Kirchen (LUX) Columbia-Highroad, s.t.
• 20. Reto Hollenstein (SUI), Vorarlberg-Corratec, s.t.

GC standings | ( Stage results)

• 1. Tadej Valjavec (SLO) AG2R La Mondiale
• 2. Andy Schleck (LUX) Team Saxo Bank, at 0:02
• 3. Peter Velits (SVK) Team Milram, at 0:11
• 4. Thomas Rohregger (AUT) Team Milram, at 0:13
• 5. Olivier Zaugg (SUI) Liquigas, at 0:14
• 6. Fabian Cancellara (SUI) Team Saxo Bank, at 0:20
• 7. Robert Kiserlovsky (CRO) Fuji-Servetto, at 0:34
• 8. Roman Kreuziger (CZE) Liquigas, at 0:42
• 9. Maxim Iglinsky (KAZ) Astana, same time
• 10. Andreas Kloden (GER) Astana, at 0:45
• 11. George Hincapie (USA), Columbia-Highroad, at 0:47
• 12. Tony Martin (GER), Columbia-Highroad, at 0:54
• 13. Maxime Monfort (BEL), Columbia-Highroad, at 0:55
• 14. Gustav Erik Larsson (SWE), Team Saxo Bank, at 0:56
• 15. Rui Costa (POR), Caisse d’Epargne, at 0:58
• 16. Oscar Freire (ESP), Rabobank, at 0:59
• 17. Carlos Barredo (ESP) Quick Step, at 1:01
• 18. Markel Irizar (ESP)< Euskaltel-Euskadi, s.t.
• 19. Vladimir Karpets (RUS), Katusha, s.t.
• 20. Rein Taaramae (EST), Cofidis, at 1:02