Pérez animates Suisse stage 4

Euskaltel put on an attacking display in today's fourth leg of the Tour de Suisse.

Mikel Astarloza was the first rider in Orange to try his luck with a breakaway attempt after some 30 kilometres on the road from Aarberg to Trimbach. The stage's many hills would have been perfectly suited to the veteran, but the large break of which he was a part of was never given much leeway and was swept up less than 20 clicks later.

Next off was Rubén Pérez, who jumped clear with eight others 80 kilometres in. This nine-man move made is stick for a while, but never grew their gap bigger than three minutes and were inevitably reeled in, one by one, inside the last 30. The 31-year-old Zaldibar-native was one of the first in the group to go out the back as the climbs took its toll, and only 56 riders made up the main peloton that sprinted for the win at the finish.

Sagan naturally bagged yet another victory, his third in four tries in this race, while Euskaltel placed three riders in the first group. Nieve, G Izagirre and Astarloza all managed to hold the pace, meaning the former is still ninth on GC.

Up tomorrow is a 192,7km trek from today's finishing town, Trimbach, to Gansingen.

Stage four results:

• (1, Peter Sagan (Liquigas), 4:36:55)
• 35, Gorka Izagirre, s.t.
• 38, Mikel Nieve, s.t.
• 47, Mikel Astarloza, s.t.
• 72, Iván Velasco, 4:53
• 79, Rubén Pérez, 7:37
• 125, Romain Sicard, 15:40
• 126, Igor Antón, s.t.
• 133, Pablo Urtasun, s.t.

Photo: www.fundacionuskadi.com