Alberto Contador of the Tinkoff team closed the gap on race leader Michal Kwiatkowski by claiming victory in stage four of the Tirreno-Adriatico race yesterday.
The two-time Tour de France winner finished just ahead of Colombian Nairo Quintana (Movistar) and Spaniard Daniel Moreno (Katusha) after the 244km run from Indicatore to Cittareale Selvarotonda.
Poland’s Kwiatkowski, riding for Omega Pharma QuickStep, finished seventh in the stage to see his lead cut to just 16sec on second-placed Contador.
Contador, 31, is bidding to get his career back on track after serving a two-year ban for testing positive for clenbuterol on the 2010 Tour de France.
He didn’t enjoy the best 2013 season on the road as he finished a disappointing fourth in his quest for a third Tour de France victory and decided against defending his Vuelta a Espana title.
Sunday’s fifth stage will cover 192km between Amatrice and Guardiagrele. – AFP
