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The penultimate stage of Tour of Algarve linked Cacela with Tavira over 169 hilly kilometres including two 3rd category hills. Our riders were advised to take part to any early breakaway, and to stand by Roelandts in case of a final bunch sprint. Mickael Delage followed these instructions, and broke away after 20 kilometres with six other riders: Boom, Van Hecke, Keisse, Ervitti, Vorganov and Ledagnous. Contador's team controlled the gap which was never allowed to increase. Just before regrouping, Vorganov and Ledagnous were dropped from the leading group, their places being taken by Martinez and Rosseler. This suited Astana, and the seven leaders were left to fight for the stage. The decision came on a climb with 20 km to go, when Rosseler (Team RadioShack) attacked alone and made a gap, chased by Delage, Van Hecke, Ervitti and Martinez who never succeeded to catch him. Rosseler won with 20" on his pursuers, superbly outsprinted by Micka, Spaniard Imanol Erviti (Caisse d'Épargne) completing the podium. All our other riders cam in with the peloton 3' later. Alberto Contador keeps the leader's jersey. Results 1. Sebastien Rosseler (Bel) Team RadioShack 2. Mickael Delage (Fra) Omega Pharma - Lotto at 20? 3. Imanol Erviti (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne 4. Preben Van Hecke (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator 5. Egoi Martinez (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi at 24? 6. Iljo Keisse (Bel) Quick Step at 2'50" 7. André Greipel (Ger) Team HTC - Columbia at 3' 8. Wouter Weylandt (Bel) Quick Step 9. Samuel Caldeira (Por) Palmeiras Resort - Prio 10. Graeme Brown (Aus) Rabobank ... 37. Jürgen Roelandts 44. Jean-Christophe Péraud (Fra) 49. Gerben Löwik (Ned) 55. Matthew Lloyd (Aus) 90. Olivier Kaisen 110. Mario Aerts 121. Jonas Ljungblad (Swe)

De vierde rit in de Volta ao Algarve van Vila Real Santo António naar Tavira (169 km) is gewonnen door de Belg Sebastien Rosseler. De Belg van RadioShack ging in de uitslag de Fransman Mickael Delage (Omega Pharma) en de Spanjaard Imanol Erviti (Euskadi) vooraf. Het was gelijk ook de eerste zege van Team RadioShack. Terwijl Tom Leezer (Rabobank) en Wout Poels (Vacansoleil) vandaag niet meer van start gingen, wilde Lars Boom er een wel een werkdag van maken. Hij ging er vandoor met onder meer Mickael Delage, Frédéric Guesdon (Française des Jeux), Preben Van Hecke (Topsport Vlaanderen), IIjo Keisse (QuickStep) en Eduard Vorganov (Katusha). De ontsnapping werd teniet gedaan, maar Rosseler, Van Hecke, Delage en Keisse gingen door, nu samen met de Spanjaarden Erviti en Martinez. Op 25 kilometer van Tavira demarreerde Rosseker uit deze kopgroep en aan de eindstreep had hij 20 seconden voorsprong op Delage. Alberto Contador (Astana) behoudt ook na de vierde etappe de leiderstrui met 15 seconden voorsprong op Tiago Machado (RadioShack) en 28 seconden op Levi Leipheimer (RadioShack). 1º Sebastien Rosseler (RadioShack), 4u12.46 2º Mickael Delage (Omega Pharma-Lotto), op 0.20 3º Imanol Erviti (Caisse D'Epargne), z.t. 4º Preben van Hecke (Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator), z.t. 5º Egoi Martinez (Euskaltel-Euskadi), op 0.24 6º Iljo Keisse (QuickStep), op 2.50 7º André Greipel (HTC-Columbia), op 3.00 8º Wouter Weylandt (QuickStep), z.t. 9º Samuel Caldeira (Palmeiras Resort-Prio-Tavira), z.t. 10º Graeme Brown (Rabobank), z.t. KLASSEMENT 1º Alberto Contador (Astana), 19u36.03 2º Tiago Machado (RadioShack), op 15 3º Levi Leipheimer (RadioShack), op 28 4º Samuel Sánchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi), op 35 5º Tejay van Garderen (Team HTC-Columbia), z.t. 6º Rui Costa (Caisse D'Epargne), op 40 7º Luis León Sánchez (Caisse D'Epargne), op 43 8º Andreas Klöden (RadioShack), z.t. 9º Matthew Lloyd (Omega Pharma-Lotto), z.t. 10º Joaquín Rodríguez (Katusha), z.t.

   
HTC-Columbia's André Greipel powered through heavy rainfall and tough terrain to take a spectacular victory and the race lead in stage two of the Tour of the Algarve in Portugal.  "It was a really difficult stage, more than 200 kilometres long, six and a half hours of riding through terrible weather, and on top of that there were some hard climbs and a difficult uphill finish as well," said HTC-Columbia sports director Tristan Hoffman.  "The other teams worked flat out to drop the sprinters, but André hung on and came through in the final.  It wasn't really a sprint at the end, because everybody was so exhausted. But he didn't give up and came through for the victory."

Greipel himself said that he had not been on a good day, but with strong encouragement from his HTC-Columbia teammates, he managed to get through.  "My teammates were constantly telling me not to give up, and to keep trying, even though I thought I couldn't last because most of the day I felt terrible.  Then when we managed to pull back the last guy from the break very close to the finish, and I went for it.

"We expected a lot more attacks, but because the conditions were so hard everybody was dead and that didn't happen.  Then in the last 200 metres, when the climb steepened to about 15 percent, I finally went clear and got the win."  Greipel said he was pleased but surprised he had managed to succeed, and take the leader's jersey as well.  "I never thought I'd be able to hang on for so long, over all those climbs.  Okay, this race isn't the Tour de France, but it's still a special win, one I feel very proud of taking."

   
HTC-Columbia's André Greipel powered through heavy rainfall and tough terrain to take a spectacular victory and the race lead in stage two of the Tour of the Algarve in Portugal.  "It was a really difficult stage, more than 200 kilometres long, six and a half hours of riding through terrible weather, and on top of that there were some hard climbs and a difficult uphill finish as well," said HTC-Columbia sports director Tristan Hoffman.  "The other teams worked flat out to drop the sprinters, but André hung on and came through in the final.  It wasn't really a sprint at the end, because everybody was so exhausted. But he didn't give up and came through for the victory."

Greipel himself said that he had not been on a good day, but with strong encouragement from his HTC-Columbia teammates, he managed to get through.  "My teammates were constantly telling me not to give up, and to keep trying, even though I thought I couldn't last because most of the day I felt terrible.  Then when we managed to pull back the last guy from the break very close to the finish, and I went for it.

"We expected a lot more attacks, but because the conditions were so hard everybody was dead and that didn't happen.  Then in the last 200 metres, when the climb steepened to about 15 percent, I finally went clear and got the win."  Greipel said he was pleased but surprised he had managed to succeed, and take the leader's jersey as well.  "I never thought I'd be able to hang on for so long, over all those climbs.  Okay, this race isn't the Tour de France, but it's still a special win, one I feel very proud of taking."

Andre Greipel holds on to his final kilometre lead to take victory in stage two of the Volta ao Algarve in Portugal.