The decisive individual time trial on day four of the Tour of Murcia saw an impressive upset as Czech rider Frantisek Rabon (HTC-Columbia), beat out several of the world’s top time trialists to take the fastest time of the day, enough to earn him the yellow jersey heading into the final day of racing in Murcia.
Rabon beat out pre-race favorite Dennis Menchov (Rabobank) for second and Team Sky’s Bradley Wiggins for third. Menchov was nearly 33 seconds back and Wiggins was 48 seconds off Rabon’s time.
American Lance Armstrong (RadioShack) was closely watched by many as he tried to tune his form prior to a run at the Tour de France this summer, finishing 1:18 back in eighth place.
Tomorrow’s final stage offers perfect conditions for a group sprint, and Rabon will have a cushy 33 second lead to work with, meaning he has all but sealed up the GC victory at the Tour of Murcia.
Photo above is from Graham Watson, check out his gallery of Murica images here.
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