Team Astana's Alberto Contador holds the lead by 8 seconds over Olympic gold medalist Samuel Sanchez going into Friday's penultimate stage of the Tour of the Basque Country.
Meanwhile, US cyclist Christian Vande Velde of Team Garmin-Slipstream nearly won the 4th stage on Thursday.
He joined a three-man breakaway that stayed out front for most of the mountainous 100-mile stage, but breakaway companion Michael Albasini of Columbia-High Road won the final sprint in Güeñes.
Horner heroics, injury
Contador, the defending champion on the six-stage Vuelta al País Vasco, took the stage win and overall lead on Wednesday. Teammate Chris Horner of the US helped set up Contador for the win by setting a torrid pace on the Alto de Ixua.
Unfortunately on Thursday, Horner crashed on the descent of a mountain and was rushed to a nearby hospital. He suffered a possible broken shoulder blade, but X-rays at the time were inconclusive, according to the Astana website.
Vande Velde's position in the breakaway on Thursday helped to boost him into third place overall in the mountain competition. Of the 7 mountains climbs, Vande Velde won two and placed in four.
Viewing
Live video streaming of the Tour of the Basque Country is available at Universal Sports Cycling dashboard. Coverage starts at 9:45 a.m. (ET) Friday and 10:30 a.m. (ET) Saturday for the individual time trial finale.
Links to highlights from the first three stages are: Stage 1, Stage 2, or Stage 3.
Top 10 overall
1 Alberto Contador (Spa) Astana
2 Samuel Sánchez (Spa) Euskaltel – Euskadi — 8 seconds behind
3 Cadel Evans (Aus) Silence-Lotto — same time
4 Antonio Colom Mas (Spa) Team Katusha — same time
5 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre – N.G.C. — 27 seconds
6 Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank — 32 seconds
7 Luis León Sánchez Gil (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne — 35 seconds
8 Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Liquigas — 54 seconds
9 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas — same time
10 Sandy Casar (Fra) Française Des Jeux — same time
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