Tuesday, September 10: Live updates from Stage 4
ALBACETE, Spain

Before today's stage the riders were looking back on the first few days of the Tour and plotting their strategies for the day.

All is not lost for three-time Vuelta champion Tony Rominger (Mapei), who fell back more than seven minutes behind overall leader Laurent Jalabert (ONCE) in Monday's surprise stage.

Rominger, who won the Vuelta three years straight during 1992-94, says he will go for stage wins and even try to win a field sprint.

"For me, the Vuelta is over. But coming in here I knew I was very tired and wouldn't be at my best form," Rominger said following Monday's stage, when ONCE attacked and blew apart the field, leaving more than 100 riders of the peloton back more than seven minutes.

"I will go for stage wins. I want to try to win a field sprint. I have never won a field sprint and I would like to do this, once," Rominger said.

In Monday's scripted attack by the ONCE squad, five-time Tour de France champion Miguel Indurain says he saw the whole thing coming and alerted his Banesto team before disaster struck.

"I saw the ONCE team gathering at the front of the peloton and I knew something was going to happen," Indurain said.

"I alerted my team and we were in good position when they attacked," he added. Indurain is 27 seconds behind Jalabert in 16th place overall.

The Spaniard's keen awareness and strong riding Monday shows he is serious about this year's Vuelta, the only major stage race he hasn't won in his storied career.

Indurain reluctantly entered this year's Vuelta, his first since 1991 when he finished second behind countryman Melchor Mauri. Indurain's team, Banesto, wanted the popular Spaniard to race in the national tour in what could be his final year as a pro.

Banesto team manager Eusebio Unzue said Indurain's showing in Monday's stage proves the racer is serious.

"From the first day he's shown his intention to challenge and (Monday) only proved that," he said. "Miguel is going to be a factor in the race."

2:30 p.m. (local time):
Today's stage isn't quite as blistering as yesterday's surprise, when Laurent Jalabert (ONCE) won with an average speed of 49.257 kilometers per hour. The record speed for a Vuelta stage is 49.417 kph held by Johan Bruyneel of Belgium from the sixth stage of the 1993 Vuelta.

The peloton covered 37 kilometers in its first hour of Tuesday's fourth stage, 166.5 kilometers (103 miles) from Albacete to Murcia back toward the Mediterranean Coast.

The peloton is compact as it winds down toward the sea into Murcia, an historic city with a beautiful cathedral in the center of town.

At the first points sprint at 47 kilometers, here are the results:
1. Jurgen Werner (GER), Telekom, three points
2. Luca Pavanello (ITA), AKI, two points
3. Dmitri Konyshev (RUS) AKI, one point

3:05 p.m. (local time):
The ONCE squad is controlling the stage as it nears the halfway point. The peloton is still together, but strong winds and the threat of rain could change the tempo.

The peloton is 75 kilometers from the finish in Murcia and is nearing the day's second points sprint.

3:35 p.m. (local time):
The peloton is chugging along, taking its time over the flat, easy course. Crosswinds continue to pummel the riders and the group is about 10 minutes behind scheduled arrival in Murcia.

At the day's second of three points sprints, here are the results at Cieza, 55 kilometers from the finish:

1. Fabio Baldato (ITA), MG, three points
2. Laurent Jalabert (FRA), ONCE, two points
3. Jurgen Werner (GER), Telekom, one point

After the sprint, none other than resident iconoclast Gianni Bugno tried to make a break. The unpredictable Bugno invariably tries to sneak away for the occasional stage win in the major stage races.

Bugno, who is universally known as "head case," was once one of the top threats in the peloton. He still possesses incredible strengths, but he admits he just doesn't have the drive to challenge for the overall in the longer stage races.

Now the peloton is picking up the pace, with Spain's Igor Galdeano (Euskadi) and Russia's Dmitri Konyshev trying to force a break. After a few minutes away, the peloton still controlled by ONCE sucks them back up.

4:52 p.m. (local time):
Tom Steels of Belgium wins the stage in a sprint. Laurent Jalabert will retain the race leader's yellow jersey.