Javier Pascual Llorente (Kelme) has taken the lead in the Ruta del Sol. The Spaniard surged away from the field to win the 166.6-km ride from Sevilla to Lucena in 3:33:25. Davide Rebellin (Gerolsteiner) finished second at 0:08, and Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Kelme) took third at 0:09.

From the start, the pace was fast. At 16 km, the field had split into three groups, with overall leader Oscar Freire (Rabobank) in the third group. After two hours, the field had averaged 50 km/h.

Santiago Blanco (Relax) bridged up to the lead group with 22 km left. Juan Antonio Flecha (iBanesto.com) attacked early in the finishing climb, but Francisco Cabello and Juan Pascual Llorente (both from Kelme) overtook him. Llorente stayed away to win.

In the overall, Llorente leads Rebellin by 0:08 and Valverde by 0:09. Stage 4 should not change this state of affairs. The rolling, 174-km trip from Cabra to Jaen should see Llorente remain in the race lead. Who will win the stage? Check in at http://www.roadcycling.com/ and find out!