Nairo Quintana (Movistar) took a solo win on the first category climb of Alto del Amago at the end of stage four of the Tour de San Luis in Argentina on Thursday.
The Colombian used his climbing prowess to distance his rivals and claim back some serious time on race leader Phillip Gaimon (Garmin-Sharp) - but not quite enough to take the lead from the American. Quintana now lies a tantalising four seconds back on Gaimon overall.
Local rider Sergio Godoy (San Luis) had matched Quintana's pace on the lower section of the final climb but lost touch as the Movistar man pressed on. He claimed second place for his efforts, with Darwin Atapuma (BMC Racing) in third.
British rider Adam Yates (Orica-GreenEdge) put in a strong ride to place 10th on the day and increase his lead in the best young rider's classification and move up to 12th overall.
Tomorrow (Friday) the riders face a 19.2-kilometre individual test against the clock, which should serve to shake up the general classification. The UCI 2.1-ranked Tour de San Luis concludes on Sunday, January 26.
Results
Tour de San Luis 2014, stage four: El Potrero de los Funes to Alto del Amago, 168.7km
1. Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
2. Sergio Godoy (Arg) San Luis Todos Somos
3. Darwin Atapuma (Col) BMC Racing
4. Enzo Moyano (Arg) San Luis Somos Todos at 1-39
5. Lucas Euser (USA) UnitedHealthcare at 1-45
6. Miguel Rubiano (Col) Colombia at 2-09
7. Peter Stetina (USA) BMC Racing at 2-46
8. Julian Arredondo (Col) Trek Factory Racing at 2-46
9. Gianluca Brambilla (Ita) Omega Pharma-QuickStep at 3-04
10. Adam Yates (GBr) Orica-GreenEdge at 3-05
Overall classification after stage four
1. Phillip Gaimon (USA) Garmin-Sharp
2. Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar at 4 secs
3. Marc De Maar (Ned) UnitedHealthcare at 1-15
4. Darwin Atapuma (Col) BMC Racing at 1-36
5. Sergio Godoy (Arg) San Luis Todos Somos at 1-45
6. Enzo Moyano (Arg) San Luis Somos Todos at 1-51
7. Lucas Euser (USA) UnitedHealthcare at 1-57
8. Miguel Rubiano (Col) Colombia at 2-18
9. Peter Stetina (USA) BMC Racing at 2-32
10. Julian Arredondo (Col) Trek Factory Racing at 2-47
British
12. Adam Yates (GBr) Orica-GreenEdge at 3-55
Nairo Quintana goes solo on the final climb
Nairo Quintana takes his frist win of 2014
Godoy, Quintana and Atapuma on the podium
Related links
Tour de San Luis 2014, preview and coverage
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Founded in 1891, Cycling Weekly and its team of expert journalists brings cyclists in-depth reviews, extensive coverage of both professional and domestic racing, as well as fitness advice and 'brew a cuppa and put your feet up' features. Cycling Weekly serves its audience across a range of platforms, from good old-fashioned print to online journalism, and video.
Hire and hire: Bike rental schemes hit record numbers in the UK, almost topping 25 million rides
Egan Bernal says he has regained his pre-crash form, but others have improved
