Romain Feillu had little hope to win stage four or keep the leader's jersey of the Tour Méditerranéen on a hilly day in France, but the Vacansoleil rider prevailed with determination. After 155 kilometers he beat Davide Appollonio (Sky) and Daniel Martin (Garmin-Cervélo) in an uphill sprint into Biot. His team had set him up perfectly and Feillu increased his overall lead to 18 seconds with one day to go.
With the Mont Faron, the famous climb outside Toulon, on the menu on Sunday for the final day, Feillu knows he will lose his lead before the race finishes. But the team is happy with what was accomplished, according to sports director Hilaire Van Der Schueren. "Tomorrow we put our cards on Poels and Ruijgh for a bonus, but needless to say that we are already content with the Tour."
Results stage 4, 155km
1. Romain Feillu (Vacansoleil)
2. Davide Appollonio (Sky) st
3. Daniel Martin (Garmin-Cervélo)
General classification after stage 4
1. Romain Feillu (Vacansoleil)
2. Davide Appollonio (Sky) at 18 seconds
3. Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) at 21 seconds