Pinotti wins 5th Tour of Basque stage
Posted: 04.10.2009 at 12:22 PM

ZALLA, Spain (AP) — Italian rider Marco Pinotti won the fifth stage of the Tour of Basque Country on Friday, and Alberto Contador retained the overall lead.

Pinotti pulled away about 11 kilometers (7 miles) from the finish to complete the 169-kilometer (105 mile) leg from Guenes to Zalla in 4 hours, 15 minutes, 56 seconds. The chasing pack, led by Ben Swift of Britain, finished 19 seconds back.

Contador maintained his eight-second lead over Samuel Sanchez going into Saturday's final stage, a 24-kilometer time trial that begins and ends in Zalla.

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