Tour de France: Jalabert sprints to Tour stage victory

Frenchman Laurent Jalabert clinched stage four of the Tour de France after winning a two-man sprint duel to the line in Verdun.

Jalabert fronted a three-man breakaway including Lampre's Belgian rider Ludo Dierckxens with 30 kilometres and powered past Dierckxsens in the closing stages of the 215 kilometre route from Huy in Belgium.

Another Frenchman, Bonjour's Damien Nazon took third spot while Australian Stuart O'Grady held on to the yellow jersey after finishing around 10 seconds behind the leaders in the peloton.

Italian former world number one Francesco Casagrande pulled out of the Tour within an hour of the departure from Huy.

He had been troubled by gastroenteritis since the start of the Tour.