Alejandro Valverde became the first ever rider to win the Tour of Murcia for a third time as he hung on to his slender lead on the final day.

The Caisse d'Epargne rider won the event by just two seconds from Stefano Garzelli with Tour de France winner Alberto Contador taking third just six seconds behind Valverde.

The final stage was the 135 kilometres trek from Venezolia (San Javier) to Murcia and both Garzelli and Contador attacked in the final uphill stages of the race, but, with help of his team-mates, Valverde hung on.

The stage ended in a sprint finish that Koldo Fernandez of Euskaltel won.

STAGE FOUR

Alejandro Valverde won the penultimate stage of the Tour of Murcia, a 23km time-trial, to take the overall lead entering the final day.

The 27-year-old, who won the race last year, posted a time of 33:32 on the course from Alhama de Murcia that concluded on the Aledo climb.

Italy's former Giro champion Stefano Garzelli was two seconds back with Tour de France victor Alberto Contador six seconds down.

The gaps between the leading three on GC are the same and with a 135km trek from Veneziola/San Javier to Murcia on Saturday featuring the uncategorised Garruchal climb late in the stage, the overall victory is still in the melting pot.

STAGE THREE

Argentina's Juan Jose Haedo, of the CSC team, won the third stage of the Tour of Murcia, a 146km run from Puerto Lumbreras to San Pedro del Pinatar.

Spain's Aitor Perez Arrieta, of the Extremadura team, keeps the overall leader's yellow jersey.

The 27-year-old Haedo (pictured), a professional rider since 2003, came out on top in a sprint finish which involved Spain's Koldo Fernandez de Larrea and Australian rider Graeme Brown, the winner of Tuesday's first stage.

Alejandro Valverde, the Tour of Murcia winner in 2004 and 2007, slipped to ninth overall from fifth place but six seconds behind Perez.

STAGE TWO

Spanish rider Aitor Perez Arrieta took the overall lead in the Tour of Murcia following the 152.5km second stage which was won by compatriot Jose Rubiera.

Arrieta takes over from Australian Graeme Brown, who won the first stage, but he will be anxiously looking over his shoulder as Tour de France champion Alberto Contador is in fourth overall while last year's winner of this race Alejandro Valverde is fifth, both of them just six seconds in arrears.

Contador is looking for a morale-boosting win after his Astana team were controversially barred from competing in this year's Tour de France, even, though, the team management and riders are radically different to the one that was ordered out of the race last year after Alexandre Vinokourov was found guilty of blood doping.

STAGE ONE

Australian Graeme Brown won the first stage of the Tour of Murcia, a 197.3km ride from Pinatar to Lorca.

The Australian prevailed in a sprint finish ahead of Spanish duo Koldo Fernandez and Aitor Perez.

The stage had been enlivened by a 190km escape from Spaniard Jose Antonio Lopez Gil and Alexander Serov of Russia, who were swept up just 6km from the finish.

Brown leads Fernandez and Perez in the overall standings while two-time winner Alejandro Valverde is in 21st place on the same time as the winner.

Eurosport & / AFP