Belgium's Philippe Gilbert hung on to win Vuelta a Mallorca after a nerve final stage which saw the riders tackle 147.6 demanding kilometres from Magalluf to Palmanova.

A late break from Astana's Toni Colom, who was only three seconds down in GC, looked like it might be enough to see him nick the title, but Gilbert's Française des Jeux team, with help from Quick Step, chased him down.

Quick Step were rewarded for their efforts at the front of the peloton, as their man Gert Steegmans powered his way to stage victory in a sprint finish.

Gilbert was joined on the final podium by Aitor Perez (Extremadura) and Haimar Zubeldia (Euskaltel Euskadi), the Spaniards finishing second and third respectively.

STAGE FOUR

Overall leader Philippe Gilbert claims another Tour of Mallorca stage victory, winning stage four in a mass sprint finale.

The Belgian Française des Jeux retains his leader's jersey and adds onto his stage one victory, pipping Sebastian Langeveld and Maarten Wynants in the finale.

Gilbert was part of a 67-man break away group that held off the main peloton on the 162.4-km journey loop around Inca.

Thursday's fifth and final stage is a 147.3-km trip from Magalluf to Palmanova.

STAGE THREE

Spain's Jose Rojas of Caisse d'Epargne triumphed in the third stage of the Vuelta a Espana between Pollenca and Port d'Alcúdia to move up three places to second in the overall standings.

Italian Giovanni Visconti (Quick Step) was second ahead of Belgium's Philippe Gilbert (Francaise des Jeux), Dutchman Sebastian Langeveld (Rabobank) and Spain's Aitor Perez (Extremadura) on the 168.4km route.

Gilbert jumps back above Graeme Brown (Rabobank) to the top of the standings after three stages with a time of 9:57.55, but there with him are Rojas and Perez, while several other Spanish riders are only three seconds off the pace.

Stage four of a total of five is a loop beginning and ending in Inca - a total of 162.4km.

STAGE TWO

Australian Graeme Brown of Rabobank won the second stage of the Vuelta a Mallorca between Cala Millor and Son Servera to lead the overall classification.

Brown, second on the first stage behind Philippe Gilbert, came in just ahead of Saunier Duval's French rider Denis Flahaut on the 162.7km route.

Belgian Gilbert (Francaise des Jeux) was fourth behind compatriot Gert Steegmans (Quick Step), sharing the time of 3:53.52 with the first pair.

Spain's Jose Rojas (Caisse d'Epargne), Kazakh rider Tomas Vaitkus (Astana) and two further Spaniards - Aitor Perez and Aitor Galdos, of Extremadura and Euskaltel-Euskadi respectively - joined the leading group over the line.

Gilbert is second overall, Flahaut third, Steegmans fourth and Rojas fifth.

There are three further stages to race this week, beginning with a 168.4km stage between Pollenca and Port d'Alcudia on Tuesday.

STAGE ONE

Belgium's Philippe Gilbert held off a threatening pack of sprinters with a late attack to claim victory in the first stage of the Vuelta a Mallorca.

Gilbert, of the Francaise des Jeux team, finished a few metres ahead of the bunch after distancing his pursuers around 1km from the finish line of the 100km stage, which finished in Palma.

Australian Graeme Brown, of Rabobank, finished second ahead of Germany's Robert Forster. Belgian Gert Steegmans, of Quick Step, finished fourth.

"I pulled away at a little over one kilometre to go and saw straight away that I had a chance," said Gilbert, a one-day race specialist whose speciality is launching attacks just before the finish line.

"I just kept the head down and didn't look back."

Monday's stage, the second of five, is over 162.7km from Cala Millor to Son Servera.

Eurosport