MALBUN, Liechtenstein (AFP) - CSC rider Frank Schleck of Luxembourg grabbed the overall race lead in the Tour of Switzerland on Tuesday after winning the fourth stage between Nauders, Austria and here.

Russian Vladimir Efimkin finished the hilly 167.2km stage in second position with Spaniard Jose Angel Gomez Marchante crossing in third.

Schleck, whose younger brother Andy finished runner-up in the Tour of Italy earlier this month, claimed a first, timely victory of the season before his bid for glory at next month's Tour de France.

The Luxemburger made his decisive move towards the end of the stage, attacking seven kilometres from the summit finish and keeping his rivals at bay before coming over the line on his own.

It means the race leader's jersey stays in the hands of the CSC team, Fabian Cancellara having held the lead since winning the opening day prologue.

In the general classification Schleck holds a 49-secs advantage on Efimkin, with the more dangerous Kim Kirchen, also of Luxembourg, in third place at the same time.

Schleck's attack could turn out to be the move which eventually wins him the race this Sunday, the likes of Vladimir Karpets, Damiano Cunego and Gilberto Simoni all finishing over a minute behind on the stage.

T-Mobile's Australian all-rounder Michael Rogers, a pre-race favourite, also fell out of virtual contention finishing over two minutes behind.

A former winner of the Amstel Gold Race, Schleck followed up that first major win of his career by winning the Tour de France stage to the legendary Alpe d'Huez in 2006.

Wednesday's fifth stage is another hilly affair, held over 192.8km from Vaduz, the capital of Liechtenstein, to Giubiasco in the south of Switzerland.