Alberto Contador effectively sealed overall victory in the Vuelta a Castilla-Leon after dominating stage four.

Contador - who cannot defend his Tour de France title after the event organisers declined to invite his Astana team on account of their doping record - was the best climber of the day on the Collada de Salcedillo route and beat second-placed Colombian Mauricio Soler (Barloworld) by 11 seconds.

Dutchman Thomas Dekker was 32 seconds behind the Madrid native and was followed in by Denis Menchov (Rabobank) and an unprecedented performance by unfancied Spaniard Sergio Pardilla (Burgos Monumental) in fourth.

In the general classification, Contador still has some work to do but effectively has the title to lose, with an overall lead of 39 seconds over Soler in second.

Dekker lies third, 46 seconds behind.

Reda Maher / Eurosport