Cadel Evans of Australia (right) crosses the finish line ahead of three-time Tour de France winner Alberto Contador of Spain (center) to win the fourth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 172.5 kilometers yesterday.

Cadel Evans edged defending champion Alberto Contador in a photo finish yesterday to win the fourth stage of the Tour de France, and Thor Hushovd retained the overall leader's yellow jersey.

Yesterday's 172.5-kilometer route from Lorient to Mur-de-Bretagne was mostly flat, but ended with a short, sharp climb favoring those that could muster bursts of speed uphill.

The finish was so close that Contador raised his fist to celebrate what he believed was a stage win, but slow-motion video and a photo still showed that Evans, an Australian two-time Tour runner-up, had won.

The stage showed that Contador, who has faced a series of early setbacks in this Tour already, is in shape to compete.

Hushovd narrowly kept the yellow jersey by trailing in a group not far behind.

Earlier, Jurgen Van de Walle of Belgium became the first rider to pull out of the race - reducing the field to 197 racers. His Omega Pharma-Lotto team said he quit due to lingering groin pain from a crash on Saturday.

Hushovd took the race lead after Garmin-Cervelo won Sunday's team time trial, and the world champion held on to it Monday when teammate Tyler Farrar of the United States captured the third stage.

Meanwhile, Romain Feillu considers it a compliment that Mark Cavendish regards him as a "kamikaze" on the Tour de France.

Feillu, of France, and Cavendish, of Britain, are vying for the sprinter's green jersey. Cavendish said Feillu nearly made him fall at the end of Monday's stage as Feillu finished second to Tyler Farrar in the first massive sprint this year. Cavendish ended fifth.

"Cavendish is not the best-placed person to speak about danger," Feillu said before yesterday's fourth stage.

Last year, Cavendish was involved in a controversy at the Tour of Switzerland, when riders and officials blamed him for a pileup after he suddenly changed his line just before the finish line.

Feillu said he wasn't fazed by Cavendish's acid comments and suggested the HTC-Highroad rider might be afraid of him. "He uses intimidation all the time, it's his trademark," Feillu said. "If Cavendish is afraid of me, it's not all that bad."

While Cavendish boasts an impressive tally of 15 Tour de France stage wins, Feillu is looking for his maiden success in cycling's biggest race.