Froome in red as Rodriguez wins stage 4 in Oman

Katusha's Rodriguez emerged from a battle with several top riders to cross the finish line, situated on the Green Mountain climb, in first place. "It was a spectacular win ," said Rodriguez. "I'm very happy with this performance: my rivals are great riders, so the fact I managed to take this stage makes this victory even more important. Obviously they're not in top shape, but neither am I. I'm in good condition for February though. "I knew this climb very well, because it is the third year I have taken part in the Tour of Oman. It is really demanding, but I knew where to start my sprint and this helped me a lot." Froome finished in second - and with incumbent general classification leader Sagan (Cannondale) falling behind the front-runners, the Team Sky rider moved into the overall lead. Cadel Evans (BMC Racing) finished third which puts the Australian second on GC, 24 seconds behind Froome. Alberto Contador's fourth-placed finish leaves him in third overall, an additional second behind Evans. Sagan's Cannondale stablemate Vincenzo Nibali came in fifth. The Tour of Oman continues on Friday with the penultimate stage, a 144km trek from Al Alam Palace to the Ministry of Housing in Boshar - a stage which takes in three ascents of the brisk Bousher Alamrat climb.