Intro:

Team Sky's Sir Bradley Wiggins extended his lead in the Tour of California by finishing four seconds ahead of nearest challenger Rohan Dennis on stage four in America on Wednesday. The 34-year-old finished in a group sharing seventh, one minute 17 seconds behind Canadian stage winner Will Routley.

Script:

The Pacific coast was the backdrop to stage four of the Amgen Tour of California in America on Wednesday.

Team Sky's Sir Bradley Wiggins had his overall lead cut to 24 seconds in the previous stage.

The day's six-man breakaway rode a shrewd race to lull the peloton into a false sense of security and it was Will Routley of Optum who broke away from the pack.

It was another boiling day in the Golden State for the 165.1 kilometre test.

Perhaps the heat took it's toll as the Canadian was overtaken by UnitedHealthcare's Jonathan Clarke.

But Routley recovered and sprinted to the finish line to win the stage in three hours 48 minutes 37 seconds.

With four stages to go, Wiggins -- who is fan of The Jam -- extends his lead to 28 seconds over nearest challenger Rohan Dennis. The 34-year-old Wiggins will be hoping for the gift of winning this competition.