Defending Tour de France champion Alberto Contador punched the air in celebration at the end of yesterday's fourth stage in Brittany - despite being beaten to victory.

Spaniard Contador, racing despite being the subject of a Court of Arbitration for Sport hearing next month into his failed drugs test at last year's Tour, thought he had won the 172.5-kilometre route from Lorient to Mur-de-Bretagne, but Cadel Evans (BMC Racing) prevailed by a tyre's width.

Contador (Saxo Bank-SunGard) now sits in 41st place, still one minute 42 seconds behind race leader Thor Hushovd (Garmin-Cervelo) but eight seconds closer to 2009 and 2010 Tour runner-up Andy Schleck (Leopard Trek), who is ninth.

Hushovd finished in the ten-man leading group alongside Evans and Contador, with Team Sky leader Bradley Wiggins six seconds behind in 11th place and his team-mate Geraint Thomas, David Millar (Garmin-Cervelo) and Schleck among those two seconds further back.

Millar is now fourth overall, eight seconds behind his team-mate Hushovd, Wiggins is sixth, two seconds further back, and Thomas seventh.

Contador, champion in 2007, 2009 and 2010, maintains his positive test for clenbuterol was a result of contaminated meat and protests his innocence, but his participation in the sport's biggest race is controversial.

The Spaniard has endured a difficult start, losing time on Saturday's opening stage and in Sunday's team time-trial, and would not be a popular winner of the yellow jersey.

After chipping away at his deficit to his rivals, Contador said: "It was a very important day, very good for my morale - now I've been able to show myself again.

"It's good to get time, even if it's just seven or eight seconds.

"I obviously didn't have a good start and I wanted to win today for the team and the fans.

"I don't know if I can win this race overall or not. There are other riders who have had a better approach to it than me, like Andy Schleck, like Cadel Evans."