French sprinter Nacer Bouhanni powered to victory on the fourth and penultimate stage of the Saudi Tour on Friday to claim the race overall lead.

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The Arkea-Samsic rider had finished in the top five in each of the first three stages and grabbed a two-second advantage in the general classification from Italian Niccolo Bonifazio.

It was the 29-year-old Bouhanni's first stage win since the sixth stage of the 2018 Vuelta a España.

"I needed this victory because otherwise you start to have doubts," he said.

"Today, my teammates did an incredible job. By being led out this way, the only thing I could do was win. Now let's defend the (overall leader's) jersey."

The inaugural edition of the race finishes with a 144km ride around Riyadh on Saturday.