World champion Peter Sagan navigated two brutal climbs before winning a sprint finish to take out the fourth stage of the Tour of California.
Sagan, the defending champion, outsprinted Greg Van Avermaet at Laguna Seca for his second victory in the first four stages.
Julian Alaphilippe finished with the leaders on the 215km ride to retain his overall lead.
Sagan, who captured the opening stage in San Diego, safely hid in the field until the final climbs, when he almost single-handedly nailed back every breakaway attempt.
The Slovakian slid into the slipstream of Nathan Haas after Laguna Seca's famous corkscrew turn, then split Haas and Van Avermaet and sprinted across the line before sitting up in victory.
The fifth stage on Thursday is a climb-heavy 212km ride from Lodi to Lake Tahoe.
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