MADRID, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Alex Aranburu dug deep to win a thrilling fourth stage of the Tour of Basque Country cycle race Thursday, while overall leader Paul Seixas also extended his advantage.

The rider from Spain's Basque Country was a popular and deserving winner of the stage, which started and finished in the town of Galdakao near Bilbao.

Seixas of Decathlon-CMA CGM confirmed his form as the 19-year-old dropped Primoz Roglic of Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe on the Puerto de Legina and almost caught Aranburu before finishing eighth on the stage.

Seixas extended his overall lead to 2 minutes, 19 seconds ahead of Friday's 176.2-kilometer circuit around the town of Eibar, which features eight categorized climbs and is expected to play a decisive role in the battle for overall victory. ■