Switzerland's Olympic time-trial champion Fabian Cancellara took the leader's golden jersey of the Tour of Spain on Saturday after winning the seventh stage, a 30-kilometre (18.6-mile) individual time trial.

The 28-year-old completed the course around the Formula One motor-racing street circuit in Valencia that winds around the Mediterranean city?s port in just 36 minutes and 41 seconds despite persistent rain and strong winds.

He came in 32 seconds ahead of another time-trial specialist, Britain's David Millar. Germany's Bert Grabsch was third, 36 seconds behind Cancellara.

"The most difficult part was the weather conditions. It was a good test for me, a great race," he said after taking the leader's jersey away from Germany's Andre Greipel.

Cancellara also won the only other time trial of the race so far, a 4.8-kilometre course that began and ended in the Dutch town of Assen.

Nicknamed "Spartacus" because of his huge frame which makes him easy to spot in the peloton, the Swiss won the time-trial at the Olympic Games in Beijing last year and is a double world time-trial champion.

Cancellara will struggle to hold on to the golden jersey during Sunday's eighth stage, a 204.7 kilometre course between Alzira and Aitana which will be the first to be held in the mountains and is seen as one of the hardest of this year's race.

Last year's top three finishers, champion Alberto Contador of Spain, US rider Levi Leipheimer and Carlos Sastre also of Spain, have stayed away this year, leaving the outcome of the three-week race that ends in Madrid on September 20 wide open.

The favourites to win this year's Tour of Spain - Australia's Cadel Evans and Spain's Alejandro Valverde and Samuel Sanchez - all finished at least 45 seconds behind Cancellara.

"I had a great time-trial," said Sanchez, who appears to be the strongest of the favourites and who finished Saturday's stage in sixth place at 47 seconds from the winner.

Sanchez, who is in ninth place in the overall classification, said he did not want to take any risks on Saturday because he suffered while training on the time-trial course in the morning.