Spain’s Luis Leon Sanchez claimed the first classic success of his career when he sprinted to victory in the San Sebastian Classic on Saturday.
In the absence of Tour de France winner Alberto Contador, the Spanish crowd had been pinning their hopes on Olympic champion Samuel Sanchez, who finished fourth in France.
However, it was Caisse d’Epargne rider Sanchez, who finished 11th in the Tour de France, who surprised everyone by crossing the line first after the 234km ride through the Basque country.
PHOTO: EPA
“This victory is a big reward for the team,” said Sanchez, who had struggled on the second climb of the race at Jaizkibel, the very first summit of the Pyrenees.
Sanchez crossed ahead of Kazakh rider Alexandre Vinokourov of the Astana team with Carlos Sastre of Spain, riding for Cervelo, in third after five hours, 47 minutes, 13 seconds in the saddle.
The trio had made all the running in the final kilometers after pre-race favorite Andy Schleck, the Tour de France runner-up, retiring after 120km as he failed to keep up with the race leaders.
The early part of the race had been marked by the breakaway after 26km of Cervelo rider Xavier Florencio, Pierre Cazeaux (Francaise des Jeux) and Jorge Martin Montenegro (Andalucia-Cajasur).
The trio led by eight minutes before being reeled in on the Jaizkibel.
Sanchez attacked 38km from the line, setting a pace that only Vinokourov and Sastre could match, as the trio cooperated to move 40 seconds clear.
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