Perdiguero secures Classic victory
SAN SEBASTIEN, Spain -- Spain's Miguel Angel Martin Perdiguero surprised Italian Paolo Bettini with a well timed surge to the line to take the San Sebastian Classic World Cup race.
The pair were part of a seven-man group that broke clear near the top of the first category Jaizkibel climb and maintained a lead of around a minute to the finish.
Several riders made unsuccessful darts forward in the final kilometre but it was Saunier Duval's Perdiguero, bursting through with 250 meters to go in the 227-km race, who was the first to gain a slim lead.
Quickstep rider Bettini, who won last year's race, seemed surprised by the timing of the break and could not react quickly enough to prevent the Spaniard winning by half a wheel, in a time of five hours 18 minutes and 35 seconds.
Italy's Davide Rebellin finished third, enough to keep him clear in the overall World Cup standings. With seven races gone, Rebellin leads with 282 points, followed by Bettini on 238.
Perdiguero is the first Spaniard to win the race since Miguel Indurain in 1990. "I had doubts about my form before the race because I was off pace last week," said Perdiguero. "This was a good long race in heat, though, and that was good for me."
Levi Leipheimer had earlier led the most serious break of the race on the second category Alto de Garate, forging a five-minute lead at one stage.
Leipheimer tried to go it alone when the bunch picked up the pace on the Jaizkibel but he was soon swept up after hard work from Bettini and Rebellin.
Alejandro Valverde, winner of three out of four stages in the Tour of Burgos last week, had his hopes dashed by a puncture on the way up the day's big climb.
The seven-man group made it clear over the Jaizkibel summit and were hardly threatened over the remaining 30 kms.
