Euskaltel come up short in Clásica

There was to be no home success in the Clásica San Sebastián on Tuesday, as Luis León Sánchez pulled off another classy move to take his second win in Donostia.

Vuelta hopeful Igor Antón looked in excellent shape and was easily the team's strongest rider in the closing stages, forming part of the select group that took shape after the last time going up the Arkale and eventually coming home 11th after an aggressive and inspiring race.

Gorka Izagirre also showed he's still got the form that led him through an excellent Tour de France and a victory at the Clásica Ordizia, attacking on the descent off of the Jaizkíbel along with fearsome foursome Valls, Majka, Henao and Marcynski. The quintet never got too big of a gap but stayed out there for a while, being reeled in on the Arkale.

Rabobank's Sánchez made his move with some nine clicks to go and you quickly got the feeling that the group behind him would never catch a glimpse of him again. So it proved, and Antón's group was left to sprint for second less than ten seconds down.

Samuel Sánchez made a low-key return to racing, abandoning prior to the second ascent of the Jaizkíbel almost 200 kilometres in.

Results:

• (1, Luis León Sánchez (Rabobank), 5:55:34)
• 11, Igor Antón, 0:07
• 31, Mikel Astarloza, 3:42
• 36, Iván Velasco, s.t.
• 40, Gorka Izagirre, s.t.
• 47, Romain Sicard, 4:52
• 61, Amets Txurruka, 9:58
• 63, Mikel Landa, s.t.