Benito breaks out to win Inguanzo as Chetout loses lead

One of the hottest properties of Spanish cycling, Miguel Ángel Benito, took one of the biggest victories of his young career when he emerged triumphant in the penultimate Copa de España race in Cantabria on Sunday, the Memorial Rodríguez Inguanzo. Airán Fernández edged into the overall lead ahead of Wednesday's final and decisive race in Legazpi.

The 165km race was marked by a 90km breakaway that made it all the way to the line. 19-year-old Benito, a Caja Rural team-mate of overall hopefuls Fernando Grijalba and Ibai Salas, ousted Hector Sáez of Seguros Bilbao and Gipuzkoa-Eki Sport's Ibai Daboz to take the spoils.

The group of overall contenders came in almost a minute and a half in arrears. Airán Fernández led the group home for ninth place, with Grijalba taking tenth, Chetout 14th and Salas 15th. That means the Coluer rider is the new overall leader with only one race to go.

Results (full results here):

• 1, Miguel Ángel Benito (Caja Rural), 4:19:42
• 2, Hector Sáez (Seguros Bilbao), 0:02
• 3, Ibai Daboz (Gipuzkoa-Eki Sport), 0:03
• 4, Mario González (Café Baqué-Conservas Campos), 0:10
• 5, Antonio Pedrero (Lizarte), 0:11
• 6, Júlen Mitxelena (Gipuzkoa-Eki Sport), s.t.
• 7, Alberto Gallego (Bicicletas Rodríguez), 0:13
• 8, Antton Ibarguren (Telco'm), 0:20
• 9, Airán Fernández (Coluer), 1:22
• 10, Fernando Grijalba (Caja Rural), s.t.
• 14, Loïc Chetout (Naturgas Energía), s.t.
• 44, Víctor Etxeberría (Naturgas Energía), 1:35
• 50, Karl Baudron (Naturgas Energía), 4:15
• 88, Álvaro Trueba (Naturgas Energía), 8:24

Overall classification:

1. Airán Fernández (Coluer), 568
2. Fernando Grijalba (Caja Rural), 563
3. Loïc Chetout (Naturgas Energía), 551
4. Pablo Lechuga (Cajamar), 542
5. Ibai Salas (Caja Rural), 541

Photo: Caja Rural