Laurent Jalabert continued his resurgence with a tactical victory in the San Sebastian Classic on Saturday, the sixth round of the cycling World Cup. The Frenchman, who won two stages in the Tour de France last month, saw off three rivals with a perfectly timed sprint for the line at the end of the 227-kilometre race, starting and finishing in the Basque coastal resort.
Francesco Casagrande and Davide Rebellin finished second and third respectively, with Wladimir Belli at the back of the leading group. The three Italians tried to shake Jalabert off in the final 13 kms, after the third category Alto de Gurutze. But the 32-year-old Frenchman of the CSC-Tiscali team held firm to set up a brilliant win in five hours 17 minutes 49 seconds, according to provisional results.
Jalabert won the polka dot jersey for best climber in the Tour de France and his four-man group escaped on the toughest ascent of the day, the first category Alto de Jaizkibel, 30 kms from the finish line. The quartet gained a lead of close to a minute on the chasing group and they were never threatened.
Jalabert no longer has the explosive pace of old but he remains one of the wiliest sprinters around and as the four approached the finish line there was only one likely winner.
Filed by Sinéad Kissane
