Ion Izagirre pips De la Cruz to Spanish time trial title by 0.08 seconds

Ion Izagirre (Astana-Premier Tech) claimed his second Spanish national time trial title by the finest margins, edging out David de la Cruz (UAE Team Emirates) by eight hundredths of a second. 

It turned out to be something of a two-horse race, with 47 seconds back to 20-year-old Carlos Rodríguez (Ineos Grenadiers), who claimed the final spot on the podium. 

De la Cruz was already home and in the hotseat as Izagirre came towards the end of his ride, having clocked 0:40:20.05 on the 32.1km course in Busot, near Alicante. 

It was touch-and-go as the Astana rider pushed for the line, where he managed to stop the clock on 0:40:19:97, landing victory - five year's on from his last triumph - by a hair's breadth.

The course in Busot was a rolling affair, starting out with a short drag before tilting largely downhill until kilometre-14. From there, the road dragged up again before a short plateau, a steeper section, and then a downhill final couple of kilometres.

Izagirre and De la Cruz were among the pre-race favourites, along with 2020 champion Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious), in the absence of five-time winner Jonathan Castroviejo and four-time winner Luis León Sánchez. 

Bilbao started last but could only manage fifth place, just behind Kern Pharma's Raúl García. 

Meanwhile, De la Cruz set out in blistering fashion, posting the fastest time at the intermediate checkpoint. Izagirre was four seconds down around the half-way mark but just about managed to make all of that back up by the finish.