Luis León Sanchez wins Vuelta a Murcia

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In a reversal of the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, Astana's Luis León Sanchez got the better of Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) to take the victory in the 209km one-day Vuelta a Murica on Saturday.

Sanchez answered an attack by Valverde with two kilometers remaining before putting in his own move that launched him to a solo victory, while at quite a distance, Philippe Gilbert (Quick-Step Floors) was third.

"The guys were super today and I have to thank all of them for the huge help," Sanchez said. "In the beginning a big group went away and we had to work the whole day. It was not easy to control this race, but the team did it. In the final I went away together with Valverde. I knew, if we come for a sprint it would be the same situation as it was at Valenciana. So, I knew I have to do something and I saw my chance with 2km to go.

"Anyway, I think this is a team success, not only mine. The team is great these days. At the Volta Valenciana we did a strong race and took two podium places. Now, in Dubail, Magnus was close to the victory too. That’s great!"

Valverde recognized Sanchez' strong start to the season, saying he is doing "really well at the moment". "Even though I myself tried to leave him behind in the finale, he took a strong turn with 2km to go and it caught me out of strength. I'm still happy, though, because my legs continue to feel really well after my injury."

The fireworks kicked off on the Collada Bermejo, a category 1 ascent that crested with 60km to go. As the day's early breakaway was being reeled in, Quick-Step Floors went on the attack, with both Gilbert and Bob Jungels jumping away.

They were reeled in before the unclassified Alto de Gebas, where Astana's Jakob Fuglsang attacked and launched Sanchez up the road with Valverde.

"I knew from the start that Sanchez and Valverde were the most dangerous riders, as they knew the roads, so that is why we tried something different. After 20 kilometers we went away together with a big group and as some riders weren't willing to share the work, we made a selection, followed by two more later in the race. Unfortunately, a strong headwind thwarted our efforts and we couldn't extend the lead," Gilbert said.

What a great day for our team! @LLEONSANCHEZ won #VueltaCiclistaMurcia2018 pic.twitter.com/VqyTeC0tJC

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