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Cycling-Bennati takes Vuelta lead after losing out to Boonen

By Alasdair Fotheringham

CORDOBA, Spain, Sept 1 - Belgian Classics
specialist Tom Boonen won the first Tour of Spain stage of his
career in a bunch sprint in Cordoba on Monday.

The Quick Step rider clinched his 13th victory of the season
by a clear bike length ahead of Italian Daniele Bennati and
German Erik Zabel on the third stage.

Bennati took charge of the overall classification with a
seven-second advantage over previous leader Alejandro Valverde
of Spain. Boonen is third, 10 seconds back.

A prolific one-day race winner, Boonen has already notched
up two victories in the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix
Classics in his career, as well as a world championship in
Madrid three years ago.

But the Tour de France organisers barred Boonen this summer
because an out-of-race positive dope test for cocaine.

"It was a very tough moment for me when they told me I
couldn't do the Tour," Boonen told reporters after claiming
Belgium's first Vuelta stage win since 1999.

"But knowing I had the Tour of Spain as an objective gave me
the perfect opportunity to get back on track."

Despite temperatures soaring to the mid-thirties on the
plains of eastern Andalucia, Manuel Ortega of Spain tried to
fend off the sprinters with a gutsy 153-km lone breakaway.

But the Andalucia-Cajasur rider was reeled in on hilly
terrain close to Cordoba, and a bunch sprint became all but
inevitable.

"I got on Bennati's back wheel at exactly the right moment,
then charged past him for the stage win." Boonen said.

After twice abandoning the Tour of Spain, Boonen's overall
objective is to finish a race he last completed in 2003.

"If I can pick up another couple of stage wins, so much the
better. But winning one so early is a great start."

New race leader Bennati said "taking control of the overall
is no consolation for not beating Boonen".

"I've already led the Tour of Spain in 2007, so I'd have
preferred a stage win. I'll just have to keep trying."

Bennati's next opportunity will come on Tuesday's stage
four, a 170-km trek through rolling terrain from Cordoba to
Puertollana.

The Vuelta finishes in Madrid on Sept 21.

(Editing by Miles Evans)

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