Cobo closes in on Tour of Spain win

Cobo maintained his overall lead in the Tour of Spain Cycle Race in the 20th and penultimate stage won by Daniele Bennati of Italy.Bennati sprinted in front of the pack in the final metres (yards) to win the 185-kilometer (115-mile) course from Bilbao to Vitoria in 4 hours, 39 minutes, 20 seconds.Finally the stage win has arrived, Bennati said. The Vuelta has been hard from the very first day. It has been a Vuelta for climbers, and I am a sprinter. But today with my teams great job I have earned a win Ive longed for.The 30-year-old Cobo has never won a major race, but the Spaniard had little trouble protecting his 13-second advantage over second-place British rider Christopher Froome as both finished with the same time as Bennati.Froomes Sky teammate Bradley Wiggins is 1:39 behind.The 66th edition of the event closes on Sunday in the traditional finish in Madrid.Sunday is Skys last chance, but I hope that it will end in a celebration for me, Cobo said. Mathematically, I have won nothing yet and we have to fight to the very last day.The day began with the escape of a large group of riders that slowly disintegrated back into the peloton.Carlos Barredo of Rabobank attacked on the last mountain pass 46 kilometres (28.5 miles) from the finish, but the Spanish cyclist was caught on the outskirts of the Basque capital.Saturdays stage was the second in the Basque country after a 33-year absence due to political unrest related to separatist group ETA, whose 40-year-long bloody campaign for independence has left more than 800 people dead. ETAs announcement of a cease-fire last January opened the way to the races return to the northern Spanish region.