Spain's Samuel Sanchez wins gold in Men's Road Race(Gold Medal)

Updated: 2008-08-09 19:57:09

Samuel Sanchez of Spain celebrates winning the gold medal. (Photo credit: Vladimir Rys/Bongarts/Getty Images)

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(BEIJING, August 9) -- Spaniard Samuel Sanchez bested the charging pack of riders in the final moments of the men's 245-kilometer road race to win the gold medal on the first day of the Beijing Olympics.

The 30-year-old cyclist clocked six hours 23 minutes and 49 seconds, just ahead of Italy's Davide Rebellin. Switzerland's Fabian Cancellara took third in the sprint to the Great Wall finish line.

Sanchez and Rebellin led the final stretch of the race with Cancellara escaping the peloton for a last minute charge on the lead.

The gold is Sanchez's 17th UCI career win and Spain's first ever medal in the Men's Olympic Road Race.

"It's like a dream. I still can't believe I've just won the Gold medal. It's something that's out of the world. The heat and humidity were extreme. There were only five of us on the team; we were all at the front working as a unit. I was saving my legs for the final lap. It's like a victory for all of us," Sanchez said following the race.

Davide Rebellin celebrates his 37th birthday today with a silver medal. Rebellin's win brings Italy its eight medal in the event, the most for any national team.

"Today is my birthday, so it's a special moment before. It's great to be on the Olympic podium. I would have liked to have won, of course. Samuel Sanchez was the strongest today," said Rebellin.

Athens 2004 Olympian Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland finished in third place. The 27-year-old time two-time world time trial champion will also compete in Wednesday's Individual Time Trial event.

"Bronze is more than I expected. I had a very good race. It showed my preparation was very good. In the end it was not the best course – I had to follow. I did that because of the descent and the wind. When you are alone without teammates, you just have to follow. Now I look forward to the Time Trial," Cancellara said.

The race took place on the mountainous course beginning in Beijing and ending along the ramparts of the Great Wall northwest of the capital. The course passed historical landmarks including the Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square and the National Stadium in a route that sliced north across the heart of Beijing. The finish for the race was a 700-meter climb at 6% grade to the Cloud Platform, a carved marble archway that marked the finish line.