5th place for Gabriele Raccagni in Don Benito

Don Benito opened the Copa de España for the under-23 riders on the morning of Sunday. After the top 10 achieved by the juniors the day before, Gabriele Raccagni managed to sneak into the top positions as well.

Before the start of the race, it was predicted to be a very demanding race both for the route and for the rain and wind that would accompany the riders. After the first ascent to the ‘wall’ of Magacela, the main breakaway of the day was formed. The three riders who atacked managed to extend their lead to four minutes and the bunch remained calm after a very fast start. It was on the third lap that nine riders jumped out of the bunch and reached the leading riders before the climb to Magacela. On this climb, the main group got very close to the breakaway, but did not manage to catch them, which was joined by a new unit.

Thirteen riders led the race on the last lap. The team worked hard to catch the breakaway and keep the fast riders chances. The breakaway gradually broke up on the last climb and flat kilometres to the finish lane. The bunch’s pace paid off and they managed to catch the riders who were ahead except for two riders who were fighting for the victory. In the sprint to complete the podium, Raccagni was 5th.

Rafael Díaz Justo: “It was a tough day because of the weather. The race was under control, but we had a mechanical problem on Tommasso’s bike, who was our strong rider for today. When he came back to the bunch, the nine riders gone away and reached the head of the race and we had to start working our way to the finish line. The team has been very good, although we are not having any luck. The results will come eventually”.

Gabriele Raccagni: “It was a very hard race because of the rain and wind. I worked along with Tommasso to get to the sprint, but finally he was not well and tried to sprint, finishing fifth. As a team we worked very well and I’m very happy and with a lot of morale”.