Moschetti and Gazzoli, the main assets of the Polartec-Kometa in Getxo

73º Circuito de Getxo
31 July: Getxo-Getxo (185 km)

With a few minor adjustments to its layout, forced by some works on the roads, a new edition will be held on Tuesday, the 73rd edition of the Circuito de Getxo, also Memorial Ricardo Otxoa. The race organized by the Sociedad Ciclista Punta Galea was held for the first time in 1924, although throughout its history it has experienced several stops. Since 1980, except for the absences of 1986 and 1993, it has been played without interruption. The mythical Federico Ezquerra, with three victories (1935, 1940, 1942), is the rider with the most successes in his list of winners.

The Biscayan classic, another very festive event, not for nothing is linked to the local festivities of San Ignacio, will be held over 185 kilometres. A layout resulting from the ten laps to be completed to a circuit of 18.5 kilometres where the slopes of the Txomintxu hill, those 800 metres with a maximum gradient of 14% in the vicinity of the finish line, will once again prove decisive.

Miguel Ángel Ballesteros, Juan Camacho, Isaac Cantón, Michele Gazzoli, Juan Pedro López, Matteo Moschetti and Diego Pablo Sevilla will represent the Polartec-Kometa in a race where only one WorldTour will compete, the Movistar Team of Carlos Barbero from Burgos, double winner of the race and number 11 (because the 1 in this race is dedicated to the memory of Ricardo Otxoa). Euskadi-Murias, Caja Rural-Seguros RGA, Burgos-BH, Delko-Marsella, Fundación Euskadi, Dare Gaviota, Java-Partizán, Team Ukyo, Massi-Kuwait and VIB Sports complete the list of participating squads.

For Matteo Moschetti, Getxo is a special occasion because it will be his first competition in the Basque Country. “I’m fine and I feel fine, even though I arrive after a season without competition and the rhythm factor is always there. But I am very motivated to fight for a good result. I know this is an important race in its entire history and this will be my first race in the Basque Country, so I hope to have good luck. “The race will be hard because of the speed. We have a clear idea of working for Matteo, as he may have a chance of winning,” says Isaac Cantón. “I think we have a very compact team to work with”.

Jesús Hernández, director: “The Circuito de Getxo is a little different from Ordizia, because it is a semi-urban route, with an uphill finish on a short but hard slope. We took Matteo Moschetti and Michele Gazzoli and the team will work for them, thinking about the sprint, but without forgetting that it’s a small squad, a race that can be a little crazy and we have to be careful that they don’t leave us without presence in the cuts”.

(automatic translation, sorry for mistakes)