Arturo Grávalos, a ‘stagiaire cum laude’ in a second stage of Hungary where he shows his talent
43º Tour de Hongrie
Etapa 2: Debrecen- Hajdúszoboszló (158 km)
The young Spanish rider Arturo Grávalos displayed his talent and enthusiasm on the roads of the Tour de Hongrie by being part of the great breakaway that capitalised on a good part of the development of this second stage of the Magyar round. The rider from La Rioja, stagiaire with the continental structure in this race, endorsed his great performance by leading a final solo attempt in the last kilometres, with the peloton controlling the distances so that the sprint could take place.
Grávalos formed a breakaway with Diether Sweeck (Alpecin-Fenix), Gilles De Wilde (Vlaanderen-Baloise), Simone Sano (Team Novák), Ziga Horvat (Adria Mobil) and a later arrival András Szatmáry (Hungarian Team). The break came with a five-minute lead, but was always controlled by the squad. The race entered the last 30 kilometres with a 30-second margin. Within the last 22 kilometres, with several members of the breakaway trying to give continuity to the adventure, Grávalos counterattacked and left alone for about ten kilometres. He would be hunted down with ten kilometres to go.
Facing the sprint, before the last corner, a big crash split the pack. Only Diego Pablo Sevilla was involved, with no major consequences. The rest of the riders in the team, with Márton Dina at the front, saved the incident without any major complications. In the massive finish, the Italian Jakub Marezcko (CCC) won, with Dina entering in twenty-first place, with the same time as the winner. In the general standings, where a Jon Aberasturi (Caja Rural) who was involved in the crash is still in the lead, Márton Dina is fiftteenth, ten seconds off the lead. Arturo Grávalos, thanks to his bonuses, is seventh.
“I am quite happy with the race that the whole team did today,” explains Grávalos. “We were very active from the start to get into the break and give presence to the team in front. In the end I was lucky enough to get in. We managed to make room quickly and in the final part of the race I decided to leave alone; why not, whoever does not try never knows how far he will go. In the end I was caught less than ten kilometres away. But very happy and giving presence to the team, which is the most important thing”.
“I am proud to be part of this incredible team. They have done a great job again. The whole team was working throughout the day for both me and Giacomo and we spent the whole day shooting in the front,” explains Dina.
For this Wednesday, a stage with a proposal very similar to that of the second day. The Tour of Hungary will cover 182 kilometres between Karcag and Nyíregyháza, where the pulse between the breakaway and the teams interested in a resolution to the sprint will once again be the protagonist of this third stage.
? Vanik Zoltan / Mario Pertorini / Tour de Hongrie
(automatic translation, sorry for mistakes)
