Challenging percentages and relentless terrain in A Coruña
XVII Vuelta a Provincia da Coruña
The debut of Colombian John Stiven Ramírez will be the great novelty of a Polartec-Kometa U23 who arrives at the always demanding Vuelta Ciclista a la Provincia de A Coruña with several men with a good form point after his time in the Vuelta a Navarra. Joan Martí Bennassar, Daniel Viegas, Alejandro Regueiro, Alejandro Ropero, Huego Sampedro and Sergio García complete the line-up of the Madrid team in the Galician event. “After finishing second in the last stage I’m not very happy 100%, but I’m going to A Coruña more motivated”, said Viegas.
The test emerges with a complex, hard and demanding test due to the intrinsic particularities of the Galician orography, which by 2018 will be rounded off by the inclusion in the design of orographic difficulties of great harshness. This is the case, in the first stage, of the passage through the Mirador de Ézaro, with its summit 52.4 kilometres from the finish line. Or Ameneiros, during the second one and at a similar distance from the end.
The last stage, with almost 3,000 metres of accumulated positive slope, presents the difficulties of A Faladoira, Cruz Encarnada and the Herbeira sentry box, to which is added its complicated descent, twisted and narrow with several very tight curves.
“Of the three stages, the first two are very steep, with no big passes but with an accumulated drop of almost 2,000 metres; although in the first stage we must add that we climbed the Ézaro, almost two kilometres with ramps of up to almost 30%, although it is true that it is 50 km from the finish line. I believe that in these first two stages a large group of about 40 or 50 riders will arrive, or at most a small group of riders who can get ahead of the pack. The last day is where the return will be decided, the first two are chained and the last one is to go down and you are already at the finish line, they are already climbers’ passes, almost certainly the one who wins that stage will also take the general standings”, valued the Galician Alejandro Regueiro.
Stages.
Friday 1st June: Ponteceso-Ponteceso (150 km).
Saturday 2nd June: Curtis-Curtis (133 km).
Sunday 3 June: Cariño-Cariño (125 km).
