Polartec-Kometa, the best team in Castellón; Ramírez, the best under-20 team

XXXVI Volta Castelló
Stage 4: Castellón de la Plana – Castellón de la Plana (128.5 km)

The Tour of Castellón 2018 is over. The Levantine race reached the streets of the provincial capital, where the fourth and final stage was resolved to the sprint with victory of the Balearic Xavier Cañellas (Caja Rural). The Spaniard José Antonio García finished third, caressing a much sought-after success for Polartec-Kometa. The Madrid formation worked with insistence and effectiveness at the head of the main squad to neutralize a last escape from the’ampo’ Unai Cuadrado and prepare for Joselillo’s arrival.

The race concludes with Polartec-Kometa as the best team in the race and with three of its riders in the top fifteen of the final general classification. Colombian John Stiven Ramírez, fifth, Carlos García, eighth, and Alejandro Ropero, fifteenth, were the first exponents of Madrid’s formation in the classification. Ramírez also finished as the first U-20 rider, ahead of his team-mate Carlos García.

“Today we helped Jose to get past the last port, we rowed him in, he did it and we worked towards the finish line. In the end, third parties. The race as a whole gives us a bittersweet taste. Personally, it was a shame that in Vistabella he lost all the options in the general classification. We didn’t do it well,” says Alejandro Ropero from Granada. “It was a very high level race. I’m happy with the result, I left everything on the bike until the last day. Now it’s time to prepare for what’s to come,” says John Stiven.

Rafa Díaz Justo, director: “From day one there was a runaway of riders who were probably not the top favourites and that has weighed down all the results. Today it has been very easy to read and evolve: a race controlled by the leader’s team, which at one time had the help of another team. We had five riders in the small group that came after the Desierto de Palmas and we tried to prepare for the finish but in the end the fair winner was Cañellas, who right now is probably one of the pure sprinters who climbs the most with our Joselillo. I’m happy with the team’s performance today, it’s been in place”.

(automatic translation, sorry for mistakes)

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