Martí Bennassar is seen in the escape and Ropero, Carlos and Sergio in the fight for the overall

XVII Volta a Galicia
Stage 2: Sanxenxo-Sanxenxo (148 km)

The Cantabrian Antonio ‘Chava’ Angulo (Rias Baixas) won this Friday in a second stage of the Volta a Galicia that ended up being much more demanding than expected, brought change in the identity of a leader who went behind the Cantabrian also Sergio Vega (Froiz) and had the Granada Alejandro Ropero, fifth, as the best classified Polartec-Kometa.

Ropero was integrated in the group of twelve units that went on to lead the race after passing through the demanding Alto de A Escusa, mountainous ascent that dynamited the race and in which five runners stood out who would end up being hunted by seven others, Ropero among them, in the descent.

Later, at the end of the stage, this group grew to 21 units with the arrival of nine other runners among whom were two ‘Polartec-Kometa’ as the Madrid Carlos Garcia the Andalusian Sergio Garcia.

This second stage, the first one in line, had had a lot of protagonism of the Polartec-Kometa of the Balearic Joan Martí Bennassar’s hand, who managed to integrate in the escape of nine units that during many kilometers, and with an income superior to the four minutes, headed the stage until the first of the three ports foreseen for this Friday.

Sergio Vega leads the overall, tied on time with his teammates Martin Lestido and Ivan Martinez. Alejandro Ropero is ninth, Carlos Garcia is in eleventh place and Sergio Garcia occupies the twelfth, all of them 16 seconds from the winner.

“The ascent of A Escusa was very hard, especially in its first ramps and in the end”, commented the Andalusian questioned about the great fight that brought the last difficulty of the day. “I saw that a small group was leaving, but I knew that I would end up entering because I was riding with two riders from Lizarte and two from Aldro, who didn’t have anyone there. At the end, in the sprint, a fifth place that I know little by little. I’m sure that if I improved a little in this aspect I could scratch better positions”.

This Saturday, 150 kilometres with start and finish in Boiro where there is an infinity of non-scoring climbs and the second pass through Confurco near the finish line; a day with solid options for José Antonio García.

(automatic translation, sorry for mistakes)