“With the new route that they have designed, Aiztondo will surely become even harder”

17th Aiztondo Klasika
March 15: Asteasu – Zizurkil (143.5 km)

The Copa de España is looking north and doing so with a renewed edition of the Aiztondo Klasika. The Aiztondo Klasika is a new edition of the Spanish Cup, which has been overtaken by circumstances, as the traffic regulating authorities explained the difficulty, from a police point of view, of covering the more or less traditional route that had been disputed in the sixteen previous editions. The organisation of the event worked against the clock to have a route ready that would receive the approval of the Ertzaintza (autonomic basque police), something that was finally achieved after a first failed proposal.

In 2020, the Aiztondo Klasika will not cover so many kilometres on the N-1 and will not face the initial long circuit where the riders would reach the town of Ordizia. The organisation has decided to do three laps of the Aitzondo circuit, then head for the town of Alkiza and, from there, return to the circuit to complete another seven steps per finish and arrive on the last lap at the steep slope introduced last year, that final kilometre at an average gradient of 7%.

Facing the race, with respect to the Guerrita, the Kometa-Xstra keeps in its participating team the Pucelan Vicente Hernaiz, the Asturian Eduardo Pérez-Landaluce, the Andalusian Mario Vilches and the Catalan Álex Martín, first leader of the Spanish Cup within the u23 category that in the appointment of Murcia suffered a fall before the Alto de la Perdiz that prevented him from riding later. For the Basque appointment they will complete the team of La Mancha Fernando Tercero, the La Rioja Arturo Grávalos and the Asturian Yago Segovia.

“With the new route they have designed it will surely be even harder than in previous editions”, reflects Grávalos. “It’s always nice, moreover, to racde in the North. And it’s nice. The races and the fans they have are spectacular. Personally, I am ready and willing to compete in Aiztondo”.

Yago Segovia, on the other hand, will attend the race after having taken part this past Sunday in the 38th Juan Manuel Santisteban Memorial held in the Cantabrian town of Colindres. A race of 143 kilometers marked by several climbs in which the Asturian finished 31st. “It was a long race with its harshness and it came very well to add up to the competition rhythm. At first I tried to get into some cuts, but with up to twelve riders from the Caja Rural it was not easy. In the final part there were three climbs in chains: Campo Layal, El Esquilo and Campo La Cruz. The first one I passed within a group of about 25 riders, but in the second one, with more slope, I stayed in a change of pace that Tom Armstrong did”.

(automatic translation, sorry for mistakes)