The climbs to La Perdiz and Gebas await one more year a Trofeo Guerrita that gives continuity to the Cup
Trofeo Guerrita / Copa de España
Alcantarilla – Alcantarilla (167 km)
With Andrea Pietrobon provisionally in the lead of the elite category, and in the second place of the absolute Cup, after the second place obtained in Don Benito, and with the good dynamics of this beginning of year, the EOLO-KOMETA Cycling Team u23 travels to Murcian lands this weekend.
The moto does not change: to go race by race. The Spanish Cup is a very nice objective, but the difficulty of the road invites to approach every race with caution. The Trofeo Guerrita emerges this weekend as the next step, a Guerrita that is once again the second round of the competition and returns to its normal dates after its move to June 2021 due to the pandemic situation of the moment.
The good start of the Cup, with the second place of the Italian Andrea Pietrobon in Don Benito, is an incentive to continue in this line. Pietrobon will be presented in Alcantarilla as leader of the overall Cup in the elite category, second in the overall absolute. In the team, up to four more cyclists will repeat their participation in the Cup with respect to Don Benito: Marcel Camprubí, Ramón Fernández, Fran Muñoz and Javi Serrano. Fernando Tercero and Andrea Montoli are in the seven for this event.
In terms of the route, the ascent to the Área Recreativa de La Perdiz is once again the hot point of the race. This mountain pass in the Sierra de Espuña has more than ten kilometres of ascent on a narrow road. The average gradient is around 4%, although there is a demanding area halfway up the climb. Before, as an aperitif, the cyclists ride the Alto de la Cola del Caballo (5.5 km from Librilla at an average gradient of 3%). Afterwards, also scoring, the Alto de Gebas (5 km at 4%), with its summit at 70 kilometres from the finish, a terrain where there is no lack of one or two steep slopes to surprise the riders.
Marcel Camprubí, rider of the U23 team: “The Guerrita is one of the races I already know from last season, although at a different date. In 2021 the heat was decisive, something that I don’t think will be the same because of the dates. The key point of the day is clearly the ascent to La Perdiz. We’ll see what the different teams play and how the mountain develops, if it’s a slow climb that keeps more people and facilitates a more massive sprint or the opposite, a smaller group where the team’s chances of achieving something nice will also increase”.
