Carlos Rodríguez and Polartec-Kometa, winners of the Spanish Junior Cup

VIII Trofeo Ayuntamiento de Peñafiel-Ruta del Vino-Ribera del Duero
5 August: Peñafiel-Peñafiel (123.1 km)

This Sunday, with the eighth edition of the Peñafiel City Council Trophy, a new edition of the Spanish Junior Cup ended, in which the Polartec-Kometa has achieved a double success. Carlos Rodríguez from Granada, who was leading his provisional general from Trofeu 15 d´abril in La Canonja, became champion in his first year in the category. The formation, leader by teams, secured first place in each squad. The second final position of the Catalan Álex Martín in the individual classification, reinforced the satisfactory final reading of the Madrid formation.

In the race, which was marked by several heights and ended with the ascent of the castle of Peñafiel, the Polartec-Kometa did not want to feed hopes or facilitate other people’s revolutions. The formation controlled the race to perfection, with a great job by Javier Serrano, Juan José Rosal and Iván Oliver, all of whom were on the run. In the last one, out of nine units, Oliver represented the team and relieved it of work.

Before the last climb, the platoon ended up neutralizing the leak. The ascent of the castle, just one kilometre away, was a matter for the illustrious. Óscar J. Guzmán (Arcabuco) would end up winning, beating Carlos Rodriguez. Álex Martín and Manuel Garrido underpinned the victory of Polartec-Kometa in the team general standings of the Castilian-Leonese event with their eighth and ninth position in the finish line. In addition, Ivan Oliver won the mountain general classification.

“I am very happy with the result and very grateful to the team for all the work they have done not only in this race, but throughout all the races. In addition, we were able to achieve the team overall, another of the main objectives of the season that we were able to achieve in the end. I don’t think there are many words to express the satisfaction that each and every one of us have at this moment. A happiness that reflects all the work we have been doing throughout the year,” said Carlos Rodríguez, new champion of the Cup and successor in the ranking of the Valencian Miquel López.

Guillermo Gutiérrez, director: “It was a race totally controlled by our structure. The team has been spectacular, getting into every leak, controlling every moment and every kilometer.  We were clear that we didn’t want to take any risks, especially in the descents, but also that we had to control from the beginning so as not to have any problems at the end, a very, very difficult end with the climb to the castle. The forecasts have gone well for us, with two riders on the breakaway of the day positioning us for the team general classification, a fundamental objective within the team from the first year of the foundation. An achievement that in the end has been achieved thanks to the immeasurable work of the entire team throughout the year.  I can only congratulate each and every member of the squad for this great season”.

(automatic translation, sorry for mistakes)