Third place in Grado for a great Álex García; Alem Herráiz had a scare due to a crash

VII Trofeo Santiago y Santa Ana
Grado-Grado (84 km)

Barcelona’s Alex García confirmed both his great form and his climbing skills this Saturday with a third place in a demanding Trofeo Santiago y Santa Ana that concentrated the orographic hardness in its final part. The Catalan, a second year junior, was among the four riders who rode the last climb in pursuit of the winner, the Asturian Hugo de la Calle (MMR). Joel Díaz finished sixth.

García rode with Joel Díaz, David Puente and Manuel Sanroma in a group of about twenty riders that, after the climbs of La Cabruñana and La Doriga, was in pursuit of De la Calle, who had already escaped with a lead of about 30 seconds. Gergo Magyar had been among the riders who had tried the breakaway before De la Calle’s move.

On the ascent to Aces García took off to chase down the escapee. A race situation that gave rise to the quartet that would fight for second place, made up of Álex himself, Yeray Sastre and Luis García from MMR and Hugo Aguilar, from Entrenamientociclismo. There was no understanding between these four riders, with the presence of two MMR riders, and it was not possible to reach the head of the race. De la Calle arrived with a minute’s margin.

The race had been stopped in its first third due to a fall that required medical assistance and the transfer of riders to hospital. Alem Herráiz from Madrid was one of the riders involved in the fall and it was initially feared that he might suffer a serious hip injury, but the first medical tests fortunately ruled out a fracture.

[📷 Thanks to Roberto Menéndez / Ciclismo en Asturias (1, 3)]