Miguel Domínguez, winner of a Challenge Montaña Central with a ‘blue triplet’
Another high average, above 47 km/h, at the end of an unforgettable Challenge Montaña Central. Luis Alberto Lajarín (Valverde Team) won the last stage of a race in which Miguel Domínguez was the overall winner, leading a triplet of EOLO-KOMETA Cycling Team riders on the final podium with the Hungarian Balint Feldhoffer and Sergio Calvo. Balazs Pollner, tireless in the work, climbed the podium as winner of the classification of the ‘metas volantes’, while all the U19 structure of the Contador Foundation did the same as team winners.
The boys led by Gorka Beloki did their best to keep under control a final day that featured two passes over the Alto de Carabanzo in the last kilometres. Several breakaway attempts marked the course of the day, but the blue team always kept them under control, at a short distance. And so it came to the first pass through Carabanzo, where Miguel Domínguez was very attentive to the rival accelerations to crown in third position. From this first pass, a leading group of around forty riders would emerge, which would be halved in a second pass where there was no lack of offensives, especially from Héctor Álvarez (De la Uz). Towards the end, with Jaume Lloret launching a powerful attack, a new regrouping and acceleration in the final stages of the day’s winner, Lajarín, which was enough for him to take the win at the front of a very fast group.
Miguel Domínguez, winner of the final overall: “I am very happy for the victory, but it is a success for all of us, the future of a great team work: we could have won any of the three companions who finished on the podium. In the end we always try to work as a team, by doing things well we can achieve results. We are not the best, but when we come together we can achieve beautiful things. We are working to keep learning and improving, but we are in no hurry to go up. As for the future, I still don’t have a clear timetable, we have to see and it’s also exam time. We’re going to keep working and see if we can continue to see more results”.
Gorka Beloki, director of the EOLO-KOMETA Cycling Team in the race: “We came with the goal of doing a good result, with a strong team, and the end has totally exceeded our expectations. The guys are doing a great job during the season and in Asturias we have seen the reflection of that work. Everyone, from the first to the last, has done a great job. They have always followed the indications and when they have had to make decisions they have been able to see what was the best choice. They have always run very close together and supported their leader unwaveringly. I would especially like to highlight Samuel Flórez, because he suffered a heavy blow in an incident with a motorbike during the second stage and instead of getting off, which was the logical thing to do, he persevered and persevered to do the work he could do for his team-mates and he knew how to suffer to stay in the race. His effort and sacrifice summarises and condenses the value of the collective. This victory, this performance, is dedicated to Arturo Grávalos, who was very dear to all of us”.
[? Roberto Menéndez / Ciclismo en Asturias]
