A Sunday of prestige and renown: Memorial Valenciaga and Trofeo Piva
Two of the big races of the amateur calendar are celebrated this Sunday and in both the EOLO-KOMETA Cycling Team U23 structure will be competing. In Spain, the Memorial Valenciaga in Eibar, which has become his fourth race in this edition due to the circumstances, will be the Elite U23 Spanish Cup. In Italy, a top international race, the Trofeo Piva de Col San Martino.
For the Memorial Valenciaga, the race that many consider the most reliable mirror of amateur cycling, in any case one of the most accurate springboards to professionalism, Rafa Díaz Justo has called Haimar Etxeberria, Ramón Fernández, Arnau Gilabert, Antonio González, Raúl López, Sebastiano Minoia and Pablo Uria (third in 2021).
The great novelty of this year’s edition is that, unlike in previous years, the finish line of the Valenciaga Memorial will be moved from the area around the Sanctuary of Arrate to the traditional, pre-pandemic finish line on Toribio Etxebarria Kalea. A Valenciaga, therefore, where the climbers will still have a lot to say, but they will not have the final endorsement of the great slopes of the climb up to Arrate.
“I’ve been thinking for days about repeating this race, even more so with the return of the route from other years. I really want to do well. We are curious to know how it will develop compared to last year with this change. In the end, the Valenciaga is one of the most important races in Spain, that’s for sure, and if you do well here the cycling world takes more notice of you”, said Antonio González.
Edoardo Alleva, Luca Bagnara, Andrea Montoli, Fran Muñoz and Gabriele Raccagni make up the quintet with which the Contador Foundation will be present in a new edition of the prestigious Trofeo Piva de Col San Martino, which reaches its 74th edition.
The race in Treviso stands out for its great mileage, almost 180 kilometres, which are linked with the chain of four circuits in which the ascent to Combai and the San Virgilio climb, with its very narrow and complicated descent, will provide the elimination and the selection. Combai will be tackled nine times, the last two combined with San Virgilio, which will be climbed three times.
“I’m really looking forward to this edition of the Piva”, says a very motivated Fran Muñoz. “It’s the first international event of the year, the best riders in Europe will be there and there will be fierce competition. But I’m sure we’re going to do a very good job”.
52º Memorial Valenciaga: Eibar – Eibar (163,3 km).
74º Trofeo Piva: Col San Martino – Col San Martino (179,1 km).
[? Melisa Gómiz]
