Arturo Grávalos, Spanish runner-up on the road: “I’ve fought with all my strength”

Spanish Championships 2019
Archena – Lorca (157,8 km)

Superlative performance of Arturo Grávalos in the road endurance test of the U23 category of the Nationals of Murcia. The Riojan, who set a great performance in the time trial, was one of the great protagonists of a very disputed test in which Malaga’s Carmelo Urbano won the national title. A fall at the end of the test deprived Grávalos of the fight a national title for which he had done more than enough merits during the morning of this Saturday.

Grávalos was one of the many riders involved in the dynamics of attacks and counterattacks that occurred from the first bars of the test. Up to thirty cyclists, among whom the Kometa Cycling Team had Grávalos or the Galician Alejandro Regueiro, were consolidated in the vanguard of the race.

It would be in Alto de la Perdiz, with its summit 65 kilometres from the finish line, where Grávalos would go alone. A brave, sensational bet that survived until within the last twenty kilometres, when it was hunted by the Catalan Roger Adriá, the Andalusian Carmelo Urbano and the Basque Oier Ibarguren. Grávalos resisted the attacks that arrived on the ascent of the Alto del Castillo de Lorca and also got rid of the falls that occurred on his descent and affected both Adria and Ibarguren.

Everything seemed to indicate that Grávalos and Urbano would play the victory to sprint, but the runner of the U23 team of the Alberto Contador Foundation did not hesitate to go again to attack and left with a few meters. Within the last kilometer, when the gold seemed to be his, he lost the front wheel, lost control of the bicycle and suffered a fall. He would end up crossing the finish line 13 seconds from Urbano.

“That fall was a pity when I was so close to fighting for gold, but I am left with the satisfaction that I fought and fought with all my strength. If you don’t risk, you don’t win,” said Grávalos, who couldn’t hide his tears after crossing the finish line. The Asturian Edu Pérez-Landaluce, who also completed a great performance in the time trial, finished 8th, at 5:32. Carlos García, representing the Madrid national team, finished eleventh at 5:38.

(automatic translation, sorry for mistakes)

📸 RFEC