Between heat and “obstacles” Team Polti Kometa finishes 10th with Peñalver at Clásica Castilla y León

The first of the two Spanish racedays this week, the one dedicated to sprinters, saw Team Polti Kometa perform well under the scorching sun of the Ribera del Duero. The Clásica Castilla y León (since it was reduced to just one day, it wasn’t called Vuelta) began with a breakaway of six riders that gradually reduced until, 15 kilometers from the finish in La Cistérniga, the last survivor Carlos Garcia Pierna (who raced for our Under 23 squad in 2019) was caught.

At that point, the maneuvers for the sprint began. Polti Kometa had to deal with some crashes and mechanical issues and did what they could to position Manuel Peñalver. In the sprint won by Caleb Ewan, Peñalver placed 10th and commented after the finish: “I’m happy to have at least secured tenth place, though it’s a shame we couldn’t have some teammates in the final. After a long and refreshing break, I take home a result that brings many points but we aim to do better in the next opportunities. I thank the Whole team and I’m ready to serve them in two days at Ordizia.”

This is the analysis of sports director Jesús Hernández: “The guys behaved well, always united for Manuel. Unfortunately we had to make Alex Martín and Diego Sevilla lead out, who were already tired from pulling all day. Our sprinter, who was back to racing after a month and a half, did very well to move almost alone! What happened towards the finale? Davide De Cassan crash due to a water bottle, luckily he only has a small wound, while Restrepo had a flat tire. This morning I would never have settled for a tenth position, but given the situation we can say it went well.”