David Martín, eleventh on a demanding day before the queen stage with the general classification wide open
38º Vuelta a Zamora
Stage 3: Fonfría – Riofrío de Aliste (142,8 km)
The U23 team of the Contador Foundation sought the limelight in the day in the Comarca de Aliste, a third stage of the Vuelta a Zamora with many steep slopes, several high points and where the wind blew. Arnau Gilabert and Vicente Hernaiz were two of the ten riders who were involved in a first numerous attempt and Hernaiz himself with Edu Pérez-Landaluce would fight in a similar adventure kilometres later, with the head of the race still marked by the alternatives.
The climbs to the Alto de Vega and the Alto de Crucero de Viñas, both within the final 50 kilometres, were made at the pace of the team led this Thursday by Félix García Casas, at the front of a peloton that circulated with about two minutes on the Sevillian José María Martín (Valverde), alone after this phase of more numerous movements. Then came new attacks and it wasn’t until the last ten kilometres that a regrouping would take place, which made it possible to think of a reduced volley, but a volley nonetheless.
Xabier Berasategi and the Frenchman Thibaud Saint-Guilhem took the lead in the last four kilometres by a few seconds and both managed to make the advantage count in the face of the doubts at the back to fight for a partial victory that was won by the Spaniard from Laboral Kutxa. David Martín, eleventh, was the first of the EOLO-KOMETA Cycling Team riders.
This Friday the Zamora round faces its last fraction, its queen stage; a 117.7 kilometres long stage between Camarzana and Lubían in which the riders will have to manage the slopes of the Portilla del Padornelo, the Alto de Ladiairo and the Alto de Marabón, the latter with its summit ten kilometres from the end. None of the climbs is long in terms of mileage, but the last two have important ramps that can break the race. Many riders have options to fight for the general classification, which was once again led by Fran Rus (Cortizo).
