Fourth position in the Cantabrian overall for Fernando Tercero with the same time as the winner
Vuelta Ciclista a Cantabria
Stage 3: Los Corrales de Buelna-Los Corrales de Buelna (148,8 km)
In the fight, to the last line. Fernando Tercero from La Mancha finished fourth overall in the Vuelta Ciclista a Cantabria this Saturday after finishing fourth in a final section where Pelayo Sánchez (Gomur) from Asturias won and Xabier Berasategi (Laboral Kutxa), in second place, took the final lead in the Cantabrian race.
Up to ten riders started the day equal to the leader Alberto Serrano (Caja Rural), among them Fernando Tercero and Álex Martín. The double pass through the Collada de Cieza, a demanding climb, made even harder by the appearance of the rain, gave the impression that the race would be moved to try and lighten this struggle, although with its summit twenty kilometres away from the finish line there was still room for a regrouping.
Javier Romo selected the race very much in the second pass through Cieza and only Fernando Tercero, Abner González and Pelayo Sánchez were able to follow in his wake. Behind, about 40 seconds away, was the leader and also an Álex Martín who lacked the strength to maintain his aspirations before this second climb.
Coronado Cieza, in the descent ended up forming a group of nine units. Fernando Tercero resisted well the movements that were developed in a tense end, especially a new acceleration of Romo to three kilometres for the end. In the sprint, Sánchez imposed his speed lead.
Third, who is completing a great first year in the category, finished fourth. And he closed an identical classification in a final general classification with five riders equal in time. Álex Martín, for his part, arrived one minute after the winner and in the final classification he dropped to the definitive ninth position.
Rafa Díaz Justo, director of the Kometa-Xstra Cycling Team U23: “Winning is always very nice, but also very difficult. And more so when you are matched with more riders in time. We were satisfied with the race we did, in which we were left with two less riders to manage some race situations. The result is very good, Fernando is still a very young boy and is doing very well in a new category. Álex didn’t have his best day and Fernando consolidated as our best rider. At the beginning the podium was assured, but ended up with people coming in from behind and that option also went away. But we have to be satisfied”.
📷 Mónica del Campo
(automatic translation, sorry for mistakes)
