Interview with Juan Camacho: “The head is the key to go well”

Juan Camacho (21 years, 1.89 m and 75 kg) is one of the pillars of the Under-23 RH+ / POLARTEC Team, time trial specialist and powerful ‘rouleur’ that in the first stage of the Vuelta a Palencia recently exhibited his full potential: took the victory and the lead in the first stage after attacking and rode solo along 50 kilometers. Few riders may face a whole bunch and finish victorious from this struggle.

Furthermore, as he says, did not start the day right. “After 10 kilometers I crashed and broke the bike handlebar. I had to take the spare bike and did not have a good feeling, I was wrong on the bike and had doubts about how the day would end, but then decided to change the mentality and went in a solo attack”.

This radical change of attitude was the key and what he stands out as the most significant of what happened that day. “There were still two mountain passes before the finish, but I did not think about. I suffered a lot, especially in the final 10 kilometers, with headwind, but Rafa (Diaz Justo) was giving me instructions and finally I came to goal”.

The rest of the stages, mountainous except the last, he worked for the team, but felt strong. “I’ve been with a lot of gas and even in the mountains have been in front”, says Camacho, who finished the race with a third place in the sprint on the last day. “The best conclusion I draw from this race is how important is for a rider the head. To change the chip at the right time means everything. The head is the key to go well and for everything. So victory cheered me so much, because this year Iexpected to do more and had not been very good until now”.

Juan Camacho hopes that this first win of the season, after suffering last year a fracture in his left elbow that left him two months at home, “is the starting point for a good end of the season”. His hopes now pass throw the Tour of Valencia, “where I think I can perform well”, and also the Tour of Galicia, “where there is a team time trial in which I hope I can help a lot”. All of this, thinking on getting ready for his final dream in end of the year, the Worlds. “I know it’s very difficult because I was not well in the Championship of Spain and because there is a lot of competition, of course, but I will do everything possible to convince the national coach”, he says.

Juan was unlucky in the last Championship of Spain. After preparing it as one of its main objectives of the year, a gastroenteritis two days before the time trial left him empty, but even in such conditions he finished seventh. “It was a great disappointment”, he confesses, so just want to recover. “In my first year U-23, I finished the Worlds in 18th place and after that I had many expectations, but then I had the injury last year and so far I’d come back to show my progression”.

In the three years that Juan Camacho has been on Alberto Contador Foundation Team, his three years as U-23, “I have adapted to the distance and the hardness of this category and every year I’m more glad I came to this team not only because in Ocana am very close to Pinto, but for the ambience and all that I have here”, he concludes.

(Automatic translation. Forgive inaccuracies).