Diego Pablo Sevilla in the great breakaway of the first day in Burgos
42nd Vuelta Ciclista a Burgos
Stage 1: Burgos/Cathedral-Burgos/Cerro del Castillo (157 km)
Four months after the last competition, the Kometa-Xstra Cycling Team concreted this Tuesday its return to the roads with a very expected Tour of Burgos in whose first stage the Madrid Diego Pablo Sevilla was one of its great protagonists. The rider of San Martin de la Vega was involved in a quartet of early management that led the race for almost 120 kilometers. On the first day the victory finally went to the bag of the Austrian Felix Großschartner (Bora), the first leader of the race, while Antonio Puppio finished 34th, 23 seconds behind the winner.
Just after the Seville start, the Catalan Francisco Galvan (Kern Pharma), the Basque Gotzon Martín and the Dutchman based in Girona Jetse Bol (Burgos-BH) formed a quartet that, very well agreed and in view of the permissiveness of the pack, immediately amassed a lead of more than five minutes. The work of Deceuninck-Quick Step and Groupama-FDJ reduced this disadvantage somewhat and kept it fluctuating between four and five kilometres.
In the demanding Alto de Altotero, where Seville had some problems in the initial part, the advantage of the break began to descend more clearly and at the height of the refreshment stands was less than four minutes. The collaboration of several teams behind it made the hunting work more dynamic with a greater rhythm that also increased the nerves in the great group. It was a moment in which a couple of important falls took place, in one with José Antonio García and Márton Dina involved without great consequences, and the last bars of the breakaway were experienced. A moment of great intensity in which the Hungarian Márton Dina suffered an untimely puncture and resumed the march as soon as he could with José Antonio García’s bike, but could not be re-engaged. “A puncture at a difficult time,” laments the Magyar cyclist. “I got the bike from José and catched the pelotón. But when the big teams start to pull a full gas I dropped. That was like a monkey on the bike. When I got my own spare bike I was also soo close to catch the peloton but I miss it”.
With 38 minutes to go, the bike was neutralized and the pack was divided into several groups due to the wind. Antonio Puppio and Alessandro Fancellu were very attentive during this phase. The Belgian Remco Evenepoel was very active in the lead, even going solo with a margin of almost 50 seconds over a very small bunch until, at 24.5 for the end, in a stretch with strong headwind, the rider chose to stop and a regrouping took place.
The first pass through Cerro del Castillo selected even more a bunch that had already been broken up previously. At the forefront, very attentive, was Antonio Puppio. Varesino would be the first of the Kometa-Xstra Cycling Team riders at the finish line. In a smaller group, from the back, at 1:28, crossed his compatriot Alessandro Fancellu. “I felt good, I had good legs and I was able to ride in that first group towards the finish. It was a sprint of about fifty riders and in the last 300 meters I lacked some freshness”, explains Puppio.
Riccardo Verza, alone, finished at 6:25. Márton Dina and Alejandro Ropero arrived together in a group at 8:21. “We had to chase to get back. And when the real gas opened up in the platoon, it rolled badly, at the end of the group. I should have passed later as I hooked up. Another learning experience for the future,” says Ropero.
Diego Pablo Sevilla, one of the protagonists of the day: “A good day. And hard. At the Altotero I had a bad moment, I wasn’t comfortable, my team-mates were carrying me around with the hook. Downstairs I stopped going into the relays, they pulled me out and released me. I took it easy and in a little break where they stopped a little I was able to go back in and get some air. It was good for me and I even almost took the sprint d ela mtonaña, but Gotzon passed me in the last meters. It was a pity, because that jersey had a prize: in the end it was two days wearing it. It’s a shame, but tomorrow will be another day”.
Jesús Hernández, Sports Director of the Kometa-Xstra Cycling Team: “We are very satisfied with this first day. We have been present in the race with Diego, always attentive to the important breaks. At the end Puppio also in the last kilometers has been rolling very ahead. We had bad luck with breakdowns or other launches. We didn’t have any direct crashes, but we were involved in them. Márton had to change bikes twice, Verza a wheel break… We are clear about the level of this race and we have been present in it, which is what we will be looking for every day”.
This Wednesday, the round of Burgos faces a second day with a very favorable profile for the resolution to the sprint if some escape, that surely will return to have occasion to happen, or more than presumably appearance of the wind, as it happened this Tuesday at some moment, does not prevent it. Between Castrojeriz and Villadiego, an essentially flat stage.
(automatic translation, sorry for mistakes)
? Félix Ordóñez (1), G. Gutiérrez (2, 3 y 4).
